Posted by MA on July 27, 2010 |
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This week we received a yoo-hoo from another regional Modernist furniture store, this time on the Mornington Peninsula, Victoria.
As we’ve mentioned before, it’s particularly disheartening to see Mid-Century home wares so coveted yet the houses in which they belong continually being lost to development, that is why our new friends at Codename Tom gladden our hearts so. Having saved and restored a superb 1957 Chancellor & Patrick home, with a beautiful solar passive outlook on Port Philip Bay, they have now opened it up to the public as a showroom for their nifty collection of Mid-Century and Modernist designed furniture and lighting. Take a look on their snazzy website, and or take a break between wineries on your next Peninsula trek and pay a visit.
Posted by MA on July 16, 2010 |
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A little shout out to our new friends at Found Furniture. They import and restore locally made treasures with the help of their “old school upholster Bruce”. It is always good to hear from any purveyors of fine Modernist Furniture and ephemera, especially those in places other than our major cities. Keep them coming!
Posted by MA on July 16, 2010 |
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Our roving MA reporter has been at it again, this time going down the Tassie and coming back with evidence of the most well-preserved Mid-Century homes and street to date! See this Flickr page for a full slide show.
Posted by MA on July 12, 2010 |
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A few of you old timey readers may remember a previous flight of fancy from the old site titled ‘As Seen on Screen’. We thought it was too good to let go so now you’ll find this collection of great Mod homes from film and television under our ‘What is Modernism?’ page. We are also proud to announce a new ASOS – the very first Australian addition. To see which local film made it to the list, here’s the shortcut…
Posted by MA on July 7, 2010 |
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Some of you may have read in last week’s paper an interesting interview with our celebrity Modernist Australian Tim (Rosso) Ross. It seems his love of Mid-Century Architecture has strayed from his own home and into a new television project co-hosted by Myf Warhurst. We don’t know much about this one yet, but any program with Australian Modernist Architecture and Design at its heart is fine with us! And they are not the only ones; MA was also contacted this week by Traces Films who have been beavering away on their own Australian Modernism documentary. They are now our good friends and we can’t wait to see what the end result of their labours will be. Check out their progress here.
Posted by MA on July 4, 2010 |
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Are you a Mid-Century domestic goddess? Have you spent an inappropriate amount of time pouring over ebay and Atomic Ranch collecting cabinets and crockery? Are you in Sydney? Well this week we have a seeker. MA has been contacted by a scout in dire need of a pre-1970 Mid-Century kitchen fit-out for use on a film set. Fees to be negotiated, but celebrity assured. If you think you have the right stuff, please email us and we’ll hook you both up.
Posted by MA on July 4, 2010 |
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Lot’s a buzz with MA real estate this week. Many listings have come and gone and the updating of our Sold sections has begun in earnest. Gone too is the old Fortnightly Favourite in preference for a new monthly listings round up here. Thanks to you, the trickle of listings is now a stream and it’s fast become too difficult to pick a favourite home anymore, they’re all our children!
So right now, what do we have? Well, starting with those wanting to leave the rat-race we have the best country Modernist home MA have posted yet, in the southern climes of Port Campbell. On the endangered list we find Tramway Parade, Beaumaris, and for something a little different to our usual we have a magnificent art Deco home at Martin St. Brighton. In NSW, two homes in Mowbray Road, Lane Cove and Ivey St, Lindfield truly take the prize for maintaining the Modernist spirit, and Pender St, The Gap in QLD and Greenwood Grove, S.A. are also worth a mention.
Posted by MA on June 20, 2010 |
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Recently we were lucky enough to escape the oncoming winter for a few days and hit the tropics of Darwin. Having never been to the Northern Territory and only knowing stories about the outrageous humidity and the wrath of Tracy, we were not confident in finding any architecture that we might be able to bring back to you. How wrong we were. Despite the loss of 80% of Darwin’s homes on Christmas morning in 1974, we were pleasantly surprised by the amount of domestic, commercial and public buildings that caught our Modernist eye. In keeping with the outlaw personality of the far north, many of these buildings hold an essence of Mid-Century design whilst verging off onto their on own unique paths. The amazingly lush vegetation, specific requirements for airflow and the pacific island flavour of the city also contribute to the overall presence of various buildings around town. Here is but a sample.
MA’s greatest Darwin find however was undoubtedly St Mary’s Cathedral in the central part of town. Originally the site of a small wooden chapel in 1889, it was conceived as a site for a central cathedral after the devastation of several cyclones and the Japanese bombing in World War 2. Brisbane architects Donoghue, Cusick and Edwards were commissioned by the Catholic Church in 1955 to envisage a “striking and dignified” building with an allowance for the free-flow of air as per the tropical climate. What they came up with was a magnificent design of parabolic cement arches stretching 58 metres in length, parquetry flooring and a 25-metre high bell tower. It was officially opened in 1962.
Unlike it’s Gothic or Classical counterparts St Mary’s Cathedral is airy and open to the elements yet it retains the restful and reflective atmosphere of all truly great religious architecture. It is a superb example of Modern Architecture in a relative small outpost of our small country and it was with great foresight, passion and hard work that it came into being.
Thanks Darwin – it rings true that you’ll never, never know, if you never never go.
Posted by MA on June 10, 2010 |
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It’s always nice to have friends and we have a growing list of buddies on our About Us page, take a look! A big hello to our latest friend – Inside Out magazine. Always a champion of Mid-Century Australian homes and homewares, the latest (July/August) edition not only has an article about a classic Murphy house in Kew and an awesome Neutra-esq home on the Sydney waterfront, but most importantly gives Modernist Australia (yes, us!) a shout out on page 34.
MA in print for the first time, hooray!
Posted by MA on June 6, 2010 |
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We’d just like to say thanks to everyone who signed up on our mailing list this week and others who’ve sent emails or made comments. It’s always a case of the more the merrier here at MA. Don’t forget to regularly check our latest Real Estate listings that are updated once a week. Speaking of listings, see the below feature for the amazing home in Perth, alerted to us by the architect’s family who are very keen for a new appreciative owner. This week we also have out first Readers Poll on the best Modernist suburbs in Australia, be sure to check our Profiles section and add your 2 cents.
