“What year is it again?” You have to ask yourself this question at least twice when you enter the Rocket Century gallery on S. Grand. The window front display, though nicely done, fails to prepare you for whats in store upon entering the gallery. Its the music that hits you first and acts as the catalyst for your transportation through time, but every designer knows its the furniture that keeps you there. The gallery, which is no bigger than a small apartment, is designed to look and feel like distinctive spaces during the peak of Modernism, and trust me, it succeeds.
Its amazing how every piece exemplified not only quality and craftsmanship, but love and care until you meet the owner Kristina Starr, then it becomes blatantly obvious why. Mrs. Starr, along with her shop assistant Brian, have a strong bond with every piece and can tell you in full detail the history of any item you select in the gallery. Recently, they have acquired original designer pieces from Denmark made by ‘true designers’ that inspired the modern designers in America. These pieces are the result of designers ‘thinking out of the box’ for the first time, going against doctrines and tradition to produce something that responded to the times, something cool, something modern. Seeing these pieces in person is like meeting the role model to your role model (slightly mind blowing if your a romantic like me).
Before entering the showroom each piece is updated without loosing its essence; the upholstered furniture is reupholstered in fabric from its origanally time period. I highly recommend not only visiting, but building a relationship with Rocket Century (trust me it wouldn’t be hard to do) for those projects that need a unique piece, from ashtrays to sofas, with a distinct history to make your spaces distinct, for the times you need assistance for finding a specific item made in the 1920’s – 1980’s, or if you just love modern furniture.
But beware! It is easy to walk in and go directly to the record player or jukebox with the desire to turn up the volume, because your favorite song is playing, before looking for your remote so you can see if Bewitched is playing on your original black and white TV. Although it isn’t your apartment, there is no TV, and unfortunately no Bewitched, you can always pretend.
Visit Rocket Century’s website!
