During our last two trips to the Left Coast — Modern Artifacts was a must see. Vintage postwar furniture, lighting, art and craft with integrity for collectors of form who see functional objects as museum pieces. Store owner, Chris Houston, keeps aesthetic and functionality continuously at play.
At modern artifacts, we’ve dedicated the last two decades to postwar art and design. But our inventory stretches beyond mid-century modern. Our search for objects offering structural integrity, artistic vision and historical relevance-what we call “modern artifacts” — pushes us both forward into the postmodern world and rearward into the early twentieth century.
matter the period, we reject the short sighted consumption of poor design and unimaginative art. We have no patience for items presented as affordable alternatives to a “costlier” investment in quality. Too often you, the “consumer,” not only “get what you pay for,” but ultimately pay for what you get. You pay to own it, pay to dump it, pay to trash it, then pay to replace it and start all over again.
Such destructive “choices,” promote environmental degradation, needless cost and, frankly, bad interiors. At modern artifacts, we also reject excessive reliance upon new manufacturing and thoughtless transport of goods around the globe. Such activity not only consumes limited resources, but also obscures both the value of items already at hand and our potential to salvage and renew the world around us.
Interiors reflect our relationship with the natural world. Here at modern artifacts, we look forward to working with clients who consider their interior space an extension of a shared environment now in need of serious attention. Balancing professional restoration with genuine patina, we return to items their former luster and usefulness. It’s a fresh look in a naturalized setting. To find out more about the inventory on this site, please use the contact info above or visit us in San Francisco and experience firsthand a stream of quality inventory and genuine customer support.
With help from our customers, we help make the world more interesting and-what’s more…keep it green.
Great article, Consumer Retorts — Dwell, February 2011.
Image: © Xavier Lust T-Chair in Polished Aluminum, Modern Artifacts, San Francisco, CA
