A Grand View

"Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."--Ferris Bueller

Maybe it's just the result of growing up with a print of Charles Sheeler's painting Upper Deck hanging above my bed when I was a kid, but when I walked out the door of the shop a few weeks ago and saw this beautiful urban cityscape right across the street, I had to run back in to grab my camera. I missed my bus, but it was worth it. The Chicago skyline is pretty and all, but this is the kind of scene that really speaks to me.  

Below is a piece that might have been used in one of the very factories in that photo, a painted 4-piece steel lunch pail with its inner tray intact. It's a great example of functionalist form--no sharp outer corners to snag the dungarees, no tight inner corners to collect crumbs--and its distressed metal surface & rustproof wooden bail handle were made for years of use. Start taking your lunch to the office in this instead of flimsy paper bags and you might even save a tree. After all, the greenest product is one that already exists.

And don't forget: Fathers' Day is coming up. If dad's a retired Wobbly, a labor historian or even if he's only a fan of classic industrial design like me, this has his name written all over it--assuming, that is, his name is BEHRENS. Stop into the shop to check it out--or email me.