Modern Planet - Gabriel Ross Modern Design Blog

Well, as promised, here are my thoughts on investing in furniture.

Don’t do it !!

That is, if you want a financial investment. If that is the case, then go see a financial adviser. Yes, there are people that can buy and sell furniture and make a quick buck, but, the odds are that you aren’t one of them.

Now, don’t get me wrong, it isn’t that I don’t truly believe that furniture is a good investment, it’s just that for me, it’s an investment that will only pay off financially for those that I leave behind and that is only if I can’t instill some kind of a sense of style into them before my time is up. Hopefully if that’s the case, then they’ll be fighting over these objects the way family members are supposed to when loved ones pass on. Not because they want to sell the items, but because something about each piece appeals to them on some level or another.

Furniture is an investment in life and in lifestyle and depending on how much value you put on furniture as a part of lifestyle, you may or may not decide to invest in items for your home that others deem to be senseless extravagances for the wealthy.

 I continually find myself telling clients to slow down and think about the end result that they would like to achieve with their home. When Mel and I moved to our current home, we had one rule, "Nothing comes into the house that isn’t part of our long term plan" Now this of course was pretty much impossible to achieve, because at that time we had a very limited amount of furniture that fit the plan, but we stayed as true to that as possible and it motivated us to come up with a plan and do our best to save up and buy the items that we really want. It isn’t often that I sell anything anymore, but I have to let you know that I just sold six Marcel Breuer Cesca chairs for about half of what I paid for them three years ago.

Let that be a lesson to me.

I just received my monthly copy of the Fritz Hansen E-News and thought I’d pass this along. As a subscriber, you will not only receive the latest updates from Fritz Hansen, but you will also be automatically enrolled for a chance to win free merchandise from them. They will be drawing four times a year. The current draw will be April 10, 2007 and the prize is 4 VicoDuo chairs by designer Vico Magistretti.

How cool is that. Of course if you win and you don’t have room for them, let me know and I’ll see if I can free up some space. 

It seems like more and more manufacturers are giving clients the option of buying collectable limited editions of their furniture.

Last year Herman Miller offered the Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman for a limited time only with a 50th Anniversary emblem and also included a free book called:

"The Eames Lounge Chair"

"An Icon of Modern Design"

A great read which can also be purchased seperately.

Anyway, I’ve seen the likes of many more limited editions this year as well. Some worth mentioning:

 The Grand Prix Chair by Fritz Hansen (mentioned in a previous edition),

The Componibili storage units by Kartell in Red,

and

The Panton chair by Vitra, available while supplies last in Orange.

You just know that one day, all of these iconic pieces will be worth more than the asking price, as good old supply and demand comes into play and creates a market for these limited pieces.

Can furniture actually be an investment?

Stay tuned for another unbiased opinion. 

I came across a funny design related video on www.youtube.com the other day.

It involves a couple of Tizio lamps doing the nasty.

Check it out and let me know if you think this should be allowed or if it is too risque’ even for the internet

http://youtube.com/watch?v=uUQTkSrRTDI

I can’t believe that we are finally in the last days of our home renovation.

What started out as a simple interior paint job that would take a couple of weeks, has finished up as a six month, major renovation, that has more than touched every room in the house. Most notably, the entranceway, the kitchen, both of the bathrooms and all three bedrooms.

I could go on in length about all of the changes that have now made our house our home, but, I won’t. I am here today to talk about one major change. Well actually, several major changes in one form.

I have always been the type of person that will go without for years, rather than have something in my home that I just don’t like. Lighting is one of those things that can be so important and yet so many people choose this as the place to save money. Yes, you can spend a pretty penny lighting your home, but there are also ways of doing it on a budget, that will give you great results, great light and possibly leave a few rubles in your pocket.

Like with any purchase for your home, the worst way to save money is to spend it on something you don’t love. If you don’t love it when you buy it, chances are it isn’t far off being at the landfill.

So, we used plenty of pot lights throughout the house. These are relatively inexpensive, they give great light with a contemporary feel and they make a great start to your lighting plan.

Now all you have to do is fill in the holes with a selection of ceiling, suspension, wall, floor and table lamps. This is where I say, “Do it right”

Most of these items are things that I personally plan on taking with me, if I ever move. So, the idea of spending a little more on lighting isn’t quite so painful.

That being said, there are still some great deals on spectacular lighting, that will set you apart from your neighbours.

To name a few:

Table lamps

The Miss K table lamp by Flos is currently on sale for $242. What a bargain !!

Tizio classics are always well priced classics that stand the test of time.

Artemide came out recently with the Castore table lamps, which are a group of four different sizes starting at $238

The Artemide Tolomeo Micro’s were re-released this year in an amazing new color range and a special price, so check them out.

My favourite table lamp / bedside lamp for it’s clean classic lines that fit into any interior is still the Thuban table lamp by Nemo Italinaluce. Beautiful white glass and chrome with an old style cord in white and black or red.

Floor Lamps

We just brought in an Artemide Alfiere Floor Lamp. I know we had sold a few on the internet and now I know why. Very nice floor lamp, somewhat adjustable and a very reasonable price.

The Foscarini Havana Floor Lamp is an elegant piece that lights up at night and fills the room with quite a nice ambient light. My personal favourite is with the white shade.

Suspension

For more reasonably priced fixtures, you can look at Flos Miss K suspension, Nemo Italiana Luce Sirius suspension or Nemo Ursa Major (or Ursa Minor) and the best bang for the buck in Suspension fixtures right now has to be the Modernica Bubble Lamps in all the shapes and sizes. (Saucer Lamp, Cigar Lamp, Ball Lamp, Apple Lamp, Criss Cross Lamp, etc.)

Now, if I had only taken more of my own good advise, maybe I’d still have a few Rubles in my pocket.

After losing out at the auction on an amazing set of six vintage Fritz Hansen Grand Prix chairs with wood legs earlier this year, I couldn’t believe it when a few weeks ago I was driving up Fort St. here in Victoria and there in the window of the local auction house was another original Grand Prix chair with wood legs. OK, it wasn’t a set of six, but to be honest, I’m not sure I ever saw this chair as being my dining chairs or kitchen chairs anyway. I don’t know what it is about this chair, but every time I look at it, this chair brings a smile to my face. Maybe because it isn’t as common as the Series 7 or the Ant chair, or maybe because I live on the West Coast and the back looks like the tail of a whale. No, it probably isn’t for that reason. Anyway, it is slightly awkward, slightly beautiful. The patina that it has picked up over the years is amazing. Every scratch, every mark has a story. I’m pretty sure I couldn’t have a house full of vintage furniture, but having a few select pieces can sure add a sense of being to your home.

I guess it’s kind of like my latest passion for 65 Ford Falcons. I bought my first Falcon when I was fifteen, before I could even legally drive a car and for some reason, in my 43^rd year, I just had to get another one, which has now turned into two. There is nothing like jumping behind the wheel of a brand new car, with great acceleration and stick to the road handling and braking and all the modern conveniences that come with it , but, when you get behind the wheel of an old car, with an AM radio, a noisy heater fan, wipers that smear the water around so you can get a sense of which direction you’re heading, well that is something that just can’t be described. All of a sudden you’re driving at half the speed, you aren’t in a hurry to get where you’re going, because once you get there, you won’t be driving anymore. You even take the long route, just to prolong the experience.  Well, I’m either babbling, or this is some sort of an analogy about the appeal of vintage furniture.

The good news is that during the period of losing out on the set of six chairs and “winning” the single chair, Fritz Hansen has re-released The Grand Prix Chair. It is available as the metal leg version and it is available in several finishes. The other good news is that after more than two years of harassing Fritz Hansen to allow Gabriel Ross to become an authorized dealer of Fritz Hansen furniture, they have finally conceded and we are in the throws of placing our first showroom order.

So, if you have enough vintage pieces in your home and you love this design as much as I do, then you might just want to get yourself one or six, so you can start marking and scratching them. That way, one day, someone else might inherit them, or buy them and then they too will have some vintage pieces for their home.

Merry Christmas & A Happy New year to you

We became a Vitra dealer many months ago and having just purchased an original 1959 Howard Miller - George Nelson Sunflower clock from a client of mine that no longer had the space for it, I was really excited. When I purchased the clock, it was an out of production piece that I am guessing not too many people were even aware of. Known as Nelson’s most intricate and complicated clock, it had very low production numbers and very big appeal. It wasn’t cheap, even back in the 1950’s. Beverly thinks that she paid about $150 to $200 for it back then. That would have been a small fortune at the time.

So, Beverly’s downsizing was my good fortune, as it was more important to her that it go to a good home and to someone that would cherish the clock in the same way that she had for almost 50 years, than to someone that would flip it for a a few quick bucks. I’m not going to say what I paid for the clock, because she knows and I know that I stole it away from her, but I will say that she got 50 years of enjoyment out of it and didn’t lose a dime ;)

So, now Vitra has done a re-issue of this beautiful clock, which is great because with the re-issue, more people will become aware of and more people will get to hang one of these wonderful pieces in their homes.

If all goes well, maybe I’ll live another 50 years before I pass the clock on to someone. I wonder if iIl be as generous as Beverly ??

Only time will tell :)

Philippe Starck - Whenever that name comes to mind, I think of my first visit to New York city several years ago. High on my list of Priorities was a visit to The Royalton Hotel. Starck was the designer for The Royalton and it has been a few years since I was there, but it still stands out as one of the most amazing showcases of what he does and how he is the master of pushing boundaries when it comes to design. It has also inspired me to make sure to visit more bathrooms in my travels. I have been cursed with an unusually large bladder, which just so happens to be a bigger curse to all of the people that have ever been on a road trip with me. (I’ll leave it at that, except to say, if you ever go on a road trip with me, bring a big bottle if I’m behind the wheel) My point is that this large bladder of mine, means that I very often don’t make the trip to the restroom and therefore, I often miss out on seeing some very cool spaces. So, the next time you’re in New York, break out your wallet and spend the $20 (give or take) for a Martini and make sure you make a trip to the rest room at The Royalton. Just make sure you remember from which direction you entered.

Wow, that’s a hell of a lead into why anyone would need an 18 karat gold gun beside their bed. So, to the point. Starck recently designed three new lamps for Flos. The Bedside Gun, The Table Gun and The Lounge Gun. They are die cast aluminum with a gold plated finish in 18 karat gold. I personally like them. They just seem so out of place and they have this really eerie feeling about them. They are somewhat classy and somewhat "Holy Shit, that lamp is a GUN !!! Some people are going to like them and more people will hate them, so you’ll have to be your own judge. But check out some of the images on the Flos site. www.flos.net  They look like they are really nicely finished.

Let me know what you think. Would you have one in your house. Do you think these are appropriate given the times we live in? or do you think they put a "light" spin on how we perceive this object.

Until next time

EIGHTY SIX, 86, Hmmmmmm, a century ago, a guy would probably have been quite happy to have made it to half of that. I’m quickly approaching half of that and when I look at a resume like Warren Platner’s, I am starting to feel like I better start accomplishing something, Quick !! Warren Platner was not only an amazing architect, but also a designer of several great modernist pieces from the last century. His tables and chairs from the 1960’s still stand out for their simplicity and their beauty. The first time I saw one of these pieces, I was at a clients place and she had an original table that she had bought from Knoll while living in the U.S. in the late 1960’s. The amazing thing is that it looked exactly like the one that we now show in our showroom. It is a great design, that has stood the test of time. The side table just happens to also be one of those pieces that can be purchased quite reasonably. So even the smallest of budgets, can add this as one of your favourite pieces. What is truly amazing is the impact it can have on a room for such a small scaled piece if furniture.

So, Mr. Platner, thanks for the memories. You will definately live on in the lives of those that your great designs have touched and those they will touch in the future.

Well, what to talk about today? This one is a no brainer. In all the years that we have been a Herman Miller for the Home retailer, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been asked whether I think that HM will ever make the Eames Lounge chair and Ottoman in Rosewood again. My response, "probably not in my lifetime". Well, the next best thing has happened. In what is the 50th anniversary year of the creation of the Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman, HM has not only released a 50th anniversary edition in any of the current veneer options (Natural cherry, Cherry, or Walnut) , but they have also made available a new version in "Santos Palisander" which is a sustainable type of Rosewood.

"The 50th anniversary year is also the occasion for the introduction of a striking and richly grained veneer called Santos Palisander, a sustainably sourced tropical wood from Forest Stewardship Council certified forests."

So, to see the whole story, go the following link:  http://www.hermanmiller.com/CDA/SSA/News/Story/0,1585,a8-c407-n398,00.html

We are excited to bring our first model of this new veneer in to our showroom, as we can start to order this now for the showroom and early in May for clients, at which time it will be available on-line as a completely separate chair on gabrielross.com

Another option that makes this chair even more luxurious is the optional upgrade to Edelman leather.  Wow!!