Cool Stuff: Alexander Girard Goodies

Here's one for the not-just-for-kids category: Wooden blocks based on the work of renowned midcentury designer Alexander Girard, who created textiles for the Herman Miller company, furniture for Knoll, and the swingin' mod brand identity for Braniff Airways.

The blocks feature playful alphabet letters based on Girard's font collection (perfect for spelling out messages on the coffee table), as well as colorful designs and even a retro-style graphic puzzle. The set of 28 blocks is $100 from House Industries.

While we're on the subject of Girard, here are a few more products that midcentury graphic-design enthusiasts and Girard fans might enjoy:

This 24-by-36-inch lithograph created for an American Institute of Graphic Arts lecture on Girard in New Mexico last year is $35, also from House Industries.

FLOR will soon be releasing a collection of Girard carpet tiles based on his eye-popping designs for the La Fonda Del Sol restaurant in New York City.

(Pssst -- click on over to the mod*mom blog to enter a giveaway for the Girard FLOR tiles.)

Chronicle Books' Alexander Girard, $14, includes 20 of the man's exuberantly cheerful designs on notecards.

The design on this Fruit Tree Pillow, $79 from máXimo, was taken from a 1961 Girard drapery pattern.

Girard's Quatrefoil Pink Pillow for Maharam is $150 at Velocity Art + Design.

A set of six limited-edition folk art-inspired wooden dolls from Vitra, based on Girard's 1963 originals, is $820 at Zinc Details.

A reissue of the 1948 walnut-veneer Girard Coffee Table for Knoll is $745 at Design Within Reach.

This set of 25 vintage Girard-designed Herman Miller fabric samples has a starting bid of $75 on eBay. What would you do with them?

Got $6,000 to $9,000 burning a hole in your pocket? Head over to eBay Live Auctions to place your bid on this minty vintage Alexander Girard/Herman Miller Sofa.

This vintage 1950s framed Girard tapestry, $3,000 on 1stdibs, measures an impressive 57 by 46 inches.

Girard designed this pair of swanky marble-topped side tables, currently listed on 1stdibs, for Braniff in 1965. (Contact dealer for the price; in my experience, though, items on 1stdibs fall squarely in the Don't. Even. Ask. range.)

To learn more about Alexander Girard and his creations, pick up a copy of the book Alexander Girard Designs for Herman Miller by Leslie Pina, $36 at Amazon.