I wasn't alive to witness the era where things were "made" instead of "manufactured". I never experienced the revolution of design were the likes of Ray and Charles Eames ushered in a shining era of modernism. Like many design professionals, I worship at the alter of Sam Maloof and George Nakashima. I relish in the innovations of Patricia Urquolia and Terence Conran among others.
However, in the wake of the housing boom and the resurgence of goods made in industrial, sterile invironments, I've started wondering "When did hand made modern become campy and unatractive?" When did modernism stray from the hands of craftsman and into a sweat shop in China? Now, I know what you're thinking (especially if you live in California or New York) that there are plenty of hand made modernists. Let me throw out a couple of names:
BDDW, Palo Samko, Eric Manigian, Tucker Robbins, John Houshmand, etc, etc, etc....
These are atisains and they produce an extraordianry level of quality. If you are not aware of a name of two, and are interested in hand-made american modern, these sites would be inspiring and enticing to the craftsman, the modernist, and the design enthousiast that want to purchase and preserve the best that our design community has to offer.
