Newport International Group Reviews│Colin and Justin: Old fashioned is new fashion as timeless classics brighten room

7/27/2019 Newport International Group ReviewsColin and Justin: Old fashioned is new fashion as timeless classics brighten room

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Colin and Justin:

Old fashioned is new fashion as timeless classics brighten room

Source

Visit any factory-inspired condo project, or hip-and-happening

home store, and youll find designs dating from the 1920s through to the

1970s.

Attention design devotees. Hands up if youre currently

bathing in an avocado-toned acrylic bath. Anybody? Thought not.Lets try another tack. Which of you will admit to decorating

with genuine 1970s wallpaper featuring psychedelic orange flowers and

chocolate brown leaf motifs? Nobody? Why doesnt that surprise us?

Youre all way too cool and way too now to be so attached to

the past. Or are you?Visit any factory-inspired condo development, or hip-and-

happening home store, and youll almost certainly find yourself wading

through designhistory from the 20s, 50s, 60s and even the 70s.

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The reality is that much of what we consider cutting edge actually

predates our parents. Age issues aside, many aspects cut a surprisingly

contemporary dash, thereby making them perfect fodder with which to

transform otherwise characterless spaces.Consider the evidence. Step inside our time shuttle, if you will, and

enjoy a spot of progressive 1920s modernism via the iconic Barcelona chair,

love child of Mies van der Rohe, a German American creative whose work

is revered, to this day, across the globe.

The Barcelonas original purpose was as a modern throne forvisiting King Alfonso XIII and was designed to provide a seat as he and his

Queen signed the Golden Book to open the International Exposition of 1929.

With button-tufted upholstery and an iconic metal X frame, the chair drew

on van derRohes determination to combine supreme comfort with

manufacturing economy.As secondary seating in todays project, its comfortable and

elegant and adds immediate historical gravitas. Discover your nearest

stocklist at knoll.com.

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And our clients? A super fun couple named Laura and James. We

figured that, their love of retro taken into account, theyd enjoy a scheme that

plundered the past, but in a strident and very contemporary manner.Why hadnt they got round to renovating? For starters, their busy

schedule as independent film makers meant they had little time to devote to

domestic styleas our before pictures can attest. But no worries; what they

lacked in time was more than made up for in enthusiasm and blind decorative

ambition. Aye, we made a great team!

After bonding with us over coffee in their spectacularly cluttered

home, Laura and James left the redesign in our ambitious hands, asking only

one thing: for a right-angled turn. Blimey, did we rise to the challenge.

The first piece of business was to open the space, which we achieved

by removing the decorative pier that punctuated the living and dining zones.(Note: if you plan to make any structural changes, you must make certain you

wont undermine your homes physical integrity. We work with a team of

skilled contractors who comply with every aspect of building code and seek

relevant consents and permits.)

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After painting everything crisp white (as a gallery-style backdrop for

the design museum pieces that would shortly follow), we accented with vivid

yellow and black latex bands. To further pursue the art gallery feel, we used

the deepest black for the window frames and skirting boards, which effectively

framed our project.

High-impact tactics, for sure, but Laura and James are a lively couple

who, by their own admission, enjoy pushing the envelope.

Next, we installed a grey-toned Amtico floor (amtico.com) and then

anchored silver birch branches from floor to ceiling on either side of the room,for a shot of organic appeal to balance the American Psycho/Wall Street

esthetics.

Stage setting aside, lets get back to business that being our classic

furniture from yesteryear. Our next ancient example of modernism comes

courtesy of Eileen Gray, a designer who seriously influenced the course of arthistory and style.

Grays E-1027 side table (which sits on the right in our after shot) is a

beautiful piece that is as relevant today as it was in the 1920s, when she so

lovingly composed its sexy lines.

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The Irish-born visionary is particularly renowned for her ability to merge form

and function, which jettisoned her into the circle of Amsterdams De Stijl

artists, around whom she created much of her early work. (dwr.com)

Moving on, lets hang with a younger crowd. Cue the Noguchi table,as envisioned by Isamu Noguchi and manufactured by Herman Miller in 1947.

We reckoned it made the perfect addition to our very modern living/dining

room, its ebony tones playing as useful complement to our accent wall.

(eq3.com)

Fast forwarding to the 1950s, we found ourselves in Denmark. Themaster of all things Danish? Arne Jacobsen. A pioneer of plywood, his iconic

3107 chair from 1955 is still one of the worlds most recognizable seating

solutions.

Characterized by its sinuous moulded shell, the chair works perfectly

well in office use or for dining, as in todays project. Okay, so the cult status ofthe 3107 has been somewhat diluted by fierce plagiarism but, to some,

imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

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The icing on our cake was the Grand Confort sofa and matching

chairs, designed in 1928 by Le Corbusier. Ultimate classics, these pieces are

surprisingly comfortable and widely regarded as historys greatest modern

furniture. New Yorks Musuem of Modern Art displays Grand Confort, alongwith work by Eileen Gray, as part of its permanent collection.

To tool up further, read a copy of A Century of Design; Design

Pioneers of The 20th Century, published by Barron and authored by Penny

Sparke. Youll become quickly absorbed by the annals of furniture history.

Youll lust over pictures of Marcel Breuers Wassily Chair and weep at thesight of Harry Bertoias Diamond seat. The beautifully photographed reference

book bears testament to the fact that old fashioned doesnt have to mean fuddy

duddy.

This in mind, were already planning our next trip to NYC to scan the

glittering inventory of vintage furniture at MoMAan institute we shallrename MoNSMA (Musuem of Not So Modern Art).

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