Modern

Psych Out French Style

Picture perfect modern pool house and gardens in Sonoma, California. We love the clean minimalist lines and the unique beveled edge of this beautiful and well thought out modern pool house located in Sonoma California. Designed by notable San Francisco Bay Area architect George Bevan of Bevan & Associates.

Modern Lighting Done Right: Moon Rock Lamps by André Cazenave (image credit the Apartment in Denmark)

Lighting done right; these timeless modern rock lights are by French designer André Cazenave and were designed in 1970. Hand crafted. Various available sizes through nova68.com.

The Glass House: Day to Night from The Philip Johnson Glass House on Vimeo.

Piggy Bank: Save in Style with this classic glass Piggy Bank.

Available from nova68.com

Roy Lichtenstein Spray from 1962 Lisa Perry Dress in a limited edition of 33

Roy Lichtenstein limited edition by Lisa Perry as shown on Madison Avenue in New York (image credit UnBeige)

We adore the limited Roy Lichtenstein collection by fashion designer Lisa Perry. Now you can wear Roy Lichtenstein's "Spray" from 1962 in a limited prêt-à-porter dress edition of 33. Available from Lisa Perry.

The perfect modernist globe for the the home of the office. Classic modernist world globe in a beautiful deep slate grey, almost black, edition. The slate gray ocean of this beautiful modern world globe stands in stark contrast to the easy-to-read metallic silver map. Uniquely supported by an angular brushed stainless steel base. This modernist world globe is very similar to the ones you would have seen on an executive desk in 1950's America. Fashioned in the unique modern atmosphere of the 1950s and 1960s, a perfect match to the modern times of Catch me if you Can and Pan-Am. This modern transparent world globe is a very decorative design object which will certainly compliment any modern interior or office. This very unique world globe is a great alternative to the more common standard globes, it makes a great unique gift for just about anyone. It measures 12 inches in diameter and stands about 16 inches tall.

Classic Black World Globe with Silver Map

There will always be Rome, Audrey Hepburn in Rome 1968 (credit Elio Sorci / Camera Press)

Art meets Design by Piero Fornasetti in the 1950s.

Next Stop La Rinascente, Milano 1950s.

Lucio Fontana, Structure in Neon for the IX Triennale di Milano, 1951 (courtesy Fondazione Fontana).

Gabriele Basilico's Contact Series from 1984 and the reaction of design chairs on the Derrière. The ultimate tribute to design by one of Italy's leading fine art photographers, Gabriele Basilico, leads us to believe that Harry Bertoia's Wire Chair causes the greatest psychological attraction which leads to the greatest physical reaction.

LeCorbusier@Poissy from onnis luque on Vimeo.

Strike a pose with Yves Saint Laurent's iconic De Stijl collection in front of a Piet Mondrian composition, 1966.

'Woning Mil Jansen' designed by Lou Jansen in Merksplas Belgium in 1962

'Woning Mil Jansen' designed by Lou Jansen in Merksplas Belgium in 1962

'Woning Mil Jansen' designed by Lou Jansen in Merksplas Belgium in 1962

'Woning Mil Jansen' designed by Lou Jansen in Merksplas Belgium in 1962

'Woning Mil Jansen' designed by Lou Jansen in Merksplas Belgium in 1962

Today, we pay tribute to the work of the Belgian architect Lou Jansen.  While almost completely unknown to the rest of the world, the area around Turnhout, a leafy suburb of Antwerp Belgium, is dotted with beautiful mid century modern minimalist houses. These hidden treasures are often hard to find since they weren't always documented or published in the manner of their counterparts in the US (Richard Neutra's work for example).  So looking for them often feels like a treasure hunt.  Many of these icons of mid century modern minimalist architecture were designed by the notable Belgian modern architect Lou Jansen. His houses are often framed against a wonderful green backdrop which provides the perfect balance between the restraint minimalist architectural style of Lou Jansen and the naturally perfect greenery of the leafy Antwerp suburbs. Lou Jansen can be considered to be one of the most prominent figures of the Belgian modernist architecture movement. He was an early adopter of the rationally designed, minimalist modern architecture movement. The style of Lou Jansen clearly displays a true understanding of the "less is more" philosophy in the manner of his German predecessor Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. Through his work, Lou Jansen defined the image of modern architecture in Belgium and framed his beautiful minimalist architecture of the time for a small but grateful audience of his followers. Too bad that Julius Shulman wasn't there throughout his career to photograph the architecture of Lou Jansen since he would have surely fallen in love with it.

'Woning Proost' with inner atrium designed by Lou Jansen in Schilde Belgium in 1965

'Woning Proost' with inner atrium designed by Lou Jansen in Schilde Belgium in 1965

Pictured above are some of Lou Jansen's most notable icons of modern architecture include his "Woning Mil Jansen" built by Lou Jansen for his brother in Merksplas Belgium in 1962 and "Woning Proost" built in Schilden in 1965 (the last one; unfortunately now demolished). The "Woning Mil Jansen" is especially remarkable since it is a perfect masterpiece, a work of art, a composition done right down to the last detail. This light and airy house displays a distinct peacefulness with its gracious minimalist lines and sense of balance and structure. Created six years before Stanley Kubrick released his epic '2001: A Space Odyssey', the house displays a similar monolithic tower, its shadow once-a-day perfectly aligned with the age-old tower located outside the perimeter. The artful combination of the architecture and shadow creates a unique display throughout the day. Icons like these certainly deserve the same attention that has been given to other mid century modernist architects like Le Corbusier and Marcel Breuer.

'Rodedreef Huis' designed by Lou Jansen in Schilde Belgium circa 1966

'Rodedreef Huis' designed by Lou Jansen in Schilde Belgium circa 1966

'Rodedreef Huis' courtyard would look nice with Bertoia Chairs or Richard Schultz Chairs.

'Rodedreef Huis' fountain should be replaced with a water fountain sculpture by late Belgian modernist artist Pol Bury.

'Rodedreef Huis' designed by Lou Jansen in Schilde Belgium circa 1966.

Recent picture of the Derin design booth at the Istanbul Design Week.  Derin presented their contemporary modern design furniture in a beautifully framed modernist booth.  Derin design is available in the US through NOVA68.

During the 1950s, many architects took great pride in creating buildings that were perfect down to the last detail, like a minimalist composition by Piet Mondriaan. A fine example is the Verenigde Schoenmachine Maatschappij by Dutch architect Huig Aart Maaskant constructed in 1955/1960.  There is conflicting info where this building was located; either Vlijmenseweg or Industriestraat but we ware certain that it was located in the town of 's-Hertogenbosch in the Netherlands. Chances are that it was long ago demolished since there has been lots of new construction during the last decades; we would love to hear from anyone from 's-Hertogenbosch if this building is still standing.

Joop van der Broek art at Mariaplaats 23, Utrecht, Netherlands, 1963.

Joop van der Broek's abstract modernist art works have fallen into obscurity and his name has almost been completely forgotten.  Some of his works can still be found in the Dutch cities of Dordrecht, Utrecht, Rotterdam although many of them haven fallen into disarray and/or have completely disappeared over the years.  Joop van der Broek was one of the most prolific modernist artist during the 1950s and 1960s.  He created large scale sculptural wall and glass art pieces, often using a vibrant mix of glass, ceramic and glazed tile.  Joop van der Broek was often commissioned for projects of the Dutch government and for office buildings.  He was often hired by the Dutch modernist architect Huig Aart Maaskant to decorate his minimalist buildings including the Tomado Office Building in Dordrecht.        

Joop van der Broek glass window at the Hilton in Rotterdam, 1963.

Joop van der Broek glass window at the Hilton in Rotterdam, 1963.

Joop van der Broek* glass window at the Adriaan Volkerhuis in Rotterdam, 1973 (attributed).

Image Credit: Reinier de Jong

Shadow Piece by David Claerbout

Mid Century Modern Progressive Architecture by Dutch Architect Huig Aart Maaskant. Huig Aart Maaskant designed the Tomado office building in the Dutch city of Dordrecht in 1958. This exceptional modern building is highlighted by its pure minimalist lines.

This beautiful mid-century modern furniture setting includes the iconic Eames House Birds, a George Nelson Half Nelson Table Lamp and a two George Nelson Jewelry Chests (vintage).