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Dear Design Devotee,
Pull up your favorite chair and pour yourself something glamorous — because the mid-century world wasn’t all teak oil and quiet Danish restraint. Behind the clean lines and smooth curves lurked rivalries, rebellions, expulsions, affairs (allegedly!), and enough design-world drama to fill a Saarinen Womb Chair.
And at Hobbs Modern? We get the good gossip.
Let’s spill.
CHARLES EAMES: TOO HOT FOR SCHOOL?
You didn’t hear this from us (you absolutely heard this from us), but Charles Eames was kicked out of Washington University for being “too modern.”
Yes — the man who reinvented American furniture was literally shown the door for being ahead of his time. Consider it the most iconic “you’ll regret this” moment in educational history. Charles Eames never finished his Architecture degree despite later becoming a professor at Cranbrook Academy of Art and designing Case Study House #8 in Pacific Palisades, CA.
Rumor has it, professors clutched their pearls when he expressed his obsession with Frank Loyd Wright. We clutch ours too — but for very different reasons.
Early 3rd Generation Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman in Brazilian Rosewood & Green Leather
$9,995.00
A beautifully honest, early 3rd-generation Eames Lounge Chair in Brazilian rosewood and New Moss Green leather—overall this is a well-kept, and showing exactly the kind of gentle life we love to see. Very Dramatic wood grain in all original condition. Why this… read more
VLADIMIR KAGAN: THE CURVE KING WHO BENT ALL THE RULES
Word on the street? Vladimir Kagan was the first to design curved sofas — with it he curved the entire trajectory of American design. Apparently Kagan once said he hated “straight sofas, they make me feel like a bird on a wire.”
He rejected the conventional shapes and wisdom to place a sofa against a wall and instead put the sofa firmly in the center of the room, curved to facilitate conversation and to be the star of the show.
Vlad, darling…We’re still swooning.
In Process: Vladimir Kagan Tangent Sofa
$29,995.00
In Process means you can customize the sofa to your taste. Pick out a fabric that would work for your interior. This exceptionally rare Vladimir Kagan Tangent Sofa embodies everything that made Kagan (1927–2016) a pioneer of American modernism: fluid lines,… read more
GEORGE NAKASHIMA: The Spiritual Guru With Receipts
Literal receipts.
Nakashima spent two years as a monk in Pondicherry, India, studying Integral Yoga, a transformative experience informing his deep connection to nature and craft.
He believed each tree had one ideal use, and his job was to discover it, often holding slabs for years to find their purpose, a "dialogue with the spirit of a tree".
We’ve seen them. We have them. We treasure them like the Dead Sea Scrolls.
Behind the quiet Japanese-American minimalism was a man who put his spirit in every piece. And collectors today? They covet his live edge drama.
George Nakashima Studio Craft Credenza — Solid American Walnut, Live-Edge Top
$49,995.00
A museum-level Studio Craft credenza by George Nakashima, handcrafted in solid American walnut with Nakashima’s signature live edge along the front of the top—an unmistakable gesture that preserves the tree’s natural contour and grain. The façade is book-matched walnut, creating… read more
FINN JUHL: THE ORIGINAL “DISRUPTOR”
Long before Silicon Valley was bragging about innovation, Finn Juhl was dropping sculptural seating that had the Danish Cabinetmakers Guild whisper-screaming,
“Can he DO that?
” Yes. Yes he could. And he did. The Chieftain Chair? Rumor has it they had to invent new ways to upholster because nothing like it had ever existed. Designer Finn Juhl, often prioritizing form and artistic expression over conventional construction methods. This approach meant that many of his designs, including the Chieftain Chair, required technical solutions that had not been invented at the time.
Absolute diva behavior — and we support it wholeheartedly.
Finn Juhl Teak Dresser for Baker
$9,995.00
An exceptional example of Finn Juhl’s rare American collaboration with Baker Furniture Co., this double dresser captures the elegance, craftsmanship, and sculptural intelligence that define Juhl’s finest work. Designed in the 1950s, the piece stands as a testament to the… read more
HANS WEGNER: THE CHAIR ADDICT
Rumor has it Wegner designed 500+ chairs because he “couldn’t stop.”In search of building the perfect chair, he realized around 501 that there is no perfect chair.
Same, Hans. Same. We’ve all been there — except your habit resulted in the Wishbone Chair, The Round Chair, so many more...so you get a pass...just this time.
Some say his workshop was basically a chair speakeasy. We cannot confirm or deny.
(But we can confirm they were all fabulous.)
Hans Wegner’s chairs often have animal names: “Papa Bear Chair” “Dolphin Chair” “ The Cow Horn chair” “ The Peacock” but... Hans never named his chairs.
- it was his peer, Finn Juhl who gave the Peacock chair its name. And a member of the press who gave the Papa Bear its nickname.
Set of 4 Round Chairs by Hans J. Wegner for Johannes Hansen
$16,995.00
An extraordinary and historically important Round Chairs (Model JH503) by legendary Danish designer Hans J. Wegner, crafted by master cabinetmaker Johannes Hansen in the 1950s. Regarded as one of the most iconic pieces in the history of modern design,… read more
GIO PONTI: THE DESIGNER WHO COULD DO EVERYTHING
Hotels?
Yes.
Chairs?
Yes.
Dresser?
Yes
Cutlery?
Yes.
Glass Vases?
Yes
Rumored to have designed the actual mood of Italy itself? Also yes.
There’s a reason every Italian grandmother worships him. And we do too.
And just when you think he’d slow down? Think again.
In his later years, Ponti was still the life of the party, famously cruising around Italy in a 12-seater Fiat “people mover,” picking up friends, strangers, and anyone interesting enough to talk design, life, or architecture over an espresso (or three).
Forever modern. Forever social.
Oh Gio… Pronto!
WRAP-UP: MID-CENTURY WAS MESSY. WE LOVE THEM MORE FOR IT.
Behind every timeless silhouette is a designer who ruffled feathers, broke rules, or caused a polite Scandinavian scandal.
At Hobbs Modern, we collect the icons, rebels, and beautiful troublemakers who shaped 20th-century design — and we restore their pieces like the treasures they are.
If you want a little drama (the chic kind) for your home. We’ll match you with the perfect misbehaving masterpiece.
With love, gossip, and Danish oil,
Hobbs Modern
Where the furniture is iconic and the stories are delicious
