Saturday 26 July 2008

House and Garden 1974 - Florence Broadhurst and the Atomic coffee maker

I have a fascination with old advertisements. These two are the pick of the crop of the (now famous) Australian House and Garden 1974 magazine. There are lots of others to view so I may pop some more up later on...but for now...enjoy two advertisements, one for the Atomic Coffee Maker by Bon Trading Co and one for Florence Broadburst...

Anyone who loves mid-century design loves the Atomic Coffee Maker. I have a brown one - well used and abused, but still wonderful. It is a genuine original coffee maker - not one of these Chinese fakes that are now so popular on ebay. They are sold as original and vintage (mostly without the top label - people say it 'wore' off etc) and buyers pay hundreds for a fake. I wonder if they are as good as the original. Mine weighs a tonne for something so small. I shall take a shot of it for you if my memory functions one day :) A search on ebay australia for Atomic Coffee Maker brings up these listings if you're interested...to see how much they have recently sold for click here. Look at that original one, mint in box - $1200.00! Anybody got one?

The Florence Broadhurst advertisement is one of a few I have. I love these old advertisements that feature photos - look at that fab photo of her! She was a woman - and designer - well before her time and I am often saddened that she passed before she could see how her designs are now adored and loved worldwide. Before her murder in 1977 her wallpaper designs were very popular in Australia and in select pockets internationally, but if she could ever have forseen just how much her amazing designs have influenced modern textile, wallpaper and interior design I think even the flaming-redhead would have been amazed. We have one piece of original Wilson printed Florence Broadhurst fabric in our private collection - Yvans Geometric. You ca view the fabric here at Signature Prints - the fabric is manufactured by them and retails for $143 a metre. While you're there have a look at some of her other designs and marvel at the imagination of one of the world's most amazing interior wallcovering/matching textile designers of the 20th century...

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