Douglas & Company, a South African design duo, launched a pair of whimsical pieces of furniture at the recent 100% Design South Africa. The playful, limited edition pieces were dreamt up with some colorful stories behind them, and even so, they’re quite useful.
McSorley’s Wonderful Saloon is a trolley that lets you create your very own bar at home. The bar cart is named after one of NYC’s oldest bars, McSorley’s Old Ale House, which led American journalist Joseph Mitchell to name his second book, McSorley’s Wonderful Saloon (1943). In the book, there’s a cast of characters and customers, all of which are served in the famous bar, including Joe Gould, who inspired the bench below).
The wheels let the cart be moved around as needed and the bottom shelf serves as a place to store your glasses. Natural stone is framed in black steel giving you a solid place to mix your drinks.
The Professor Seagull bench was inspired by New York eccentric Joe Gould, (often called Professor Seagull, who claimed he wrote the longest book ever written, an Oral History of the Contemporary World) who had just been featured in an article in The New Yorker. If one were to read such a long book, they’d need a place to sit, which the bench offers.
With a similar design as the trolley, the bench includes a hat and coat stand so you can get comfortable while you read. It also is on wheels so it can be moved to another location if needed.