Leather furniture is one of the most elegant types of furniture that you can own. Leather is pleasant to have in any style of home, and will bring a new light to any room it is placed in.

Leather is also a type of material that is easily maintained. Caring for your furniture is easily overlooked, but in order to hold the value of your leather, you should follow a few simple tasks in order to keep your leather looking, feeling, and even smelling new. You should also know of the different styles of leather finishes before you purchase your leather furniture.

Aniline Leather
Aniline leather is natural looking and will feature more noticeable marks, barbed wire scars, scratches, brands and wrinkles. The uniqueness of this leather will work for you if you are looking for a piece of furniture that is distinctive when looking at other furniture. Aniline leather should be cleaned with a soft cloth and vacuumed with a soft brush extension. You should also rub the leather down with a cleaning solution to preserve the quality of the leather.


Aniline Plus Leather
Pigmented or aniline-plus leather is another form of leather that is treated to ensure that there will be a smoother color and fewer scratches, marks and branding. This leather has also been treated to help the resistance of stains. Unlike Aniline leather, this is the most common form of leather you will find in department stores and furniture stores. You can also clean this form of leather in the same manner you would the Aniline leather; simply dust with a soft cloth and vacuum with a soft brush extension.

Nubuck Leather
Nubuck leather has been buffed to feel like velvet or suede. This is a form of leather that will have more noticeable range marks, and is more likely to stain and fade than the two other forms of leather. Using a product such as Leather Master Nubuck cleaner and protection which will help the leather resist natural body oils, liquid spills, perspiration and maintain the velvet/suede texture. This form of leather is harder to keep clean than the other two forms of leather due to the texture not being smooth like Pigmented and Aniline leather.

No cleaning will remove every stain, fading or wear. However, you will be able to maintain your leather furniture longer by removing spills immediately, dusting regularly and using care and cleaning products designed for leather furniture.

One of most unique and exciting furniture designs of the last century is Eero Aarnio’s classic Bubble Chair. It is one of his signature pieces in his plastic furniture collection that includes the ball/globe chair, the pastil chair, the tomato chair and others. Aarnio is a pioneer in using plastic in furniture designs and it allowed him the freedom to experiment with all sorts of shapes and colors. In 1968, Aarnio created the modern classic furniture piece known as the Bubble Chair, which has since been used in countless sci-fi films, music videos, and photo shoots and by celebrities ranging from Vivienne Westwood to Carmen Electra.

“I had the idea of a transparent ball where light comes from all directions. The only suitable material is acrylic which is heated and blown into shape like a soap bubble,” said Aarnio. The clear, spherical design of the Bubble Chair, along with the fact that it hangs mid-air from the ceiling, makes it a surefire hit when it comes to any modern room layout. This chair is sure to have tongues wagging due to its sheer brilliance in design and flashy aesthetic value.

This unique design, which hangs from the ceiling, is also used to capture and amplify acoustics within itself wherever it is placed. It is a defining piece in the genre of modern classic furniture, the futuristic twist on a classic makes it suitable for any modern environment.

Ezmod Furnture offers a high-quality reproduction of the Aarnio’s original offering; our Bubble Chair is almost identical to the pioneering design. The transparent acrylic used in our design, as in Aarnio’s original, creates a room within a room and allows light to enter through all sides of the chair. Our design is reliable and stable and can be enjoyed for many years to come; it meets all the architectural specifications of Aarnio’s original design. Included with the chair are a 6 foot chain, mounting hook, and soft, removable red fabric cushion for added comfort and relaxation. This modern classic furniture design has a weight capacity of 300 pounds and professional installation is recommended.

Like many of our modern classic furniture offerings, the Bubble Chair features identical specifications to the classic designs of the twentieth century. We offer these furniture pieces at prices that are way below that of our competitors and of the list price. Right now, Ezmod Furniture is also offering a holiday deal that gives you an additional savings of 10% off of any item in our store. Be sure to take advantage of our added savings by entering code HOL09 when checking out at our online store. Also, be sure to browse through our vast collection of modern classic furniture pieces at www.ezmodfurniture.com.

The perfect balance—literally—between art and furniture. Sculptor Isamu Noguchi created his distinctive table by joining a curved, solid wood base with a freeform glass top. The ethereal result does not diminish the practical design—a sturdy and durable table. This marriage of sculptural form and everyday function has made the Noguchi table an understated and beautiful element in homes and offices since its introduction in 1948.

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  Anyone can make a three-legged table. That challenge, thrown down to Japanese-American sculptor Isamu Noguchi by a designer he believed had "borrowed" an idea of his, was what led to the design of his classic table.
  
  Noguchi tells the story in his autobiography. "My first industrial design was, I suppose, some Italian sugar cake molds that I did when I was 20. Then there was 'Measured Time', a clock, and in 1937 the 'Radio Nurse.'"

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  Manufactured by Zenith in 1937, the Radio Nurse was a wireless intercom introduced as a baby monitor in response to the kidnapping of the Lindbergh baby. During World War II, and after the kidnapping furor had died down, most of these pieces were thrown away—because of the Japanese name inscribed on them. A rare surviving example of this beautiful piece was featured on The Antiques Roadshow.
  
  "I went to Hawaii in 1939 to do an advertisement (with Georgia O'Keefe). As a result of this, I had met (T.H.) Robsjohn-Gibbings, the furniture designer, who had asked me to do a coffee table for him," Noguchi remembered. "I designed a small model in plastic and heard no further before I went west."

• Noguchi believed the sculptor's task was to shape space, to give it order and meaning, and that art should "disappear," or be as one with its surroundings. Unwilling and unable to be pigeonholed, he created works that could be as abstract as Henri Moore's and as realistic as Leonardo's. He used any medium he could get his hands on: stone, metal, wood, clay, bone, paper, or a mixture of any or all—carving, casting, cutting, pounding, chiseling, or dynamiting away as each form took shape.
  
  "To limit yourself to a particular style may make you an expert of that particular viewpoint or school, but I do not wish to belong to any school," he said. "I am always learning, always discovering."

  By "went west" Noguchi was referring to his internment, as a Japanese-American, in the Poston, Arizona, concentration camp during World War II. During his time there, Noguchi said he was surprised to see a variation of the small plastic model table he had done for Robsjohn-Gibbings published as an advertisement for the English designer.
  
  "When, on my return, I remonstrated, he said anybody could make a three-legged table," said Noguchi. "In revenge, I made my own variant of my own table."

When most people think of modern furniture designs, they may envision the straight, simple lines of sofas by Le Corbusier, coffee tables inspired by the sculptural presence of Isamu Noguchi and even the use of such unusual materials as acrylic or plastic.  Most of these items would typically be found in a person’s living room, or even dining room.  Bedroom furniture, however, stubbornly tends to remain ornate carved-wood or metal framed beds with matching dressers and nightstands for most people.  EZ Mod Furniture, however, makes it a priority to bring quality modern furniture design into bedrooms all over the country as well as living rooms, offices and dining rooms. 

Even if the majority of bedroom furniture persists in being elaborately carved wooden headboards and matching footboards, or fussy metal frames with floral motifs, EZ Mod is proud to offer several fabric or leather-covered bed with all the simplicity of line and style that is so characteristic of modern furniture design.  EZ Mod’s “Utrecht” bed features a padded headboard and footboard upholstered in Bicast leather with contrasted stitching for a stylish hint of contrasted color.  EZ Mod’s CHO bed is padded and covered with dark twill fabric and features under-mattress storage for those particularly tight on space.  For safety, the bed locks in place when raised to access storage.  Brass-toned nails line the top and side seams of the tall, simple headboard for a dramatic yet refined look. 

When it comes to modern furniture design, EZ Mod does not scrimp on quality, but still manages to offer some of the best prices around.  EZ Mod’s queen-sized Utrecht bed would sell for as much as $830 at other furniture retailers, but EZ Mod offers it at the much more budget-friendly $729.99.  The CHO fabric-covered bed would cost you up to $1,500 at other stores, but EZ Mod offers an even bigger savings in this case, selling the bed for $400 less at just $1,099.99. 

Just because you need bedroom furniture does not mean you have to settle for the fussy, old-fashioned styles that remind you of your grandmother’s house.  EZ Mod Furniture makes it a point to carry the clean, simple lines of modern furniture design as far into your home as the bedroom.  Besides being a place to sleep, your bedroom should be a place to relax that reflects the modern style of the rest of your house.  If you are looking for stylish furniture to fill your bedroom, come in to EZ Mod Furniture today.

2010 AIA Los Angeles Home Tours

Last Sunday was the final AIA home tour until Spring 2011. The tours welcomed guests with what local residents call "LA rain", but the weather did not stop a handful of design enthusiasts from taking in 4 uniquely different homes off Sunset Blvd. (from Brentwood to the Palisades). The tour started with a remodeled 1924 historic adobe house and ended with a contemporary residence. We all have our favorites when it comes to design aesthetics and on this tour I fell in love with the La Mesa House.

House #1: La Mesa House

House #1: La Mesa House
Architect: John Dutton, AIA - Dutton Architects

I hate to pick favorites, but the La Mesa House captivated my attention with its layout of the rooms, use of materials, and atrium. The home started as a 1924 John Byers designed adobe and developed into a contemporary residence while still coinciding with its historical architecture.

House #2: The Carrillo Residence
Architect: Steven Ehrlich, FAIA - Ehrlich Architects

The Carrillo Residence greets guests with a large glass wall which allows for visibility into the living room and even captures the view. The choice of classic furnishings mixed with its modern architecture gives the home a warm and livable aesthetic. As with many of the homes on the house tour, the lap pool and the view command the attention of the outdoor living area.

House #3: Sycamore House
Architect: Michael Kovac, AIA - Kovac Architects

From first glance of the house, I assumed the Sycamore House was a one-story home. However, it is built on the downhill side of the street and has three floors. This particular home stood out from the remaining homes for being the most modern and being on track for the LEED Platinum Certification. My favorite space was the home gym overlooking the outdoor living area and the incredible view.

House #4: Massey's Residence
Architect: Mehrnoosh Mojallali, AIA - Mehrnoosh Architect, AIA

The last home on the tour featured my favorite front exterior courtyard. The areas immediately following the entrance included the dining room, living room, and kitchen. Each space felt connected to one another to create a welcoming family atmosphere. I can appreciate the location of the fireplace, which is actually in the entryway and dining area rather than the living room. The painting above the fireplace - who else is in love with this ballerina art piece?