Doing Double Duty, Day to Day
“Mark and I have the same philosophy about wanting to design high-quality mass products at affordable prices,” says Monty Lawton, co-designer with Mark Zuckerman of In House on Beverly Boulevard. Having teamed up 10 years ago after meeting as members of In Vivo, a Los Angeles design consortium, Zuckerman and Lawton opened In House two years later. They call themselves Modernists in the tradition of mid-century designers like Charles Eames, although philosophically they like the ideas of Modernist George Nelson. “He was really passionate about the idea that design really mattered on a day-to-day basis,” continues Lawton.
“People were doing one-of-a-kind art-piece furniture 10 years ago,” says Zuckerman, “but we didn’t want to do that. The satisfaction we get is in knowing that many people live with our designs.” Furniture prices range from $475 for their jazzy magazine table to $2,500 for a sofa, inexpensive for handcrafted items. “As we move along and get even larger, we’ll be able to do other things that are less expensive. That’s our goal, to keep the quality up and the price down.”
Their teamwork and enthusiasm are evident in the way they talk, sometimes at the same time, about their designs and their store. And this is really a hands-on operation, a fact they’re disarmingly proud of.
“Originally we made everything we sold. When we first opened, and for basically the first year, we would bring in a new piece every week and see if people liked it. We learned an enormous amount doing it that way. In fact, some of the suggested changes that were acceptable to our aesthetic sensibility have stayed and become permanent, because they were better than what we had done. So much of this is problem-solving,” says Zuckerman.
“The magazine table was one of our experiments that took off.” Built of molded maple plywood, the table, which was designed for a business entry, turned out to be one of their most successful designs. It was so successful, in fact, that it’s on display at the Baltimore Museum of Art, in their 20th Century Decorative Arts Collection.
One of their newest creations is the Low Chair. “It’s done two ways, leather and solid walnut, and stainless steel and wicker,” says Lawton. “We showed it this October at the Chicago Design Show, and it seemed to strike a chord with people.” With some references to the iconic Barcelona chair, its large seat is inviting but also stiff enough to balance a drink on.
Lawton and Zuckerman like this idea of dual purposes. Their boxy coffee table/ottoman/bench called the Thing is made of a hardwood upholstery frame and vinyl fabric and comes in many colors. Its sturdiness, as well as its versatility, make it a practical living room piece.
In the works is a desk that closes up like a clam when not in use, and small desks akin to old-fashioned school desks that could be used at airports for computer access. In January they’ll introduce the Pocket Chair, made of translucent polycarbonate with a steel base and a pocket on the back for menus, conference papers, magazines and whatever. “We won a design competition through Design magazine for that,” says Lawton.
“ We know people live with our pieces and need comfort as well as style,” they say almost in unison. And, if designed by Zuckerman and Lawton, they’ll have a touch of whimsy as well.
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In House is located at 7370 Beverly Blvd. For hours and information, call (323) 931-4420, or check the Web site: https://www.inhousefurniture.com.
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Vintage posters from unforgettable as well as easily forgotten movies will go up for auction Sunday at Butterfields Los Angeles.
“This auction has a little bit for everybody,” says Shannon Loughrey, department manager for 20th Century Decorative Arts at Butterfields. “It’s not exclusive, with the average price in the hundreds.” That’s a long way from the record for the movie poster. “The Mummy” (1932) cashed in at more than $453,000 in 1997.
“In general, the most collectible posters are from classic movies, sci-fi, horror, film noir, James Bond and Alfred Hitchcock,” says Loughrey. “If a particular artist, like Saul Bass, did the design, that also makes it more valuable.”
The rare posters that are coming up on the block include a one-sheet for Universal Pictures’ 1935 release “Werewolf of London,” which is expected to go for up to $50,000. Another is “Flash Gordon” (1954), starring Buster Crabbe, which is expected to bring in at least $25,000. A one-sheet for 1933’s “Footlight Parade” is estimated at $20,000.
Particularly interesting posters are the foreign posters for American films, like the Italian and Swedish posters for “Rear Window,” with Jimmy Stewart and Grace Kelly, and “The Maltese Falcon” and “On the Waterfront” in French.
Collectors like movie posters for the memories they evoke as well as their aesthetic beauty, or even their unintentional humor. Rarity is a large part of what determines the value of the works, followed by condition and design.
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Posters can be previewed at 7601 Sunset Blvd. Friday and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday morning beginning at 9; the auction starts at noon. For information, call (323) 850-7500. Each lot is illustrated online at www.butterfields.com.
