Forget Mad Men
The funkiest test kitchen you'll ever see.
via Ebony
News came yesterday that the historic Johnson Publishing Company building was sold to Columbia College. Located at 820 South Michigan Avenue, the home to Ebony and Jet wasn't just a powerful symbol of how far the civil rights movement had come... it was an awesome example of early-seventies interior design. Pictures please...
via Ebony
The Johnson Publishing Building was, quite literally, the first major downtown African-American designed Chicago building since Jean Baptiste Pointe DuSable established residency at the mouth of the Chicago river in 1790. John Moutoussamy's structure is modern and stoic without a doubt, but what about the Arthur Elrod and William Rasier designed interiors?
via Ebony
Now THAT is what fashion editor's office should look like. Arthur Elrod in particular is probably most famous for his interiors featured in 1971's Diamonds are Forever which may help explain the Bond-like cohesiveness in many of Johnson Publishing's spaces.
via Ebony
The title of this post sums up my feelings precisely - forget Mad Men - we need a show set in the early seventies, based on the lives of coworkers at Ebony. Let the new design trend ensue!
via Ebony
These spaces are so far from staid it's insane. Why, let's take a look at this frigging fantastic avocado plaid/avocado chair/African tribal art vignette just hangin' out in the hallway:
via Ebony
Or perhaps we should move on to the photoshoot, complete with color-blocked couches and end tables.
via Ebony
This is a Board meeting I'd be more than happy to attend.
via Ebony
But let's not forget about the
via Ebony
And the best part of any day also deserves a kinetic mural to go with it.
via Ebony
Plans call for Columbia to turn the Johnson building into a library and given the college's track record of preserving South Loop properties, hopefully we'll all soon get a chance to take in some of these swinging interiors.
