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You only live twice.....

10 May 2013

Works of art in their own right, they include an example of her famous writing table, one of her personal favourites, and a sideboard, both of which gained worldwide exposure from their inclusion in two early James Bond films, From Russia with Love and You Only Live Twice. Of timeless appeal this furniture was designed for what Kjaer describes as “the forward thinking executives in 1959”, and still remains sought after today.

The writing table was originally designed in 1959 as part of Kjaer’s flexible working environment. She is quoted as saying “the office furniture I found on the market in 1959, I found to be clumsy and confining, while neither the new architecture nor new management thinking was the least bit clumsy or confining.” During the early developmental phase, the first order for a writing table was made by the Polaroid Corporation. This attracted the attention of the media and it featured in The New York Times and The Sunday Times. It has been used widely, not only in films, but also on television during the national elections for the BBC broadcasts, as well as by celebrity owners including The Duke of Edinburgh, the actor Michael Caine, and the pianist Oscar Peterson. The fact that it was used in the James Bond movies transformed it from a piece of furniture to a prestigious cult object making it a must have in furniture design during the 1960s. Production ceased in 1974 and today her furniture continues to command increasingly high prices around the world, so if “this dream is for you, pay the price, make one dream come true, you only live twice”.

Media enquiries:
Bina Genovese
bina@straussart.co.za

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