Design & Desire in the Twentieth Century

Source: http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lvumyfXBiI1qeyobp.png
Photographers unknown.

Design and Desire is all about looking at the personal side of many of the Twentieth Century’s leading archtiects, artists and designers. So we could not pass up sharing this nugget posted on the Mies van der Rohe Society blog regarding the architect’s favorite television show, CBS’s long-running western, Gunsmoke.

“Much of Mies’ personal life remains a mystery, but we do know one of his loves was Gunsmoke—the long-running western starring James Arness. It’s a charming detail because the prime time drama seems very un-Miesian. The ramshackle wooden saloons and sheriff stations of Dodge City couldn’t be more different from the sleek steel skyscrapers Mies built in more worldly cities.” Read more »

Design and Desire in the Twentieth Century is celebrating its first birthday. The blog began as part of a class assignment for an online course in Social Media at Syracuse University’s iSchool. I had so much fun researching and writing about my love for Twentieth Century design that I kept on posting after the course ended.

In the past year D&D has covered topics as diverse as architecture of the Arts and Crafts Movement to the origins of the Coca Cola Santa Claus. Some of the artists and designers featured were: architect Louis Kahn, sculptor Isamu Noguchi, photographer Julius Shulman and film production designer Ken Adam, among others. I hope I’ve been successful in adding a human dimension to the design greats discussed.

Design and Desire has given me the opportunity to connect with some very interesting folks who share my passion for great design. I strongly suggest you take some time to check out their excellent and informative blogs:

•    Designslinger
•    DesignCrave
•    Aqua Velvet
•    Frank Lloyd Wright Newsblog
•    Josh Taylor Design
•    Fin de Siecle
•    Wood and Light

You may want to follow the additional blogs listed in the Blogroll on the right.
Sorry there’s no cake to celebrate with but here’s a photo of one that comes to us via Edward Lifson; it’s from the celebration held earlier this year, sponsored by the Mies van der Rohe Society, to commemorate the architect’s 125th birthday on March 28, 2011.

Source: http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-J6wXxksjLWs/TZLhDS3X7BI/AAAAAAAANqw/4dnFut-MGNk/s400/Mies+birthday+cake.jpg

I sincerely want to thank all of you who’ve followed Design and Desire and enjoyed my blog. Please don’t hesitate to suggest ideas for future posts or just connect and say “Hello.” I’m so looking forward to another year of looking back at great design of the past century.