The Atomic Age collection features six patterns: Atomic Doodle, Boingo, Gee Gee, Googieland, Interlock and Island.

Atomic Doodle pattern is available in pink, taupe, and turquoise.

Atomic Doodle Pattern

Gee Gee patter is available in bisque, gray, and sage.

Gee Gee Pattern

Googieland pattern is available in gray, ivory, sage, and turquoise.

Googieland Pattern

Interlock pattern is available in gray, silver, and sage.

Interlock Pattern

Visit Bradbury & Bradbury Art Wallpapers website and check out these incredible wallpapers yourself. You can order 8.5″ X 11″ samples for $1.00 each for color matching. Their wallpapers are handprinted by the silk screen method. They are sold by the single roll and each roll contains 30 sq. ft. (roll dimensions: 27″ x 15′). Each roll cost between $58.00 and $72.00, depending on the pattern.

Specs:

• 36, 1.75″ (4.5 cm) square Alphabet Blocks (20 for the house, 16 for the studio)
• House 8.75″ x 3.5″ x 3.5″ (22 cm x 8.9 cm x 8.9 cm)
• Studio 7″ x 3.5″ x 3.5″ (17.8 cm x 8.9 cm x 8.9 cm)
• Made in the USA with replenishable Michigan-grown, kiln-dried basswood
• Printed with non-toxic, lead-free, child-safe inks

Museum Entrance Area

The Isamu Noguchi Garden Museum Japan preserves 150 sculptures, including many unfinished works. The most unfinished sculptures are located outdoor atelier, inside of the stone circle. The place does not feel like an ordinary museum – there are no name tags on any of individual works. The working atmosphere of Noguchi’s studio is very well preserved that it almost feels like you can expect to see Noguchi himself to walk up at any time.

The Stone Circle

The indoor sculpture space called “Display Kura” outside of the stone circle contains Noguchi’s sculptures including the Energy Void (1972). The building was originally a sake warehouse from the1880s. It was relocated to this location to house his sculptures, keeping them away from the weather.

The Isamu Ya (Noguchi residence) is located across from his studio. The house is a traditional Japanese style house from the 1760s. Although Noguchi adored the traditional architecture of this house, he enjoyed modern conveniences as well – heated tatami floors! The visitors can only view the interior from the entrance and through the windows. The house is uncluttered and has little furnishing.

The Noguchi House behind the sculpture on the right

There is the Sculpture Garden on the hill behind the Isamu Ya. The view from the hill was magnificent. I could just sit and enjoy the view for hours and hours. Noguchi described this garden as “a song of praise to nature.” He said, “It is a wonderful place to be at, almost anytime… Nature rampant. Then I take a snooze. And a friend comes to visit.”

The Museum Shop

The day I visited the museum was cold and rainy. There were about 17 people in my tour group and many were complaining about the unfortunate weather situation. I thought the rain was nice, giving the outdoor sculptures a soft feeling and different expressions that can only be seen when the stones were wet. I really enjoyed the rustic scenery where everything was so quite, away from the city disruptions. After everyone had left, I went back a little street towards the studio, just to enjoy the quietness. I closed my eyes and listened the rainfall, imaging the sound of Noguchi working on his sculpture echoing among the hills.

Aqua Sky Armchair with Eiffel Legs

The Eames molded plastic chairs were first introduced in 1948. They were the first industrially mass produced one-piece plastic chairs. Originally, the shells were made with fiberglass-infused plastic. Today’s Eames molded plastic chairs are manufactured with more environmentally friendly materials, 100% recyclable polypropylene. The chairs are even more environmentally friendly now that they are made in the United States to reduce their manufacturing carbon footprint.

Java Shell Chair with Dowel Legs

Charles and Ray Eames’ clean, simple, and enduring design have been loved by many since they were first introduced more than 60 years ago. Good design is timeless – The Eames molded plastic chairs perfectly fit in the category.

Available at:

Some people had asked me to post more detailed instructions, so here it is – I did my best. This is not a carpentry blog, so please forgive me if the instructions are somewhat vague…

Caution before you tackle this project:

• If you have a question, please feel free to contact me. However, I am not a professional furniture builder – I may not be able to answer questions that are too technical.
• I am not sure how strong this bed will be in the long run.
• If you don’t have basic carpentry skills, find someone who does to help you.
• I cannot be responsible if the bed doesn’t turn out right for you.

Instructions:

1. Build a support (bottom) frame – this part will not show once the bed is complete

a. Lay four (4) 2 x 6 pieces flat and attach (screw) them together with wood glue and four (4) metal braces.

b. Attach (screw) three (3) 2 x 4 pieces inside of the 2 x 6 frame with wood glue and five (5) metal braces for additional support.

c. Attach all eight (8) legs.

d. Attache two (2) L-shaped metal braces for a headboard. Attach while the bottom frame is still upside down. You will need to prop the bottom frame up to do this. Leave an enough space for the headboard to slide in (between the support frame and corner of the braces).

e. Flip the bottom frame once the glue is dry.

2. Attach (glue and screw) the top frame to the support (bottom) frame – the top frame is the visible part of the bed. The side and foot pieces overhangs by 2″ – be sure to screw where the mattress covers the screw holes. Use clamps!

3. Attach (glue and screw) slats to the support (bottom) frame.

4. Fill the screw holes with wood filler, sand and stain the top frame. Follow manufacturer’s instruction.

5. Headboard

a. I used iron-on oak veneer edge banding for edges. I then sanded and stained before attaching it to the body.

b. Attach the headboard. Be sure to use the short screws for the upper part of the L-shaped braces (so they don’t go through to the other side). Screw (with longer screws) into the support (bottom) frame as well.

6. Finished product.

Material List:
This material list is to make a queen size bed that measures 64” W x 82” L. You may need to make adjustments according to your needs and the size of your mattress.

You should be able to obtain all the materials locally except the hairpin legs. You will need to order the legs from hairpinlegs.com. These legs are made to order, so I recommend ordering them ahead of a time.

You will need a lot of different kind/size screws. I cannot remember exactly what kind/size of screws I used. All I can say is that you would want to use the strongest/longest screws possible for maximum support. If you are not sure what kind/size of screws you need, please consult with a store associate (good luck!) where you are purchasing your materials.

For the Support (bottom) Frame:
The support (bottom) frames measures 58” W x 79” L. The top frame will over hang the bottom frame by 2” on each side and foot of the bed.

* 2 – 79” 2 x 6
* 2 – 47” 2 x 6
* 1 – 68” 2 x 4
* 2 – 22″ 2 x 4
* 9 – 10” metal braces
* Screws to attach the metal braces
* 6 to 8 – 8” Hairpin legs (only four legs are visible from outside – I used four hairpin legs and four wooden legs, but I recommend using the same type of legs because it can be hard to match the height of the two different kind of legs)
* Screws to attach the hairpin legs
* 2 – 10” L-shaped metal braces to attach a headboard
* Screws to attach the L-shaped braces to the support frame

L Shape Brace

For the Top Frame:
* 1 – 64” 1 x 6 red oak board
* 2 – 76 ½” 1 x 6 red oak board
* 1 – 52 ½” 1 X 3 red oak board
* Screws

For the Slats:
* 11 – 52.5” 1 x 4 (you may need more/less 1 x 4s depending on your spacing between slats)
* Screws

For the Headboard:
* 1 – 22” x 64” Furniture grade oak plywood – I cut a notch on each side (bottom)
* Screws to attach the headboard to the L-shaped metal braces which are already attached to the support frame
* Iron-on oak veneer edge banding

Tools:
*Drill
*Saw
*Clamps
*Wood glue
*Tape measure
*Pencil
*Carpenter’s square
*Sanding block or paper (150 grit)
*Wood filler
*Safety glasses
*Wood stain of your choice and tools recommended for applying the stain

Kid Made Modern by Todd Oldham

The 192 page book features 52 fun and easy-to-follow projects inspired by many iconic mid century modern designers such as Charles and Ray Eames, George Nelson, Isamu Noguchi, and Alexander Girard. This book is perfect for any school age children with all skill levels. Some are simple enough for kids to do by themselves and some are fairly challenging that require adults’ assistance. All projects have easy to follow instructions and appropriate photographs. Most of projects can be done with inexpensive supplies and/or ordinary household materials.

Fort of Cards Project

Kid Made Modern is not only a creative craft book, but also a great educational tool. The book introduces youngsters to art and design by integrating sections called the “All About” pages that explains the fundamentals of art media and techniques. There are sections on mid century modern designers that inspired the craft projects as well. If you are a parent, this book will provide hours of creative fun for your child. If a project is too complicated for your child, why not join your child? It will be a good bonding experience for you and your child.

Learn about Designers

Todd Oldham has successfully introduced the readers a concept that good design was for everyone by coming up with brilliant mid century modern inspired DIY books for both adults and kids: Handmade Modern and Kid Made Modern – what’s next? I have five dogs and two cats, so I’d like to see a DIY book dedicated for pet stuff. Call it “Pet Made Modern” – what do you think?

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Special thanks to Sara at AMMO Books

Mid Century Modern Books

This list is by no means complete – if you have a book to suggest, please let everyone know by adding a comment!

Alexander Girard Designs for Herman Miller (Schiffer Design Book)
By Leslie A. Pina

An Eames Primer
By Eames Demetrios

Atomic Ranch: Design Ideas for Stylish Ranch Homes
By Michelle Gringeri-Brown

Case Study Houses (Taschen 25th Anniversary Special Editions)
By Elizabeth Smith

Cliff May and the Modern Ranch House
By Daniel P. Greg

Eichler: Modernism Rebuilds the American Dream
By Paul Adamson

Forgotten Modern: California Houses 1940-1970
By Alan Hess

Julius Shulman: Modernism Rediscovered
By Pierluigi Sorriano (Author) & Julius Shulman (Photographer)

Mid-Century Modern: Interiors, Furniture, Design Details (Conran Octopus Interiors)
By Bradley Quinn

Mid-Century Modern: Furniture of the 1950s
By Cara Greenberg

Retrospective Pattern Laptop Sling

This particular BUILT Laptop Sling features Alexander Girard’s “Retrospective” pattern and fits a 14 – 15” laptop. As you can see in the picture, a 15” MacBook Pro (even with a protective hard-shell on it) fits snugly in this laptop sling. It may not look big enough to fit a 15” laptop at first, but the material stretches to custom fit the laptop. The unique hourglass shape is designed to secure the laptop in place.

Unique Hourglass Shape

The laptop sling feels cushy and seems to protect the laptop well during use. The laptop sling is made from extra thick protective neoprene (the wetsuit material). Neoprene was developed by DuPont in 1931 as a substitute for rubber. It is known to be tough, water resistant, stain resistant, and flexible – doesn’t it sound like a perfect material to protect a laptop?

Perfect Fit

The laptop sling (available in two sizes: 12 – 13” and 14 – 15”) comes in three patterns: January, La Fonda and Retrospective (shown). The interior features Girard print as well. It has an adjustable shoulder strap and a “LOVE” heart charm. This laptop sling can be hand washed if necessary. Visit BUILT website for more details.

Interior Print

Not in a market for a laptop bag? BUILT also offers Shoulder Bag, Lunch Purse, and Digital Case in the three colorful Alexander Girard patterns mentioned above. Check out their website to see their entire Alexander Girard collection.

BUILT + Alexander Girard Collection

Special thanks to: Deborah at BUILT

Make It! Mid-Century Modern

“Make It! Mid-Century Modern” is divided into six chapters according to designer: Charles Eames, Alexander Girard, Alexander Calder, George Nelson, Piet Mondrian, and Eero Saarinen. Each chapter includes designer’s background and DIY projects with user friendly step-by-step instructions and pictures.

One of the easy projects

If you are looking for a simple, easy, yet stylish DIY project, this book is perfect for you. Most of the projects featured here are small and not time consuming. The instructions are very well written with appropriate pictures. The book is available in two formats: high-resolution PDF download (US$9.99) or print version (US$18.00). For more information, visit Curbly website.

or try something more challenging...

The exhibition features 100 rare images chosen from archival images. The exhibition will run from February 4, 2010 to March 4, 2010 at the Smart Furniture Studio in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

On February 4th, 2010 at 6PM (EST), Smart Furniture will host an opening reception for the exhibit. Eames Demetrios, Director of the Eames Office and grandson of Charles and Ray Eames will give a presentation at this reception. In order to join the opening reception, RSVP by emailing giftedeye@smartfurniture.com with the number of guests planning to attend. Visit Smart Furniture website or contact Karen Liwanpo (423) 822-2266 for more information.

Event Summary:
What: The Gifted Eye of Charles Eames: A Portfolio of 100 Images
When: February 4th, 2010 to March 4th, 2010 (opening reception is on February 4th, 2010 at 6PM, featuring Eames Demitrios)
Where: Smart Furniture Studio, 313 Manufacturers Road, Suite 107, Chattanooga, TN 37405
More Information: Contact Karen Liwanpo (423) 822-2266