6 design links for a snow day

Remember snow days? School cancellation turns an ordinary morning into the beginning of an adventure, whether the fun stays indoors or spills out into the wide open.

We all need a snow day now and then, so I'm suspending today's usual newsletter and setting you loose among some design links that I recently enjoyed:

The Furniture Hustlers of Silicon Valley – by Erin Griffith
As a survivor of dotcom-era San Francisco, I remember how the crash resulted in high-end office furniture being available on Craigslist for a song. It was probably the best time ever to get an Aeron chair – or was it? Turns out the recent mass tech layoffs have launched another wave of deacquisitioning and entrepreneurs are turning it to their advantage. This eye-opening piece features some savvy new movers and shakers in the furniture trade.

How E-Commerce Changed the Knockoff Furniture Game – by Jessica Goodman
If you've ever gasped at the price of a design classic and been tempted to buy a less expensive copy, you'll love this article about the world of furniture dupes. It's a surprisingly evenhanded take on the lure of knockoffs and the question of whether or not their popularity hinders innovation. It includes insights from Canadian direct-to-consumer brands Article and Sundays about how they create products that speak to our desires.

The Italian Designers Who Reinvented the Sofa Are Still Sitting on Top – by Alice Newell-Hanson
Mid-century sofas are everywhere these days, so why bother with another article about them – right? Wait a minute. This article takes a different approach, going beyond surface aesthetics to the reasons why some trailblazing classics have been recently reissued. Not only that, it features three design greats themselves, lounging regally on their creations. It's a vivid snapshot of living room history.

Want to see some of Winnipeg's most kitschy TV furniture ads? Well then, 'C'mon down!' – by Darren Bernhardt
We've all seen (and perhaps secretly love) the tacky side of furniture retailing. Isn't it great to know that scholars take an interest too? The University of Winnipeg has digitized a collection of Kern-Hill Furniture's TV commercials, a firm known for its flamboyant local sales pitches. Get an inside look at how it happened, then check out the archive's YouTube page.

How ‘Don’t Worry Darling’ Became the First Movie to Film at Richard Neutra’s Kaufmann House – by Marah Eakin
The movie "Don't Worry Darling" impressed me more with its pristine modernist sets than with its storyline – so I was excited to learn that it was filmed at one of the most famous houses in Palm Springs. Film crews live with the risk of causing accidental damage to their shoot locations; will they succeed in leaving this delicate historic property intact?

Brown Furniture – by Katha Pollitt
A few weeks ago, I tried to capture that eerie sensation that objects around us are living presences, even capable of human feelings. I fell short. It's an insight best left to poets, as this remarkable piece proves. (Bonus: the page includes an audio version read by the author.)

Until next Wednesday, stay warm!