TEXTURE TELLS THE TALE / Weaving in feel of 1950s

When Zocalo’s designers Jorge Jaramillo and Margaret Leigh set out to design furniture for those hungry for mid-century pieces, they decided not to copy or reproduce the classics but reinterpret them.

The two lines they introduced in 2005 but which have just arrived in stores are Echo and Otto, bedroom, dining and accent furniture that follows what Jaramillo refers to as the “ethos” of mid-century design.

Part of that characteristic is a desire to experiment with new materials, which the two San Francisco designers did, using bamboo for the Echo line and a recyclable polyweave material resembling rattan for Otto.

The veneered fronts of Echo’s cabinets use sheets of plywood with a top layer of bamboo, making them easy to bend. The section fronts use the directional grain of the bamboo to great effect. They are also bent into a curve in some corners to create the pull handles, giving “a certain depth to the piece,” Jaramillo said.

He said he refused to look at other reinterpretations of modernism, but studied original work by Ray and Charles Eames and others before going to work, preferring not to second-guess his results.

Jaramillo incorporated a contrasting finish to the base of many of his pieces, another mid-century characteristic, giving case goods an “aerial, elevated feeling.”

Functionality is important as ever in the ingenious dining table with its circular ends that flip back to make the table square.

The Otto line emphasizes the idea of a durable outdoor material, the polyweave, with its use indoors, a very contemporary trend, Jaramillo said.

And then there’s price. Starting with $150 for the two-shelf nightstands to $1,099 for the armoire, these goods are affordable.

– Laura Thomas