Author: Rebecca Gross

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At center, a design for a gray upholstered sofa with upholstered, wooden arms curving to front legs; at back base corner, a rubber wheel. To lower right of this main, central image: small outline sketch showing back view of sofa with three wheels along the base. Two colored illustrations, taken from Sears Roebuck catalog, depict gray sofa ( glued to sheet at upper right) and trolley laden with cardboard boxes (glued to sheet at lower right), show the designer's inspiration for this rolling sofa design.
There’s intrigue in the ordinary
Sometimes it’s the seemingly insignificant that holds the most meaning. This is not only true of this drawing by industrial designer Constantin Boym; it is also true of Boym’s design philosophy as he takes notice of that which commonly goes unnoticed. Front and center in this drawing is a design for a gray upholstered sofa...
Design for softly contoured stainless steel fork, knife, and spoon with a brushed satin finish on lime green patch of gouache on lighter green paper. Flatware teardrop-shaped handles are elongated, tapered, and depressed.
Tools for Easier Living
For craftsman and industrial designer Russel Wright (1904-1976), flatware was not just a tool for the tabletop. It was a tool for easier living. From the late 1920s through to the 1960s, Wright introduced Americans to modern, practical, and easy-to-care-for homewares and furnishings suited to a more informal and sociable way of life. “Highlight/Pinch” flatware,...
On white background to the left is a young woman wearing a sailor uniform. She smiles, grabbing her shirt while a gust of wind blows from behind. To the right the text reads: " Gee!! I Wish I Were A Man/ I'd Join the Navy". At bottom center: " Be a Man And Do It/ United Stated Navy Recruiting Station".
Petticoats in the Navy
When 20-year old Bernice Smith Tongate walked into a California Navy recruiting office in 1917, and proclaimed “Gee, I wish I were a man, I’d join the Navy!,” I’m sure she was blissfully unaware of the impact she was about to have on the American Navy and women’s equality. Illustrator and artist Howard Chandler Christy...
High-ceilinged interior, notable for large numberless clock on rear wall next to long curtained area. Draped double bed is set into built-in headboard with side table and low long end table running beneath clock. Draped window above headboard extends to height of room. Desk with lamp and two tub chairs fill remainder of space at foot of bed.
An Ultra Modern Luxury Studio
For many of us residing in New York City, we quickly become accustomed to living in small apartments. Yet, through design, decoration, and furnishings we do our best to make our sometimes-cramped quarters as practical, comfortable, and aesthetically pleasing as possible. In the 1930s, American-born designer Donald Deskey, inspired and influenced by European design of...