Our streets are enriched by a huge variety of objects, from water fountains and horse troughs to post boxes, signposts and more. Collectively, these objects are known as street furniture. From Roman-era milestones to modern infrastructure disguised as artwork, they tell us much about contemporary life. This book relates the compelling history of street furniture's design and manufacture, featuring notable architects and major ironfounders, as well as curiosities like King Edward VIII post boxes. It brings the story right up to date, detailing the new generation of environmentally friendly and digitally connected street furniture. The book also charts the dangers to our streetscapes, which are particularly vulnerable to change, with heritage street furniture at risk of being forgotten or lost. This book includes many fascinating images of surviving street furniture and vanished pieces, with archive material allowing readers to see long-gone items in use. It will appeal to those interested in social and transport history, in how we lived in the past, and indeed how we may live in the future.

A master furniture maker, designer, sculptor, and educator, Wendell Castle is in his sixth decade of a fruitful and creative career that began in 1958 and that parallels the emergence and growth of the American studio craft movement. The solo exhibition at the Museum of Arts and Design that this book accompanies runs from October 20 2015 to February 28 2016.

Trimmings are often overlooked as mere details of a furnished interior but in the past they were seen as vital and costly elements in the decoration of a room. They were used not only on curtains and beds but also on wall hangings, upholstered seat furniture and cushions, providing a visual feast for the eye with their colour and intricate detail. Sometimes more expensive than the rich fabrics they enhanced, trimmings are often the only surviving evidence of a lost decorative scheme, reapplied to replacement textiles or found as fragments in the attic. This book, the first of its kind, traces their history in Britain and Ireland from 1320 to 1970, examining the design and usage of tassels, fringe, braid (woven lace), gimp and cord and their dependence on French fashion. Lavishly illustrated with new photography, the substantial text links surviving items in historic houses and museums to written evidence, paintings, drawings and other primary sources to provide a firm framework for dating pieces of less-certain provenance. The importance of the 'laceman', the maker of these trimmings, is also examined within an economic and social context, together with the relationship to the upholsterer and interior decorator in the creation of a fashionable room.

The book explores the design boom in the Pacific Northwest, the fundamental principles to this creative field and over 40 remarkable makers and designers behind this extraordinary area of design. Set against striking photography, the book navigates the landscape and settings which inspires this area and talks with leading designers in the industry. The Pacific Northwest is paving a new path in the design world with a rich and varied set of designers producing outstanding pieces and trends. IDS Vancouver is the centre-point for all things design in the Pacific Northwest and we are pleased to present their first book. Including contributions from ANDlight, Base Modern, Niels Bendtsen, Bosque Design, Becki Chan, Pat Christie, Brent Comber, Electric Coffin, Dahlhaus Studio, Fieldwork, fruitsuper, The Granite, Phil Gray, Hinterland Design, John Hogan, Shawn Hunt, Jeff Martin Joinery, Knauf and Brown, Karen Konzuk, Merkled Studio, molo, Darin Montgomery, PHLOEM STUDIO, Pigeon Toe, Shawn Place, Charlotte Pommet and Elliot Kendall, Propellor, Selek, Sholto Design Studio, Studio Gorm, Cathy Terepocki and Annie Tung. About IDS Vancouver Founded in 2004 by Jason Heard, IDS Vancouver has grown in size and in ambition at equal pace with the city it is so proud to support. Taking place once a year in September the IDS Vancouver design fair has grown to include diverse programing and workshops for youth, for students and for the design trade as well as collaborative installations and experiences both off site and on. Drawing attention to the region as a heavy hitting design destination, IDS Vancouver actively engages with and participates at other international fairs all year long as a way to profile the talent of the region and to source and stay informed with design internationally.

A survey by Nicklaus Pevsner in the 1930s estimated that some 80-90% of manufactured goods in England were shoddy and poorly designed. When it came to furniture only a handful of manufacturers would have escaped such condemnation. Prime among these was Heals of Tottenham Court Road - manufacturer, retailer, and, with its top floor Mansard Gallery, the Mecca for Home Counties cognoscenti of 'modernism'. Most furniture manufacturers advertised their wares in the press but Heal's was a rare exception in the industry in its use of posters. Heal's posters not only relay the saga of a pioneering enterprise but provide a shorthand history of what was happening in the design and retailing of furniture and furnishings in Britain in the 20th century.

Text in English & German. The way we sit simultaneously defines privileges, social status, power, and taboos. Parallel to the presentation of China as the guest of honour at the Frankfurt Book Fair 2009, the Museum fur Angewandte Kunst in Frankfurt presents a panorama of Chinese sitting culture through a period of five centuries. Exclusive, noble Ming chairs stand side by side with chairs of the 18th and 19th century used by the middle class of that time. Limited sitting sculptures by renowned artist designers such as Shao Fan, Freeman Lau, Kenneth Cobonpue, XYZ-Design and Ji Liwei, who is also in charge of the interior design of the Chinese pavilion at the book fair, are confronted with the bourgeois sofas and sitting of the Chinese middle class of today. The "Bastard Chairs" of migrant workers and the homeless, day-to-day seats improvised out of pure need and made of trash and leftover materials, are commented in the sitting contexts of celebrities: emperors and courtesans, politicians and pop stars, athletes and students of product design show how sitting was done formerly and is done today. It ranges from a man of letters from the Ming era to the Qianglong emperor on the throne to Mao and Nixon in characteristic armchairs in Mao's best room. The most famous contemporary Chinese artist, Ai Weiwei, will also be represented with an excerpt of his grandiose chair performance at the Dokumenta XII. Of course, product piracy, which -- as the typical Chinese dipping figure "Shanzhai" -- has mean-while adopted characteristics that define society, is also dealt with.

When the inscription "Made by Nathan Lumbard Apl 20th 1800" was found in the late 1980s on a chest of drawers, the identity of an unknown craftsman suddenly surfaced. Crafting Excellence introduces the striking achievements of cabinetmaker Nathan Lumbard (1777 1847) and a small group of craftsmen associated with him. Working initially in the village of Sturbridge, Massachusetts, these artisans fashioned an array of objects that rank among the most colorful and creative of Federal America. Recent scholarship has revealed Lumbard's connection with the cabinetmaker Oliver Wight, from whom he likely learned his trade and gained an understanding of neoclassicism. Careful study of objects linked to Lumbard, Wight, and nearby artisans has produced a framework for identifying their work. The discovery of Lumbard's name three decades ago led the authors on a pioneering journey, culminating in this handsome volume, an insightful contribution to American furniture history. Distributed for the Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library

Chinese furniture design had been improved through the centuries, maturing during the 14th century. The Qing furniture developed from Ming style furniture; it was attractive with ornate novel decorative elements. In the olden days of China, those who had resources could afford to live in a gracious residence such as the four-closed courtyard house (siheyuan). The four-closed courtyard house is the Chinese art of enclosing space to create an ideal environment for habitation. The multifunctional Chinese classical furniture facilitates the indoor and outdoor activities of its inhabitants. Siheyuan is divided into chambers such as the Hall, female chamber etc. This book provides details on which pieces of furniture should be displayed in each chamber, as well as full-colour illustrations and diagrams of how each piece was made and assembled. This includes three-dimensional drawings by Philip Mak and perspective views of the interior of various rooms. The author guides the readers through them, narrating the placement of furniture with inherent social implications. For easy reference, each piece is numbered and a more detailed description available in the catalogue section of this book. Text in English and Chinese.

Influenced by the currently very popu-lar do-it-yourself movement, the contemporary design scene is increasingly shaped by a creative fusion of production and consumption. When it comes to the development of a self-made furniture culture, this book project combines for the first time design history research and consumerism theory with numerous historical and contemporary construction instructions and interior design recommendations. Across five chapters, design history and everyday culture are vividly and closely examined. What are their ori- gins? Which media and channels are used to pass on experiences and prac-tical instructions? Who exchanges in-formation with whom and under what circumstances? And what has changed since the advent of the era of digital modernity?

"Abandoned, forgotten form is reborn in the arms of an all-embracing nature, an envelope within which the origin of the human being, of a society gives us a sensibility, a presence of a fertility." - Vincent Dubourg A graduate of the Ecole nationale superieure des Arts Decoratifs in Paris, Vincent Dubourg is a designer and a plastic artist. In 2004, he caught the eye of Julien Lombrail, founder of the Carpenters Workshop Gallery, where he has been exhibiting since 2006. Present at major salons and shows - the Pavillon des Arts et du Design, Paris; Design Miami Basel - he has received many public commissions from institutions such as Galeries Lafayette, Swarovski, Vienna, the musee de la chasse et de la nature, Paris, and the Sketch restaurant in London, among others. Vincent says that he feeds himself on the capitals like Paris and New York, which he regularly visits, and digests them in his isolated studio in the Creuse department in France. There, he questions contemporary furniture through the prism of nature and the five elements, like a perfect control of metal. With him, buffet, table and chairs become hallucinatory objects shifting between sculpture and functional furniture. A major exhibit will be devoted to him at the Carpenters Workshop Gallery in New York in late 2017. Solo Show, Carpenters Workshop Gallery, New York, November 2017.

The first comprehensive study of Knoll's innovative textile designs and the company's role within the history of interior design In 1940, Hans Knoll founded a company in New York that soon earned a reputation for its progressive line of furniture. Florence Schust joined the firm and helped establish its interior design division, the Knoll Planning Unit. In 1947, the year after their marriage, Hans and Florence Knoll added a third division, Knoll Textiles, which brought textile production in line with a modern sensibility that used color and texture as primary design elements. In the early years, the company hired leading proponents of modern design as well as young, untried designers to create textile patterns. The division thrived in the late 1940s through 1960s and, in the following decade, adopted a more international outlook as design direction shifted to Europe. In the late 1970s and 1980s, Knoll tapped fashion designers and architects to bolster its brand. The pioneering use of new materials and a commitment to innovative design have remained Knoll's hallmarks to the present day. With essays by experts, biographies of about eighty designers, and images of textiles, drawings, furniture, and ephemera, Knoll Textiles, 1945-2010 is the first comprehensive study devoted to a leading contributor to modern textile design. Highlighting the individuals and ideas that helped shape Knoll Textiles over the years, this book brings the Knoll brand and the role of textiles in the history of design to the forefront of public attention. Published for the Bard Graduate Center: Decorative Arts, Design History, Material Culture Exhibition Schedule: The Bard Graduate Center, New York (05/18/11-07/31/11)

An essential new look at the design philosophy that interrogated modern living against the turbulent political landscape of 1960s Italy In the mid-1960s, reacting to contemporary social and political upheaval, young Italian architects and designers began developing a new style that openly challenged Modernism. Known as "Radical design," this movement probed possibilities for visually transforming the urban environment. Radical design's proponents also applied it to items such as furniture and lighting, utilizing alternative materials and an innovative formal vocabulary. Radical: Italian Design 1965-1985 surveys the work of these pioneering designers through nearly 70 objects and architectural models-including rare prototypes and limited-production pieces. Cindi Strauss insightfully explores the aesthetic inspiration and changing cultural mores that informed the movement, and her research is complemented by an essay from Germano Celant, the acclaimed author and curator who coined the term "Radical design." Importantly, the book includes seven interviews with Radical designers and architects, offering fresh insights into the individuals who were at the vanguard of this groundbreaking movement. Published in association with the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston Exhibition Schedule: Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (February 14-April 26, 2020) Yale School of Architecture Gallery (September 3-November 20, 2021)

Borrowing its title from the French national motto, "Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity" provides a vibrant picture of design in France from the 1940s to today. A catalogue for a 2011 exhibition presented by The Wolfsonian-Florida International University in collaboration with M/M and Alexandra Midal, it investigates how objects embody the ideas that have defined French public life for more than two centuries. Featured objects include furniture, industrial design and craft by some of the most celebrated French designers of the present and recent past, including Roger Tallon, Pierre Paulin, Philippe Starck and the Bouroullec Brothers. "Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity" includes essays by Marianne Lamonaca, Emilia Philippot and Alexandra Midal, each providing a framework for understanding French design and its relationship to national identity. A visual essay, organized in nine thematic clusters, offers color images of each object in the exhibition.

The creation of an American furniture style at a crossroads of transatlantic trade American Furniture, 1650-1840: Highlights from the Philadelphia Museum of Art is the first publication dedicated to one of the finest collections of its type in the country. Best known for furniture by artisans from Philadelphia and southeastern Pennsylvania, the museum's collection includes significant examples from cities and regions farther afield. Interpretive texts for each work focus on design sources, showing how early American furniture participated in an international visual language. A vibrant local economy was bolstered by coastal trade bringing Caribbean mahogany and European imports that continued to influence local production. By the 1740s Philadelphia had developed a distinctive idiom and led the developing nation in style and aesthetics. This volume provides an important resource for scholars of American furniture, illuminates the cultural and mercantile life of the fledgling nation, and offers a lively introduction to the donors, curators, and personalities who have shaped the institution from its earliest days to the present. Published in association with the Philadelphia Museum of Art

During the 19th century, New York City's grand mansions on Fifth and Madison Avenues boasted sumptuous interiors, often with each room decorated in a different historic style. Financier, art collector, and philanthropist Henry Gurdon Marquand famously commissioned eminent British painter Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema (1836-1912) to create the Greco-Pompeian music room for his home. This beautiful publication documents and examines the celebrated design, which included an elaborately decorated Steinway grand piano, a large suite of matching furniture, and an embroidery scheme for the upholstery and coordinated curtains. Alma-Tadema secured Frederic Leighton to create a major painting for the room's ceiling and Sir Edward Poynter to paint the piano's fallboard. One of Alma-Tadema's most famous paintings, A Reading from Homer, was painted for this room. For the first time since Marquand's death in 1902, the contents of this exceptional room have been brought together and considered in light of Marquand's patronage, Alma-Tadema's career, the firm that manufactured the furniture, and the social function of the music room. Distributed for the Clark Art Institute Exhibition Schedule: Clark Art Institute (06/04/17-09/04/17)