When he persuaded D. J. de Pree on the moral imperative of his streamlined designs, Gilbert Rohde brought modernism to the Herman Miller Furniture Company. Though he apparently didn't bring an urgency to produce modern children's furniture. Because even thought it debuted at the 1933 World's Fair in Chicago like Rohde's HM designs, this awesome-looking play pen was made by the Trimble Furniture Co. instead.
One result: there's no mention online of any Rohde playpens before LA Modern put up its June 29th auction catalogue. [Then again, Rohde doesn't even have a Wikipedia entry.] The estimate's just $1200-1500. It'd probably bring more if, in addition to foreseeing the future's fascination with modernist kids' design, Rohde had anticipated the Consumer Product Safety Commission and the Product Safety Act. Because then he might have put those stranglicious bent steel verticals a little closer together.
Jun 29, 2008, Lot 131: Gilbert Rohde, Play Pen, est $1200-1500 [lamodern.com via dt reader darren]
update: whoops, it didn't sell. The Nanna Ditzel high chair went for $630, though, against a $700-900 estimate.]
does that modmom chick know how to bend tubular steel?
someone needs to start making a CPSC version of that asap. coolest kid jail I've ever seen.
No can-do on the bent steel, Jim. I'm afraid the welding mask would mess up my hair.
[I wouldn't worry my pretty little head over that, Kiersten; a mandrel bender or rotary draw bender will do the trick at room temperature; just be sure to wear eye protection. -ed.]
WOW! Seriously, I'm impressed. And you even know the technical names. I was just going to call it the "metal bendy thing that bends steel" but then I thought better of it because it didn't drive home my messed up hair point. If I decide to bend steel, I'm coming to you for instructions! You da man!