Post #143166 by FreakBear on Thu, Feb 24, 2005 10:01 PM

I've always thought the Danish Modern stuff looked very Tiki. The use of richly colored wood and dramatic shapes seem to have been inspired by Polynesian elements.

My understanding is this: Tiki was just one of many themes "back in the day" ( my grandparents had an "Old Italia" themed basement bar/rec-room... complete with Danish Modern accents! :wink: ). It seems there was also a big Mid-Century Calypso thing happening too. Shrunken heads and Voodoo Zombies were cool about the same time I guess. I don't think any of these things were directly related but they may have appealled to the same people as competing interests. My theory is that once these things became thrift store chic, collectors initially picked up on the similarities thus not discerning them as being unrelated (similar to Pacific NorthWest iconography being listed "Tiki" on ebay).

....But this is just me talking out of my ass!!! ;? As it's been said, "Have fun with it." For me the history part of it is just as important as the escapism aspect. Also, as a graphic artist, the "building a solid theme" thing is part of my whole schtick! I've got some Carribean items here and there, as well as some pieces of unknown origin, but they don't stand out as such. If it works with my theme, I'll use it!

[ Edited by: Freakbear on 2005-02-24 22:05 ]