That whimsical tea kettle or snazzy salt and pepper shakers that caught your eye or the vibrantly colored rubber X-bands you use everyday might well become highly sought-after collectibles. Architect and home furnishing designer Lisa S. Roberts reveals how the treasures of tomorrow surround us today in ANTIQUES OF THE FUTURE (Stewart, Tabori & Chang; $29.95; ISBN 1-58479-554-9). During the past 25 years, Roberts has inspired a new mode of antique hunting by focusing on contemporary products that will rise in value because they represent the best of design in their time.
The 1980s gave birth to a revolutionary design trend, an “American phenomenon,” notes famed, post-modern architect Michael Graves in his Foreword. For the first time, world-class architects and industrial designers “who believed they could reshape everything, ‘from a lipstick to a locomotive,’” blurred the line between form, function, and fun and transformed ordinary, everyday household products, such as vacuum cleaners and toilet brushes, into usable, museum-quality objects of art.
Branding the genre as ANTIQUES OF THE FUTURE?, Roberts showcases many of the 300 iconic and often eye-popping domestic items from her private collection. Each exemplary piece meets her strict criteria, including being exhibited in museums, recipient of prestigious awards, and fashioned by a notable architect or designer. Among the pieces featured (you’re certain to recognize distinctive items you know) are: the iMAC G3 by Jonathan Ive for Apple, the Garbo Can by Karim Rashid for Umbra, the Whistling Bird Tea Kettle by Michael Graves for Alessi, the Swatch for the 1996 Atlanta Olympics by Annie Leibovitz for Swatch, and the Egg Vase by Marcel Wanders for Droog Design for Moooi.
A practicing architect for six years, Roberts is now on the Board of Trustees for the Philadelphia Museum of Art. An articulate and knowledgeable speaker, with fascinating stories to share about designers and her collection, in an interview she can discuss:
Accessible, Affordable and in Every Room - Fresh and fabulous designs
are everywhere, with today’s top designers and architects turning
their gifted eyes toward a wide range of products, from exquisite
lighting fixtures to the lowly toilet brush;
What’s So Special? – Why a book on product design, and why now? What
makes these items so distinctive and singular?
From Kitchen to Museum Collection - When and how architects and humor
came to the design of household products, and items began appearing
in museum shows;
Spotting an Authentic ANTIQUE - The unique and distinctive indicators
Lisa Roberts uses when naming a new ANTIQUE OF THE FUTURE;
ANTIQUES OF THE FUTURE in Your Home - The do’s and don’ts of starting
your own ANTIQUES OF THE FUTURE collection.
Showcasing ordinary products with extraordinary style, in ANTIQUES OF THE FUTURE, Roberts shares her groundbreaking collection, chronicles this fashion-forward aspect of our culture, and encourages readers to cast a delighted eye on the art that exists all around them. Going further, the book itself is an exceptional design, and a potential antique of the future. A translucent blue soft polypropylene case, foil-stamped in silver, reveals the book’s neon green spine and a tempting hint of the products on the cover. Inside, providing manufacturer, shopping, and reading guides, Roberts helps us all start on our own collecting journey back to the future.
We look forward to speaking with you about an interview with Lisa S.Roberts about her book, ANTIQUES OF THE FUTURE.
www.antiquesofthefuture.com
Lisa will be visiting Cincinnati in September to present he highly touted presentation on hi-design antiques of the future.
Sept. 24: Contemporary Arts Center, Lecture and Signing6:30 p.m. 44 East 6th Street Cincinnati, Ohio 45202
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