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| my dad - retired furniture manufacturing rep, Eric W. |
I may owe my love of imaginary boyfriends Paul McCobb, Paul Evans and Milo Baughman to my daddy and design junkie, Eric W. He was a furniture rep practically his whole life - he just recently retired - and in the 1960s and 70s he repped the line "Directional", among many others.
Directional is "one of the first manufacturers to embrace original furniture design utilizing a stable of designers that today represent a who's who of furniture design talent. Kip Stewart, Paul McCobb, Paul Evans, Tom Prangle, and Vladimir Kagan were early visionaries that called Directional home".
via directionalinc.com
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| kipp stewart for directional |
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| milo baughman for directional |
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| milo baughman for directional |
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| milo baughman for directional |
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| paul evans for directional |
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| paul evans for directional |
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| paul evans for directional |
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| paul mccobb for directional |
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| paul mccobb for directional |
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| vladamir kagan for directional |
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| vladamir kagan for directional |
The home I grew up in was a comfortable mash-up of antiques, Danish Modern, and contemporary designs. As a kid I loved perusing Dad's tools-of-the-trade - swatches, and tear sheets, and thick binders with glossy photos. Twice yearly trips to the market in High Point always sounded so exotic. Besides those spring and fall trips there was the Atlanta market and a salesman's life on the road calling on his accounts. The names of his lines and of his accounts were so common in our household, that even though I don't have many specific memories of them, they are ingrained in my mind and the list sounds like a roll call of old family friends. My aunt still has a Directional burl wood dining room set - parsons style table and sideboard - in pristine vintage condition, that she ordered directly through Daddy in the 70s. My heart races every time I see it!
With fantastic and impeccable taste, Daddy has lived his life with a stylistic approach to everything! I'm just a chip off the ol' design junkie block and I love him and feel a wonderful connection to him through that.
Happy Father's Day, Daddy! I love you,
Moose
top photo via little bro hastings, who spent the day with Dad today
What a very lovely tribute to your Dad on Father's Day.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great post...as someone who's working on my own furnture line right now, I enjoyed the read...
ReplyDeleteWhoa, Randy... fantastically ambitious! Can't wait to see what you're doing. Very exciting!
ReplyDeleteHoly moly your dad is awesome. You know your shit. Can I get more info on that paul evans for directional piece. The console with the funky wood and brass shapes. I wants it bad. Might have to make my own.
ReplyDeleteHiya,
ReplyDeleteI am researching a book on Paul McCobb and would love to speak with your Dad if that were at all possible. Please drop me a line via my blog.
http://paulmccobb.blogspot.com
Looking forward to hearing from you
Jonathan