We shouldn’t be shocked by the pure honesty of Jens Risom’s vacation residence on Block Island. Vanity and self-value have never ever been a trademark of the excellent Danish designer’s operate, even as his Risom Lounge Chairs for Knoll remain amongst the most lusted-following furnishings icons of the Mid-Century era. What is surprising, although, is that his beautiful shingled seaside property is a prefabricated model, customized by Risom practically half a century ago in his quest to build a summer season house on a modest budget—$20,700, to be precise.Miniscule by nowadays’s requirements—a mere 700 sq feet—and sitting on an idyllic parcel of land, the house’s storybook A-frame profile, utilitarian kitchen and wood-burnished warmth are reminders of how Risom’s design and style sensibilities have by no means strayed from the factors that matter, his focus ever tuned to an object’s (or a house’s) sense of purpose. The son of an architect, Risom, now 97, knew the pitfalls of designing buildings. “Architecture, to me, is the most beautiful of the arts. I always knew that I wanted to style, but only if I could produce items more than which I had total control.” We can only picture how considerably the architectural planet has missed by not ceding handle to him.
Images: Dwell