MAILBOX

I was in the newsagents and came across the Spring 2007 issue of Modernism [Vol. 10, No. 1]. I figure that I must be a modernist, because I have fallen in love with the Koenig House on pp. 44-49. It’s driving me nuts as to why I like this house so much! Can anyone put me out of misery and explain why such a simple design so captivates me? Really, it is just a “T” yet it is everything that a modern house should be. Your magazine is worth every cent and I have been showing it to my friends. The online version is just fabulous and is easy to navigate...even for a poor un-modern person like me! Your magazine is put together by staff that I reckon love their job; it is elegant and has warmth. I would suggest that you show before and after renovations in the modernist style. I also often wonder what sort of other possessions people who have such modernist homes have, e.g. cars, paintings, etc. Good luck and thanks for the experience.
–John Leeks, Ashtonfield, NSW, Australia

Thanks to your recent article (City Report: Buenos Aires, Vol. 10, No. 12), we had a superb visit to Buenos Aires, Argentina, last May. We stayed at the Home Hotel in the Hollywood section of Palermo Viejo, which was featured in your article. Winner of the TripAdvisor 2006 Traveler’s Choice award, the hotel has a guest book that dates from 2005 and is filled with praise about the extraordinarily competent and friendly bilingual staff, and about the comfortable midcentury modern furnishings. Your readers will enjoy the spa, the (included) delicious breakfast and Internet availability. Although not located in the downtown area, accessible and inexpensive bus and taxi transport makes trips to the usual tourist sites easy. Surrounded by numerous cafés, your readers can sample a variety of ethnic foods. The two owners of the hotel are onsite and strive to ensure a casual fun time for all. Readers should make reservations well in advance of their travel to Buenos Aires (reservations@homebuenosaires.com).

Palermo Viejo has many examples of Art Deco and Art Nouveau architectural details alongside rapidly rising contemporary dwellings. Las Pulgas flea market, about five blocks from the hotel, has an extraordinary array of streamlined lighting and furniture at reasonable and negotiable prices. Your readers should also visit Recoleta Cemetery, where Art Nouveau grille work and plaques are abundant, and the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, which has a wonderful collection of Cubist paintings and sculpture. Thanks again for your suggestion.
–Miriam and Ira Raskin, Bethesda, Maryland

I think the magazine would benefit greatly by including more articles featuring contemporary artisans working in modernist styles. For example, Ru Amagasu, grandson of George Nakashima, who has worked in the Nakashima studio, designs and builds furniture that is true to the Nakashima tradition, but reflects his own hand and aesthetic.
–Clint Searle, Haycock, Pennsylvania

As an avid Modernism reader and collector, I congratulate you for such an outstanding body of work, and also ask if you could feature some lesser-known Brazilian furniture designers. Keep up the excellent work.
–Rodrigo Mafra, Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Your Spring edition features Hans Olsen’s classic space-saving table and chairs for Frem Ro/jle [Modern Times: Real Modern – Pull Up a Chair]. Sandy McLendon also refers to later copies and versions. I write to add an antipodean version from Melbourne. It is larger in circumference than the ones referred to and neatly tucks four chairs. More may be added when the table is extended to an oval shape by means of two hidden leaves. The manufacturer was Ernst Hansen of Melbourne, probably in the mid ‘60s when copies or versions of Scandinavian furniture were popular in Australia. Hard to find, they sell for approximately A$3,000.
–Cathy Lowy, Melbourne, Australia

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