Left: Bruce Goff, 1957Right: Commune Design, 2016
WOW — A new MONDOBLOGO post! What on earth could have dragged me away from Instagram back to this Blogger dinosaur? It's been a year and 8 months since my last post! (Forgive me Google for I have sinned...) Well, this was something that I just couldn't let go with an iPhone post that will disappear and get buried in everyone's feed after 2 hours. The one good thing about a good olde fashioned blog post is that it lasts, and this one needs to last because it hit a nerve with me - ripping off designers and artists, and this latest collection by the LA-based Commune Design for the furniture and lifestyle company West Elm is too egregious to not comment on. I'll let the pictures of the collection and my pairings speak for themselves, but please let me know if I missed anything as I always appreciate a good design dialogue.Left: Commune Design, 2016Right: Hans Wegner, 1955
(Since I started this post, this chair mysteriously disappeared from the original Commune Design collection but I am leaving it here as it was there when I started and was included in all the original PR surrounding the launch.)Left: Commune Design, 2016Right: Kaare Klint, 1933Left: Flemming Lassen, 1938Right: Commune Design, 2016Top: Charlotte Perriand, 1958Bottom: Commune Design, 2016Left: Commune Design(?), 2016Right: Gio Ponti, 1955
(Since I stated this post, this chair also mysteriously disappeared from the original Commune Design collection but I am leaving it here as it was there when I started and made the screen shots, and was included in all the original PR surrounding the launch. Several people have also said that this chair was already in West Elm's collection and that Commune Design just selected special upholstery for it.)Top: George Nelson, 1950Bottom: Commune Design, 2016Left: William Fetner, c. 1960Right: Commune Design, 2016
(This one is a little bit of a stretch, but I knew I had seen the form before.)I thought for sure this was also a copy of another designer's work, but I looked everywhere and it isn't as far as I can tell, so unless someone tells me otherwise, I feel that this is a successful "inspired" design. Good job Commune Design on this one, now if you could just go back to the drawing board with the rest of the furniture in the collection....