Originally manufactured by Heinrich Kaufmann & Sohne, Indiawerk in Solingen, Otter-Messer Mercator K55K "Kat" Knife is the legend of Kaiser Wilhelm's Army in WWI.

Now manufactured again by Solingen Company, this simple, but robust knife represents beautiful functionalist design with the iconic cat logo of The Heinrich Kaufmann & Sohne, Indiawerk.

Gilbert Poillerat (1902-1988) was a French master of the hand made steel furniture and decoration. His biggest part of his life-long career represents creations of all kinds of tables.

For this editorial we have found some of his spectacular creations to show his style evolution which is significant for whole decoration scene of that time in France, Italy or elsewhere. We have named tables after their style which represent to illustrate this stylistic changes in times. From the historicism, to the surrealist and biomorphic designs to the decorative modernism and finally to the new 1960s steel minimalism, which was very popular in France.

Poillerat was a great chameleon of the styles and shapes. But in his every creation we can find his ultimate production mastery.

Carlo Mollino was a great architect too. Last year we have visited his last masterwork: Teatro Regio in Turin finished in 1973. For this occasion we have made our own series of pictures and now we publish them with architectural chapter from our Mollino book. Find Mollino`s architectural legacy as well as details about this spectacular theatre in the center of Turin bellow.

Mollino’s significance in architecture can be seen not only in specific implementations, but also in his nonconformist views on it. Thus, his projects that have never been implemented represent for us an even more interesting chapter of his work, which started in 1934 when he finished the headquarters of the Farmers’ Association in Cuneo in collaboration with V. Baudi di Selve. This three-story building with rational foundations and a rounded quoin, designed in the period aestheticism reminiscent of Guiseppe Terragni, proves that Mollino was heading in a direction contrary to Mies van der Rohe and Le Corbusier. Thus, Eriche Mendelsohn, for whom Mollino briefly worked in his Berlin-based studio, Alvar Aalto, and Hans Scharoun became the key reference points for Mollino’s organically focused architecture.

The Turin equestrian association, built from 1937 to 1940, demonstrates Mollino’s organic line in a very convincing way. The large campus, which includes a riding hall, stables, and rooms for social events, represents a very original interpretation of an organic style. Purely white surfaces, combined with sharp geometrical facing and wavy mouldings, link period modernism with the inspirational source of Turin Baroque by Guarino Guarini. The spectacular stairway hall with broken glass railings and a rococo chandelier crowns Mollino’s exquisite style. Subsequent designs and implementations from the 1940s transform the architect’s expression into a free concept of form. An imaginary design from 1942 entitled “The House on the Hills” for Domus magazine presents Mollino’s perspective of a perfect private residence. Whereas the front side of the tall slender monolith is fully glazed, the three other walls are made from rustic stonework. The top floor is angular and equipped with a terrace finished by a wall in the form of a wave. This design represents Mollino’s complex intentions with specific solutions to individual details.
"The House on the Heights" from 1944 is also a hypothetic project of a modern house. Mollino combined formal archetypes of ancient and byzantine architecture and achieved a nearly post-modern source of inspiration in a villa that personifies a contemporary profane temple. However, the design is all along the lines of Mollino’s typical organic modernism, which does not lack a formally irregular atrium and a semi-domed glazed space. In 1947, the architect finished a very impressive design of a funicular station, as well as the Lago Nero guesthouse, which links a modernist ground floor and a large terrace on conical pillars with a top section made from wood with a gable roof inspired by traditional Alpine architecture. Mollina would later focus on this architectural style in this time and in all his architectural designs from that time onward. However, there is one exception from this trend – the design of a residential building on the sea coast in San Remo from 1948. This dynamical structure, complete with an elaborate interior, was to be embedded into the dramatic environment of the cliffs.

At that time, the architect coped with local architectural traditional and the most progressive construction trends at the same time. Be it the expressive design of the Fürggen funicular station, the re-design of the Garelli traditional Alpine chalet, the design for the suspension “Truss House” or the constructed Casa del Sole chalet and hotel in Cervinia, he always interconnected the post-war organic concept with mountain rusticity. The family house in Luin by lake Maggiore, built from 1951 to 1953, was also conceived in a very expressive way – the house is pushed above ground by means of concrete beams and equipped with a typical gable roof.
However, the most challenging assignments awaited Mollino towards the close of his life. The Turin chamber of commerce was built from 1964 to 1972 in collaboration with Carlo Graffi, A. Galardi, and A. Migliassi. The brutalist and futuristic expression of the building, which bears a geometrical grid of rounded windows, lacks Mollino’s characteristic features from the 1950s. Thus, the magnanimous extension of the Teatro Regio in Turin, finished in 1973, gives a more personal impression. The brick organic mass with large glazed surfaces refers to the radical architecture of Guarino Guarini. The interior of the lobby, furnished with a geometrical crystalline ceiling and geometrical brick reliefs, contrasts with the fluid space of the auditorium, in which Mollino achieved an unusual dynamic animation in collaboration with Carlo Graffi and A. Zavelani Rossi. The auditorium, constructed in the shape on an egg, is topped with spectacular lighting by Gino Sarfatti. Mollino could not have left behind a better architectural testament.

For the launch of our Mollino book featured in the last story we have prepared this small installation related to the book, as well as some aspects of Mollino`s life.

The installation we created in the 3DH furniture showroom for the occasion of the presentation only. It included original Mollino`s Cavour table which is in the production of Zanotta now, as well as several books on Mollino or special designed prints showing visual style of the book and its paper models.

Again thanks 3DH showroom, Studio Činčera and Signpek print.

Photo Filip Šlapal

Some time ago we have visited paradise of the classic cars. Klassikstadt in Frankfurt am Main is a wonderful place for every classic cars lover.

Renovated old factory houses in its three floors hundreds of classic cars from old Mini Coopers to unique Mercedes, Jaguars and others vintage jewels. Klassikstadt is a gallery, store as well as service for clients, collectors and platform for organizing events or competitions. In its space, the cars stand next to the small renovating workshops, bars, offices or restaurants. It is lively and friendly space when you can walk around and explore fantastic vintage cars. We fell in love with the wonderful Citroën SM (1970) primarily which is a great example of the futuristic concepts in the car design of the 1970s. More on pictures!

We love jazz and graphic designer Milton Glaser (born 1929). These two things meet in the set of album covers he created for Columbia Records Jazz Odyssey series.

It was around 1964 when young graphic designer was approached by Columbia Records to visualize history of jazz in the series of three compilation records. He used colorful style illustration in which energy of black music is so evident. Music and dancing is melted into the festival of colors and organic forms.

Five years later he used the similar creative principe for Blue Roots compilation created for Poppy Records.

Peter Opsvik (born 1939) is less known Norwegian industrial designer. But his chairs are famous examples of the orthodox ergonomic design.

All of his chairs are strictly based on human behavior, proportions of the body and its needs and function. The chairs are moveable, rocking, rhythmical or very originally designed hung on strings and other constructions. Always for the better body function and its comfort.

Here we present one of his less known designs. His Reflex I chair was first presented at The Movement - Peter Opsvik exhibition in Ghent. "I believe that we always have a rhythm beating inside of us, and that this rhythm should be able to express itself while we sit as well. When sitting suspended, the smallest twitch of a muscle is enough to set the body in motion in a natural rhythm or frequency corresponding to the body's needs and the requirements, physical as well as mental. Perhaps such movements spark associations to the time when we floated effortlessly in the womb?", says designer about this project.

Most recently his famous Garden chair was reproduced in the collection of The Norwegian company Rybo. But about it maybe later.

Yesterday we had here selection of the best pieces selling today at Phillips de Pury & Company Design Masters auction held in New York. But tomorrow starts another great auction, also at Phillips de Pury & Company, New York.

We read the catalogue and made some pictures illustrating qualities of the selling pieces as well as precise photos and graphic of the catalogue. We have created these simple collages to introduce you to the world of the modernist design from Italy and France, especially.

So do not miss pieces by BBPR, Ico Parisi, Fontana Arte, Paolo Porthogesi, Gio Ponti, Gino Sarfatti, Angelo Lelli or Jean Royere, Serge Mouile and many many others. Enjoy!

Design, 14 December, 2PM, 450 Park Avenue, New York

Two following days, 13 and 14 December, become good times for collectors. Two very important auctions are held at Phillips de Pury & Company these days. Both of them with rare pieces of the 20th century design.

Now we preview first of the auction called Design Masters which is held 13 December in New York. Our selection explores some of the most interesting pieces on sale including machinist design of Pierre Chareau, elegant modernism of Gio Ponti, Carlo Mollino, Max Ingrand and Jean Royere or postmodernist creations of Japanese master Shiro Kuramata, among many others.

Tomorrow we are here with the preview for the next auction from New York.

Design Masters, 13 December 2011 4PM, 450 Park Avenue,
New York

In the 1940s and 1950s, Carlo Mollino (1905 - 1973) was regular on the pages of Domus magazine. In München we bought actual issue number 950 where you can find whole section about this Italian design master.

In this issue we find two most amazing things. Except many articles and interviews on Carlo Mollino, there is the transparency with motifs of Mollino`s original drawing of acrobatic flying figures and precisely designed map with all built architectural projects by Carlo Mollino. It is the first time that we see all houses Mollino designed and built in Turin and around the city. Great reason for next adventures and explorations!