123ArticleOnline Logo
Welcome to 123ArticleOnline.com!
ALL >> Others >> View Article

Dogs, Design And Devious Deeds

Profile Picture
By Author: Lucy Carter
Total Articles: 102
Comment this article
Facebook ShareTwitter ShareGoogle+ ShareTwitter Share

I'm currently rather enjoying a passive aggressive battle with my boyfriend over my penchant for nineteenth-century fireside dogs. We've just decorated our living room, painted it brilliant white and built some shelves into an alcove. I've managed to sneak past him my ceramic bookends with Calamity Jane and Wild Bill Hickok on horseback, but he's less than pleased with my array of ceramic dogs in all different sizes perched atop a 1950s side table. Every time I go out he moves them out of sight, and every time he goes out I move them back, to menace him with their hilariously badly painted faces. These proud little dogs are his design nemesis, the quintessence of tat, and remind him of his grandma's house. But that's why I love them. And I'm in good company.

Modernist architect Bertold Lubetkin, famed for his sculpturally dramatic use of reinforced concrete at the Penguin Pool in London Zoo (1934), was also partial to a pair of fireside dogs. In fact, he had two pairs, one at his Highpoint apartment in London and one in his modernist retreat at Whipsnade. In their modern surroundings Lubetkin's porcelain dogs stand apart ...
... as outmoded icons of the nineteenth-century bourgeois interior. Epitomising the ornamental bric-a-brac compulsively swept away by architectural modernism, their presence is subversive. Obstinately gathering dust, the porcelain dogs articulate a critique of over-rationalisation, that modernist compulsion to standardise and sterilise. Lubetkin's dogs are the material embodiment of his Whipsnade Manifesto, a satirical rage against Corbusier's machine for living: 'self-obliteratingin its hygienic anonymity'.

Asserting the idiosyncratic and the personal, knick-knacks and oddities like these are a reinstatement of the house as home. In my living room the fireside dogs and wild-west bookends not only make a great contrast with modern furnishings, but they subvert the anonymity of white walls. And in further defence of my taste, ceramicist of chic Jonathan Adler recently added a stylised pair of fireside dogs to his Menagerie range. But top of my wish list at the moment is a 50s style poodle table lamp by Abigail Ahern. I don't rate my chances of getting it past 'him indoors'.
Catherine Gregg is a features writer at Furnish.co.uk. She graduated with an MA in Design History from the Royal College of Art in 2009 and has a market stall in London selling 20th century pieces for the home. Often up at all hours reading and writing articles, she's always on the lookout for good table lamp and another pair of eccentric bookends.

Total Views: 285Word Count: 419See All articles From Author

Add Comment

Others Articles

1. Discover The Art Of Boutique Ceramic Products With House Of Ceramic
Author: Matthew Edwards

2. 5 Reasons To Buy Quality Crossbody Handbags
Author: BIBA HK

3. Weatherproofing Your Home With Terracotta Roof Repointing
Author: Richard Jones

4. Vashikaran Astrologer In Bijapur
Author: Astrology112

5. How To Create Safe Spaces For The Lgbtqia+ Community: A Guide To Inclusivity And Support
Author: Im Perfect by Urveez

6. Unlocking The Future Of Connectivity: The Power Of Low Power Mesh Networking
Author: ElaraTek

7. Why Saniquat Is A Game-changer In Cleaning And Disinfection
Author: New Wave Clean

8. The Timeless Value Of Photo Albums: Why They Matter
Author: HiTech Albums

9. Decoding Dyslexia: Lyla’s Story
Author: Im Perfect by Urveez

10. Understanding Ac Refrigerant Machines And Diagnostic Scanners: Essential Tools For Automotive Hvac Systems
Author: interequip

11. Best Astrologer In Jayanagar
Author: Srisaiastro1

12. Buying A Latex Mattress? Here Are Compelling Reasons To Say Yes
Author: Andrew Philips

13. Strategies To Maximize Your Results With Dental Seo Services
Author: dental SEO services

14. How Professional Furniture Removal Benefits The Environment
Author: Dave Kocemba

15. Room Makeover: Carpet Installation, Wooden Pergolas, And Kitchen Renovation Services In Auckland
Author: Onestop Trade

Login To Account
Login Email:
Password:
Forgot Password?
New User?
Sign Up Newsletter
Email Address: