Daily Planetary

(ADHDS)

Next I'd like to talk about Baltimore's Jonathan Maxwell Studios. Maxwell has this very 1940s, Sci-Fi, Gotham City sort of aesthetic that I'm absolutely loving. I can't say for sure that it couldn't benefit from the infusion of something decidedly 2040, but in his defense, his focus is sharp and his interpretation of this look is virtually flawless.

This clock is maybe one of the best examples, it completely looks like something out of 1984, "The Original Clock":

But the larger pieces, the furniture, have the same savvy. The site is labeled a little bit inconsistently, but I believe these are part of a series, "Graham," a desk and console table:

Here's another pair that appear to be a series, "Rabbino," a buffet and china cabinet:

I appreciate these pieces, especially, because I think the wood makes a beautifully warm counterpoint to the raw, industrial metal.

Here's another couple pieces, though named differently, that seem to have the same detailing, the "McNish Entry Table":

And the "Lost City Sidetable," there's a coffee table version of this as well:

The name, "Lost City," is just perfect for the reasons above. The safety glass is reclaimed, and makes me want to dress like a private eye and start talking like Humphrey Bogart just to match my table.

Here's another clock, a mantle version, and a lamp that would complement it perfectly:

My first instinct was the clock in the center with a lamp on either end of the mantle. Now I'm thinking the clock on one side, the lamp on the other: asymmetrical. So hot.

Some of his other light fixtures are amazing, too. Here's a table lamp:

My favorite of them, though, is this one. It looks like something hanging in an alien spaceship envisioned in 1935:

Awesome.

Obviously, a lot of these pieces would require careful handling and the right overall interior style to work properly. I think a talented designer could pull it off, though. Above all, Maxwell's work has as much character in one bolt as most designers have in their whole cabinet.

©2009, Ryan Witte