Herman Miller blog: Discover » Uncategorized

Offering Delight: One Endeavor Ends, Another Continues

Randall Braaksma — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 17:16:16 +0000

After nearly four years of regular posts, written and illustrated to offer delight, this is the final Discover entry. We thank you for lending us your eyes and hope that we’ve been successful in sharing what inspires us and, in doing so, have inspired and delighted you.

We encourage you to train your gaze toward our Lifework (if you haven’t already made it a place you visit regularly). It will continue our legacy of fine writing and beautiful images, and it will carry on two features that have been a mainstay of Discover: Eye Delight (compelling images with a curious twist) and Sighted (our products in interesting environs).

Sighted

Mindy Koschmann — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 12:00:56 +0000

Nearly all of the furniture in the Ohio State University’s Knowlton Hall is on wheels. The mobility of pieces like Herman Miller’s Caper Chair encourages spontaneous collaboration throughout the building, which serves as both an architectural marvel and a learning space for students of the university’s Austin E. Knowlton School of Architecture. Photo: Ian Allen

Vintage and contemporary designs merge in this eclectic New York City home studio. Photo: Nick Keppol

Architecture and design firm Gensler’s downtown Chicago office in the Louis Sullivan Building stays true to the look and style of the iconic architect’s work. An open work plan and light, agile seating encourages flexibility and collaboration. Photo: Gensler

A view of London from the contemporary digs of Actis, made more comfortable thanks to the Aeron Chair. Photo: Gensler

A pair of purple Eames lounge chairs and a Central Park view from the Manhattan penthouse of architects Billie Tsien and Tod Williams. Photo: Bryan Derballa

The New York skyline from a corner conference room of the law firm Brown Rudnick. Photo: Gensler

Tired of your desk? At Autodesk you can pull up a SAYL Chair and spend some time working in a community lounge. Photo: Gensler

A classic Herman Miller coffee table and lounge chair make an appearance in this Paris home, once a convent in the heart of the city. Photo: Louis Desrosier

Matching is overrated; an Eames chair with a wood dowel base sits among an artful selection of several designs. Photo: Amy Azzarito

A beautifully renovated home nestled in the wooded hills of Marin County, California, complete with an Eames Lounge and Ottoman. Photo: Bruce Damonte

Pull up an Eames Molded Plastic Chair in this modern dining area. Photo: cargocollective.com

Eames chairs in the cool kitchenette of Pocket Gems, a mobile game developer. Photo: Bruce Damonte

Check out Sighted 2012 for more inspiring photos.

The Way of Tea, 1951 and 2012

Mindy Koschmann — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 21:04:21 +0000

Tea Ceremony at Eames House, 1951.
Image © Eames Office LLC, 2012 (eamesoffice.com)

Actress and future wife of sculptor Isamu Noguchi, Shirley Yamaguchi, attended the ceremony in preparation for her role in the film "East Is East."
Image © Eames Office LLC, 2012 (eamesoffice.com)

Charlie Chaplin and others enjoy the signature Eames hospitality.
Image © Eames Office LLC, 2012 (eamesoffice.com)

Mrs. Matsumoto, tea master from the original ceremony, presided over the 2012 tea ceremony event.
Image © Eames Office LLC, 2012 (eamesoffice.com)

The Eames Foundation used funds from the tea ceremony to make much needed repairs to the Eames Home in Pacific Palisades.
Image © Eames Office LLC, 2012 (eamesoffice.com)

In 1951, Charles and Ray Eames held a tea ceremony at their Pacific Palisades home with a whimsical mix of guests including sculptor Isamu Noguchi, poet Iris Tree, and actors Charlie Chaplin and Ford Rainey. Japanese actress and singer Shirley Yamaguchi participated in the event as a student. The tea master, Shizuye Sosei Matsumoto, was teaching Yamaguchi how to perform the tea ceremony for the film “East Is East.” Like everything done by the Eameses, the ceremony was a spirited artistic statement—a singular experience impossible to replicate.

The singularity of the experience recalls the Japanese saying “Ichi-go ichi-ye,” which in essence means “one time, one meeting.” Eames Demetrios, grandson of Charles Eames and head of the Eames Foundation, took this phrase to heart when considering a reenactment of the original ceremony. He and members of the Eames Foundation, tasked with preserving and restoring the Eameses’ home, thought reenacting the ceremony would be a compelling way to raise money for repairing the home’s floors.

The original ceremony gave the Eameses not only the chance to host—a skill they excelled at—but also to be inventive. Given the home’s high ceilings, Charles Eames hung a horizontal panel from the ceiling to give the space a sense of intimacy. Mitsuhiko Sen—architect and brother of Urasenke tea master Hounsai Daisosho—observed this and later used the concept when designing tea houses in his native Japan.

The Eameses also used a small table they had designed and had just been introduced by Herman Miller in 1950. Just 10 inches tall, the tables provided an individualized setting for each guest as they knelt during the ceremony. Today, these Eames Wire Base Low Tables are still made and sold by Herman Miller.

In its effort to recreate the feeling and spirit of the original event, the Eames Foundation invited Mrs. Matsumoto, the tea master from the 1951 ceremony, to preside over the event. Five of Mrs. Matsumoto’s students served tea, and her niece, Etsuko Ota, performed the ceremony.

In another nod to the original ceremony, Mrs. Matsumoto and her students used the bowls and utensils from the 1951 ceremony for the event. Eames Demetrios was served first with Charlie Chaplin’s bowl—a copy of the Ninsei black bamboo motif made by Myuhou.

Held at the Eames Home on March 10, 2012, the twelve attendees included patrons of the Eames Foundation and members of the design community. An anonymous donor granted funds for the foundation to invite individuals passionate about the Eameses but unable to afford tickets to the event. Beyond raising significant funds, the Foundation staged a unique event that both respected the past and embraced the future.

Then X Ten: The Power of the Poster

Mindy Koschmann — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 16:59:08 +0000

Herman Miller Collection by Linda Powell, 1989
For more than 15 years, Linda Powell helped define the visual identity of Herman Miller as a member of the company’s graphic design team. Her creative work, like this poster promoting an exhibition of classic Herman Miller designs, garnered Powell multiple awards and prompted the Cooper-Hewitt Design Museum to include her work in its collection. A passionate educator, she went on to work with aspiring graphic designers as a professor at Ferris State University in Big Rapids, Michigan.

Herman Miller Fabric Collection by George Tscherny, 1953
When George Tscherny joined George Nelson & Associates in 1953, he was an assistant and the low man in the office. A few years later, Tscherny was named the head of the graphics department and given a staff of his own. A talented designer, Tscherny proved himself by challenging commonly held notions of advertising furniture. This ad, for the Herman Miller Fabric Collection, is one noted example and illustrates Tscherny’s belief that, “Design communicates best when reduced to its essential elements.”

Herman Miller Advertisement by Don Ervin, 1961
Don Ervin was a multitalented artist who began his career at George Nelson & Associates, first as a designer and then later as the office’s Director of Graphic Design. Ervin created many well-known logos, ads, and posters—including this one, an assemblage of classic Herman Miller products in black silhouettes. Its style is often replicated in advertisements today.

Chadwick Modular Seating by Steve Frykholm, 1981
Straight lines, neat arcs, wandering serpentines, loops, full circles—with just five simple components, the Chadwick Modular Seating could be arranged in nearly any shape. A fact made evident in this promotional poster designed by Steve Frykholm, Herman Miller’s first internal graphic designer.

Sketch by Bill Stumpf, 1989
Parodying the kinds of uncomfortable chairs he spent his career improving, designer Bill Stumpf doodled this sketch on the back of a napkin. Quickly snatched up by graphic designer Steve Frykholm, the drawing became a poster. Stumpf was widely recognized as a pioneer of ergonomic design and a long-time collaborator with Herman Miller. As co-creator of the Aeron Chair, he helped transform the very concept of sitting.

Sweet Corn by Steve Frykholm, 1970
Steve Frykholm joined Herman Miller in 1970 as the company’s first internal graphic designer. Two weeks into the job, he was asked by an executive to make a poster announcing the company’s annual employee picnic. In a moment of inspiration, Frykholm put an ear of corn in his mouth and asked a colleague to make a quick sketch. From that, he created this poster, which won an American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) award.

Action Office 2 by John Massey, 1969
"A design must satisfy the problem it was conceived to solve,” explains graphic designer John Massey, “but can achieve a life of its own when the creator imbues it with a spirit.” This poster, which uses color and form to express the optimism and flexibility of an innovative product, is one such example. Massey received the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) medal in 1994.

Eames Hang-It-All by Craig Redman and Karl Maier
Despite living in different parts of the world, design team Craig & Karl collaborate daily on works recognized for their bold yet thoughtful nature. For Then X Ten, the duo opted to create a split portrait of Charles and Ray, explaining, “They were a creative force together—Charles in a bowtie and Ray with a ribbon in her hair. The Hang-It-All is integrated into the artwork, and while you don't see the whole product, you know what it is.”

Eames Molded Plywood Chair by Eda Akaltun
Under the careful eye of Eda Akaltun, old photos and other ephemera become detailed collages that invoke a sense of nostalgia. While working on this piece, Akaltun found inspiration in the playful nature that Charles and Ray Eames applied to design. “Together they created the Molded Plywood Chair, which works well in any environment.” As Akaltun explains, “The four interconnected rooms depict the chair in different contexts and, I hope, capture the couple’s playful spirit.”

Nelson Coconut Chair by Jonathan Zawada
Employing a range of approaches, Jonathan Zawada is a graphic designer whose style is ever evolving. Finding his inspiration in the “simple beauty” of the Coconut Chair, Zawada explains, “I wanted my design to draw attention to that form. I also wanted to pay homage to the directness and simplicity of Herman Miller posters from the past, while updating the visual language for an audience that lives in a world of emoticons.”

Eames Lounge and Ottoman by Petra Mrzyk & Jean-François Moriceau
Designers Mrzyk & Moriceau are becoming notorious for their mischievous black-and-white line drawings. With amorphous figures stacked atop one another and sandwiched between two Eames Lounge Chairs, their Then X Ten poster design certainly lives up to their reputation. When asked for explanation, the artists declined, stating, “We don't like to explain our work, we prefer to let people imagine what they want.”

Herman Miller Initials by Emily Forgot
Emily Forgot (the curious moniker of graphic artist Emily Alston) embraces the odd, the everyday, and occasionally the surreal to create images that surprise. Forgot’s idea for Then X Ten began with typography: “I wanted to create something familiar and nostalgic, but with letters at its core. The final design is subtle: The 'HM' is made of office panels and inhabited by surreal elements, office characters, and, of course, beautiful furniture by Herman Miller.”

Nelson Marshmallow Sofa by Keiichi Tananmi
Keiichi Tanaami is an illustrator and graphic designer widely credited with introducing psychedelic and pop art to his native Japan. Creating a poster for the Marshmallow Sofa, Tanaami describes the iconic design as floating against a backdrop of “colorful creatures wriggling in a chaotic modern world.” And he notes that the snake woman relaxing on the sofa “seems to be having fun.”

Eames Walnut Stool by Sanghon Kim
A self-described jack-of-all-trades, Sanghon Kim moves seamlessly between media in search of a strong visual language. A journey, in this case, that transports the viewer to a fantastical forest created from the repeated forms of the Walnut Stools—and home for Walnut Boy, “A character inspired by one of my daughter’s drawings and a symbol of the joyful spirit of the Eameses.”

Aeron Chair by Kam Tang
The work of Kam Tang is typified by meticulous attention to detail and constant reinvention. For this piece, Tang chose to convey the lightness and transparency of the Aeron Chair. “A departure from the padding of traditional office chairs, Aeron’s Pellicle material was like a new dawn; I wanted to capture that in my design by taking the chair out of the office and transforming it into a landscape.”

Eames Molded Plastic Chair by Felix Pfaffli
Graphic designer Felix Pfaffli can’t be held to a single style, instead he prefers experimenting and exploring new methods. Asked to create a poster for the Eames Molded Plastic Chair, Pfaffli decided on an simple approach that focuses the viewer’s attention on the form of the chair. “I realized that from a certain direction that I could transform the chair into the body of a beautiful woman with the addition of just three simple shapes.”

Setu by Genevieve Gauckler
Genevieve Gauckler is a creator of eccentric characters, which she enjoys placing in seemingly everyday situations—in this case, sitting in a Setu Chair. “I began by making some 'serious' drafts, but realized I was in danger of being seriously boring, so I decided to sit one of my characters in the chair.”

Eye Delight 2012

David Foster — Fri, 28 Dec 2012 16:06:16 +0000

Setting a record in 2011, John Baker completed the Iditarod Sled Dog Race in just 8 days, 19 hours, 46 minutes, and 39 seconds. Photo: Mark Lester

A prefab shed transformed into a summer retreat, complete with wood flooring and solar panels, by designer Linda Bergroth. Photo: unknown

Meandering riverbeds combine to form dense, branching networks across the desert landscape of southeastern Jordan. Photo: earthobservatory.nasa.gov

An orange-powered nightlight, made possible by a small electrical charge created when zinc nails react with critic acid in the fruit. By no means bright, this photo required a 14-hour exposure. Photo: Caleb Charland

Dreamy and surreal, this photo was taken with an infrared filter and film, which captures light of a different wavelength than traditional photography. Photo: David Keochkerian

Artist William Forsythe creates sensory experiences by filling large architectural spaces with thousands of suspended balloons and deep, resonating music. Video: Scatter Crowds

A busy day at Hanover Airport, this composite photo shows the air traffic over several hours. Photo: Ho-Yeol Ryu

This photo of a spooky eye, on close inspection, reveals itself to be just a draining sink. Photo: Liammm via Reddit

Life in a space colony as imagined by NASA scientists and sci-fi illustrators in the 1970s. Image: Don Davis for NASA

An interior view of Volkswagen’s 16-story car tower in Wolfsburg, Germany, where robotic arms stack, sort, and deliver cars at lightning speed. Photo: Volkswagen

Why do flamingos stand on one foot? Scientists suspect that it helps the birds conserve body heat during long hours spent feeding in cold water. Photo: Martin Harvey

Creatively using both negative and positive space, artist Peter Callesen constructs intricate 3D sculptures by precisely cutting single sheets of paper. Photo: Peter Callesen

Reimagining the traditional nude image, photographer Shinichi Maruyama captures the grace of the human body in motion. Photo: shinichimaruyama.com

Returning from the sea, penguins like this one rocket themselves nearly six feet in the air in order to land clear of any lurking seals. Photo: Paul Nicklen

Stacked, geometric forms, impossibly sharp edges, and smooth curves are all hallmarks of Calvin Seibert’s modernist sandcastles. Photo: Calvin Seibert

A single photo of the Chicago skyline. Filmmaker Eric Hines combined 30,000 such shots to create a time-lapse tribute to the Windy City. Check out the video.

In search of food, emperor penguins can dive to 1,750 feet and remain underwater for 20 minutes on a single breath. Photo: Paul Nicklen

The interior of a Google data center. Maybe the Internet really is made of a series of tubes. Photo: Connie Zhou

A girl celebrates Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, by lighting candles arranged in the shape of the deity Ganesh. Photo: Ajay Verma

A late summer thunderhead gathers strength above Banner Peak and Mount Ritter near Garnet Lake in central California. Photo: Peter Essick

Something not right about this image? Fred Lebian traveled New York City taking photos, later returning to superimpose the pictures over their original scenes. Photo: Fred Lebian

Armed with what appears to be an interstellar flashlight, photographer Jack Fusco points to Sirius, the Dog Star, the brightest star in the night sky. Photo: jackfusco.com

These billowing ribbons and lacy swirls were created by dropping pigments into water and capturing the results with a high-speed camera. Photo: Albert Seveso

Short autumn days and cooler temperatures have caused the green chlorophyll in this leaf to break down, revealing the red pigments that were always there. Photo: Torsten Silz

An intricate labyrinth of poured salt arranged by Japanese artist Motoi Yamamoto, who almost entirely improvises the designs. Photo: Motoi Yamamoto

The delicate dance of moths drawn to a floodlight, captured in this long-exposure photo by Canadian ceramicist Steve Irvine. Photo: Steve Irvine

Swimmers battle the turbulence of a breaking wave at Coogee Beach, Sydney, Australia. Photo: Mark Tipple

Enhanced to increase contrast, this photo clearly shows giant arcs of solar material, known as coronal loops, studied by scientists. Photo: Goddard Space Flight Center

A fox photographed mid-leap as it hunts for small rodents under the snow in Yellowstone National Park. Photo: Richard Peters

Returning from the depths of the Red Sea, Italian freediver Linda Paganelli passes in front of a cave in the Ras Mohammed National Park in Egypt. Photo: Jacques de Vos

The dream-like quality of this photograph is the result of a controlled “mistake” with a slit-scan camera. Photo: Jay Mark Johnson

The Space Shuttle Endeavor on its slow, 12-miles trip through the streets of Los Angeles to it’s new home at the California Science Center. Photo: Kevork Djansezian

Flamingos are very social birds, preferring to live in colonies that can number in the thousands. Photo: Klaus Nigge

The fiery tail of Space Shuttle Endeavor’s final flight reflected in the intercoastal waters of Florida. Photo: James Vernacotola

Illuminated by a projector, seemingly haphazard clumps of wood and detritus become incredibly detailed silhouettes. Photo: Tim Noble and Sue Webster

Moon power? This giant water-filled ball lens is capable of converting light—from both the sun and the moon—into power. Design: André Broessel

This avocado is a spooky example of Shawn Feeney’s food carvings, some of which have appeared in the White House. Photo: Shawn Feeney

Marking the anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi’s birth, Indian children dressed as the famous leader and attended a peace rally. Photo: Ajit Solanki

Known as a blowfish or a pufferfish, the Tetraodontidae compensates for its slow locomotion by inflating into an unpalatable ball of spikes. Photo: Jason Moore

In search of good waves, some surfers are willing to brave the bitter cold and icy waters of the Great Lakes in the winter. Photo: Mike Killion

Powered by just lemons, limes, and oranges, this lamp draws energy from a chemical exchange that takes place between zinc electrodes and the citric acid in the fruit. Photo: Caleb Charland

Hitchcock-like in its inspiration, this art installation required that Carlos Amorales cover an entire Spanish church in black paper moths. Photo: Carlos Amorales

The Sphinx Observatory in Switzerland sits 11,715 above its immediate surroundings and provides unique conditions for research in various disciplines of science. Photo: Unknown

A liquid when at extremely low temperatures (-321 degrees Fahrenheit, to be exact), nitrogen can cause rapid freezing and have shattering results for living tissue. Photo: Jon Shireman

Swim with the whales in the safety of a wading pool at the National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium in southern Taiwan. Photo: Jeffrey Hsu

Built in the middle of the Drina River, this house is able to survive the seasonal floods that can raise water levels to its front door. Photo: Irene Becker

A small hedgehog blows bubbles in a plate of (lactose free) milk while under the watchful gaze of photographer Cath Schneider’s daughter. Photo: Cath Schneider

No Photoshopping here. All it took to build this floating faucet was clear pipe and some creative engineering. Photo: Todd S. Klassy

Composed of a gelatinous bell and long trailing tentacles, a jellyfish is not actually a fish, a misnomer popularized by public aquariums. Photo: Alexander Semenov

A plaid shirt and Wayfarer frames adorn this piece of Lourve statuary in bit of deft digital manipulation. Photo: Alexis Persani and Leo Caillard

Pizza has become a truly global food, with countries and regions developing their unique tastes: In this case, a mussel pizza from the east coast of the United States. Photo: Andrew Scrivani

“Water wigs,” that’s what photographer Tim Tadder calls the hair shaped splashes captured on the bald heads of his models. Photo: Tim Tadder

Luminescent sea creatures? In fact, they’re fireworks photographed using a long-exposure and refocus technique. Photo: David Johnson

Astronaut Neil Armstrong’s “giant leap” onto the surface of the moon in 1969 marked a milestone in human history. Photo: Buzz Aldrin

With just eight different colored ballpoint pens, artist Samuel Silva uses a crosshatching technique to create photorealistic portraits of people and animals. Photo: Samuel Silva

Deep under the bustling streets of New York City, workers are busy digging a new subway tunnel with the assistance of explosives and excavators. Photo: Richard Barnes

Submerged cement sculptures become a home for coral, sponges, and other marine organisms to attach themselves. Photo: Jason de Caires Taylor

Every year, people young and old gather in Spanish Fork, Utah, to celebrate Holi, the Hindu festival of colors. Photo: Thomas Hawk

The green, rolling hills of Tuscany, Italy, as seen through the telephoto zoom lens of photographer Marcin Sobas: 500px.com/MarcinSobas

Nearly 20 percent of the world’s adult population is unable to read, even though it’s a skill that dates back to the 4th century BC. Photo: stevemccurry.com

The thrill of science: a captivated audience gathered in Times Square to watch as the Curiosity rover landed on the surface of Mars. Photo: Andrew Burton

Considerably harder to manage than horses, ostriches take a lap at an annual race in Ellis Park, Kentucky. Photo: Garry Jones

Built to welcome guests to the 1889 World’s Fair, the Eiffel Tower was the world’s tallest man-made structure for 41 years. Photo: Unknown, via Wikimedia Commons

In 1972, this calculator was a groundbreaking accomplishment that shrank the power of a desktop computer into something that could be carried in a pocket. Photo: hp.com

Severe weather forms on the horizon as warm, moist air moves rapidly upward, only to cool, condense, and fall back to earth as heavy rain. Photo: Mitch Dobrowner

Constructed entirely from cardboard, this bicycle is designed for a rider up to 300lbs and contains just $9 in materials. Photo: vimeo.com/37584656

Over the years, the pigs of Big Major Cay, Bahamas, taught themselves how to swim as a clever means of scavenging for food from sailors and later tourists. Photo: echeng.com

Alive with 80,000 volts of electricity, these flowers were photographed without a camera using a technique called Kirlian. Photo: buelteman.com

The moon really is made of cheese (albeit not green) in this photo from a series by artist Christopher Boffoli, who stages miniature people alongside common foods. Photo: bigappetites.net

City lights, star trails, aurora, and lightning flashes blend together in this long exposure photo taken from the International Space Station by Astronaut Don Pettit. Photo: http://bit.ly/Jp9ARz

Meant to resemble an eye, the L’hemisferic of the City of Arts and Sciences in Valencia, Spain, sits at the edge of a reflecting pool lined in glass, creating the illusion of the eye as a whole. Photo: cac.es

Sometimes called an ecoduct, wildlife crossing like this one in Alberta, Canada, gives animals a safe means of crossing busy highways. Photo: Joel Sartore

An emblem of the Swiss Alps, Matterhorn derives its name from the German words "matte" and "horn," meaning “meadow peak”, respectively. Photo: Nenad Saljic

Cuts, slices, and folds reveal hints of orange, transforming a thick sheet of white paper into a pair of Japanese Koi fish. Photo: lisarodden.com

A false-colored scan of a caffeine crystal (the same caffeine found in a cup of coffee) under intense magnification. Photo: Annie Cavanagh and David McCarthy

A small forest of mechanical supertrees tower over Singapore’s Gardens by the Bay generating solar power, collecting rainwater, and providing shade from the sun. Photo: Glen Espinosa

Rendered in hyper detail, these mouthwatering Italian pastries by painter Luigi Benedicenti look as though you could eat them. Photo: albemarlegallery.com/artists/luigi-benedicenti

Five fish become the living instruments of a concert as their vertical movements are translated in musical sounds. Listen: quietensemble.com/quintetto

A spectacular display of the Aurora Australis, or Southern Lights, photographed from the window of the International Space Station by Astronaut Andre Kuipers. Photo: Andre Kuipers

The beaches of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, are home to some giant fish constructed using discarded plastic bottles. Photo: Victor R. Caivano

Constructed entirely from paper, these intricate models of motorcycles were designed by Paperobean to require no cutting or glue. Photo: facebook.com/ipapero

Twice a year the setting sun aligns with the main east–west streets of New York City, an event dubbed “Manhattanhenge.” Photo: Steve Kelley

Revealing the fine detail of the Australian jumping ant for the first time, a team of scientists is traveling the world with the goal of 3D photographing every species of ant. Photo: Antweb.org

Just a bottle, or is it Coca-Cola bottle? Brand Spirit is a project exploring our relationships with the brands that surround us. Photo: brandspirit.tumblr.com

Surfers know they’ll be spending a few moments underwater, but when surfing big waves it’s not uncommon to be held down a minute or more. Photo: Tony Heff

Floating in a sea of clouds, the 1,300-foot sheer cliffs of Mount Roraima mark the triple border point of Venezuela, Brazil, and Guyana. Photo: Uwe George

Bacteria sample or your favorite vino? Actually it is both. Photographed through a microscope, red wine takes on a new look. Photo: legoullonphotography.com

An annulus, or ring of fire, occurs when the moon does not completely cover the sun during a solar eclipse. Photo: Colleen Pinski

When technology meets culinary experimentation, the result is a deep-fried iPad. Look delicious? Photo: Henry Hargreaves

The persistent winds of Mars sculpt these large sand dunes into flowing, drop-like forms that change with the seasonal winds. Photo: nasa.gov

Gale-force winds directly to the face do not make for a flattering portrait, but that was likely not the point. Photo: tadaocern.com

By color-coding numerical digits 1 through 9, designers Two-N, Inc. created a visual representation of Pi to four million decimals. This image is just a small detail. Photo: two-n.com

Looking to boost sales, a Japanese seaweed shop has begun laser cutting intricate designs into the sheets of nori used to roll sushi. isbbdo.co.jp

Triggered by the shattering sound, a camera captures to two porcelain figures in a delicate battle with one another. Photo: martin-klimas.de

Workers, dwarfed by their surroundings, sort and stack orders into an enormous wall of shelves at a Microsoft shipping facility. Photo: christian-stoll.com

Reaching for light, a tree grows from the top of an abandoned chimney in Luque, Paraguay. Photo: Jorge Saenz

The sweet anatomy of a pinata as imagined by the creative company Carmichael Lynch. Photo: carmichaelcollective.com

Sheep now inhabit Hobbiton, the fictional town build for the “Lord of the Rings” in Matamata, New Zealand. Photo: Tara Hunt

Appearing 16 percent larger than average, a “supermoon” occurs when the moon’s closest point of orbit coincides with a full moon. Photo: Quynh Ton

How does she hover? An optical illusion is a trick played on the eye when visual perception differs from objective reality. Photo: Unknown

A Rube Goldberg machine is a complex contraption designed to perform a simple task, in this case write a letter. Watch the video: mini.melvinthemachine.com

In the hands of artist William Miller, a broken polaroid camera turns out amazing abstract art. Photo: williammillerphoto.com

The pleasing symmetry of this geometric pattern is actually the vault of York Minster cathedral, built by hand in 1286. Photo: davidstephensonart.com

“One Steak” spelled out with 1,500 one-liter bottles of water, the amount of water needed to produce a 4-ounce steak. Photo: Reuters

Drawn by hand, the art of Paul Cadden is rich with meticulously details that border on hyperrealism. Photo: paulcadden.com

A boy pauses as sheep and goats take to the streets in protest in the French city Brignoles. Photo: AFP

The wind passing through the Sagano bamboo forest has been identified as one of “one hundred must-be-preserved sounds of Japan.” Photo: Donna & Stephan

Beginning with layers of wire mesh, sculptor Seung Mo Park slowly snips away areas to create giant ephemeral portraits like this one. Photo: Seung Mo Park

Space shuttle Discovery, retired after 39 trip to space, rides atop a 747 on its way to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C.. Photo Tracy A. Woodward

Using only the focused rays of the sun, designer Markus Kayser created this bowl by melting layers of sand into glass, a process similar to 3D printing. Photo: markuskayser.com

Battered participants in 115 cities across the globe took part in fifth annual International Pillow Fight Day, April 7, 2012. Photo: Olivia Harris

Powered by a single off-the-shelf drill on a flowing plywood chassis, this electric vehicle hits top speeds of 15mph for up to 10 minutes at a time. Photo: rennholz.com

An optical illusion makes this lake in the Faroe Islands appear to tower above the sea. Photo: Jan Egil Kristianson

The dew drenched face of a insect, captured by photographer Ondrej Pakan. Photo: biker11.500px.com/portfolio/

Using what is referred to as “soup,” Mandy Barker transforms the plastic debris found floating in the sea into ingredients for her art. Photo: mandy-barker.com

Every year the city of Valencia in Spain celebrates Las Fallas, a noisy week of festivities climaxing in the burning of large papier mache figures. Photo: AFP

Although it appears to be a wave, this Lego surfer is actually riding an underwater plume of ink. Photo: Alberto Seveso

An intricate industrial landscape created from the negative space of a cut leaf, part of an ad campaign for Plant for the Planet. Photo: Legas Delaney

The other-worldly nature of this octopus is the result of a negative imaging process, in which all colors are reversed, with red appearing cyan, green appearing magenta, and blue appearing yellow. Photo: Sarah Jackson

The small town of Asiago, Italy shrouded in fog. Photo: Vittorio Polli

Lit from above and rotated to a particular angle, these seemingly abstract hand-carved sculptures by scientist and artist John Muntean suddenly cast discernable images. Photo: jvmuntean.com

The trained eye of photographer Bjoren Ewers rendered the cramped interior of this cello into a voluminous interior. Photo: Bjoren Ewers

Volcanic lighting, thought to be caused by colliding dust particles, is not a completely understood phenomena. Photo: EPA

Bedouin pose in front of the great pyramids of Egypt in this photograph from the 1870’s. Photo: New York Public Library

From Miles Davis to Kraftwerk, photographer Martin Klimas creates explosive sound paintings by playing music at high volume. Photo: Martin Klimas

Photographer Sannah Kvist invited friends to gather all of their belonging and pose for a project entitled “All I Own.” Photo: Sannah Kvist

Diners sit in the sparkling wake of a waterfall as they local cuisine in the tourist town of San Pablo City in the Philippines. Photo: Na Sana

Maddie the coonhound is currently posing and balancing her way across the U.S. with photographer and owner Theron Humphrey. Photo: maddieonthings.com

“Alphabet Topography” is a physical examination of letters and their frequency of use—“R,” used more often than “G,” is taller. Photo: synopticoffice.com

Using a focus technique called bokeh, Lee Peiling creates macro photographs of insects that could be mistaken for paintings. Photo: flickr.com/photos/twomeows

The Aurora Borealis, or northern lights, is named for the Roman goddess of dawn, Aurora, and the Greek word for north wind, boreas. Photo: Ole Salomonsen

Designer Livia Ritthaler created a minimalistic gramophone from just three materials: paper, wood, and metal. Photo Livia Ritthaler

This Chameleon, the world’s smallest, was discovered off the coast of Madagascar and measures just 3cm long. Photo: Frank Glaw

Armed with LEDs and xenon flashlights, artist Trevor Willimas paints with light, using scenes from his adapted home, Japan, as a backdrop. Photo: Trevor Williams

The surface of Mars in false color, a technique used by geologists to study the mineral composition of landscapes. Photo: NASA

The treelike canopy of the Metropol Parasol is Seville, Spain invokes the sense of a shaded, open forest floor in the heart of the city. Photo: Hufton + Crow

“The Back Seat of My Car,” a series by Alicia Rius captures her vision of abandoned objects as hidden treasures. Photo: Alicia Rius

If human height varied as much as dogs, the smallest would be two feet tall and the tallest would tower 31 feet. Photo: Robert Clark

The personal kitchen of Gladys Valastro was influenced by her learnings as a designer of the first kitchen for handicapped living. Photo Sal Valastro

In 1848, a German glass blower invented marble scissors, a spherical mold that revolutionized the process of making marbles. Photo: whodeenee

Artist Max de Esteban meticulously disassembles old gadgets, photographing each layer, and then digitally constructs an x-ray like image. Photo: Max de Esteban

A calligrapher writes various characters meaning “dragon” to commemorate this year’s Chinese zodiac during lunar new year celebrations. Photo: Agence France-Presse

A top-ranked 400-meter runner and Olympic favorite, Oscar Pistorius had both lower legs amputated when he was 11 months old. Photo: Pieter Hugo

In 1978, a group of kids discovered a Ferrari buried in the backyard of their suburban LA home. Photo: Michael Haering

This unusual “blonde” penguin has isabellinism, a genetic mutation that dilutes the pigment of its feathers: Photo: David Stephens

Artist Tara Donovan transforms ordinary objects into imaginative forms, in this case styrofoam cups become buoyant clouds. Photo Tara Donovan

The International Space Station seems to hover over the moon’s surface, when in actuality the two are separated by nearly 240,000 miles. Photo: Lauren Harnett

Survivors of the Japanese tsunami visit the mangled remains of a pine tree that resembles a dragon, this year's Chinese zodiac symbol. Photo: Manichi Shinbun

Ben Bulben, a large rock formation thrust from the flat Irish countryside, is the setting of many Celtic legends. Photo: Unknown

Artist Brain Dettmer carves away at the pages of books, favoring out-of-date encyclopedias, to reveal the images within. Photo: Brain Dettmer

Light pillars, a natural phenomenon, are created by the reflection of light from ice crystals with near horizontal parallel planar surfaces. Photo: Tristan Greszko

Lucky pig (Glücksschwein) charms are believed to bring good luck in the New Year, the Swiss resort of Klosters goes one better with its annual pig race. Photo: Arno Balzarini

Tree-like shapes formed by rivers in Baja California desert, Mexico. Photo: Adriana Franco

Check out Eye Delight-2011 for more interesting images.

Sighted 2012

David Foster — Wed, 26 Dec 2012 12:00:45 +0000

The award-winning Washington, DC, office of LivingSocial with SAYL work chairs for everyone. Photo: OTJ Architects

Steelwood stools surround the bar at Yotel, a pod hotel in the heart of Manhattan’s theater district. Photo: Adrian Wilson, Interior Design magazine

Eames molded plywood chairs beside a George Nelson platform bench built entirely from Legos. Photo: humbleablog

A New York loft with an eclectic mix of modern furnishings, taxidermy, and fun-house collectibles. Photo: Trevor Tondro

Only on close inspection does this sunny scene, complete with Magis Chair_One Chairs, reveal itself to be a computer rendering. Photo: P&M Studio

Ward Bennett designed the Scissor Chair for cozy places just like this one. Photo: John Lum Architecture

A mix of cool colors and warm woods, this living space is a place to relax, entertain, and get some homework done. Photo: Arcanum Architecture

In a big world, sometimes it’s the little things that stand out. The Eames Wire Base Low Table—LTR for short—is one such piece. Photo: Emma Persson Lagerberg

Magis Puppies, like Eames chairs, are often a canvas for artistic expression. In this case, they’ve been decorated for a charity auction. Photo: ECC Lighting + Furniture

A dog’s-eye view of design; Eames Molded Plastic Chairs with Wire Bases from an unusual angle. Photo: Jonathan Schwartz

Low table or casual seat, the Nelson Platform Bench plays a versatile role in this living room. Photo: Dennis Allen Associates

Natural light, a view of Boston, and Setu Lounge Chairs all help to create a comfortable environment for patients at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Photo: Chuck Choi Architectural Photography

When modern meets traditional and engineering sits beside handcraft, it’s hard not to love the juxtaposition. Photo: Maxwell Gillingham-Ryan

A minimalist retreat, this living room is the perfect place for reading a book or simply enjoying the view. Photo: James Silverman

An heirloom to be passed down from generation to generation, this Eames Lounge once belonged to the grandparents of the homeowner. Photo: Leigh Davis

An informal meeting area with Eames Chairs, the “Nest” is tucked away from the hustle of the rest of the office. Photo: Bruce Damonte

A Herman Miller shipping box upcycled into a Re-Ply Chair, a reclining seat made from several layers of cardboard and a metal base. Photo: there-ply.com

Mac, a 12-year-old West Highland Terrier, is only allowed on the Eames lounge chair after he’s had a bath—or so his owner thinks. Photo: Richie via Living Edge

Good-looking on its own, the Eames Hang-It-All is even better when several are hung side by side. Photo: Reinier de Jong

This is where Facebook sits while facebooking; Eames chairs in a conference room of the social media giant’s San Francisco headquarters. Photo: Emily Shur for TIME

Eames chairs and Geiger casegoods abound in the offices and showroom of Henriksen Butler, housed in a former Salt Lake City synagogue. Photo: Henriksen Butler

Adam Levine, of Maroon 5 fame, keeps his three Grammy Awards atop a vintage Nelson Miniature Chest. Photo: Roger Davies

Suffering from too much stuff? Take a cue from this homeowner and unclutter your entrance way with a couple of Hang-It-Alls. Via: Design Sponge

The mix of modern design—like the black Noguchi Table—and decorative accessories give this living room its cozy personality. Photo: Unknown

Creative use of reclaimed wood, a living wall of air-filtering plants, and a few Mirra Chairs helped earn this office LEED certification. Architecture: Jones Haydu

Blue Eames Chairs provide a splash of color in the cool interiors of the Dallas office of TM Advertising. Photo: Bruce Damonte

Why is this man upside down on an Eames Sofa? That’s a question best asked of fashion photographer Terry Richardson. Photo: Terry Richardson for Sergio K.

An Eames Molded Plywood Coffee Table in the living room of this modern Los Angeles home. Photo: Marcia Prentice

A peaceful waiting room at New Jersey’s Virtua Voorhees hospital with Pause seating by Herman Miller Healthcare partner Nemschoff. Architecture: HGA

Exposed brick, rustic tables, and Mirra chairs—the bohemian style of Free People is evident in the design of the brand’s new office space. Photo: Meyer, Scherer & Rockcastle

I count four. How many Herman Miller pieces can you spot in the living room of this Houston, Texas, home? Photo: Chris Nguyen

Modest materials were used to maximum effect in this headquarters for SEI Investments. Photo: Laura Swimmer

What did you notice first? If it was the chairs, then cats might not be your first love. Photo: Modern Livings

A quiet place to study with a comfortable chair at the library of the University of Chicago Law School. Photo: Cannon Design

A Coconut Chair in the living room of this renovated British Colombia home. Photo: Pete Rose Architecture + Interiors

An Eames Molded Plastic Chair supports this young woman and her stylish prosthetic leg—a collaboration between designer Scott Summit and an orthopedic surgeon. Via: BBC

The University of Chicago Law School Library choose Eames Aluminum Group Chairs for the public spaces of their newly renovated building. Photo: Cannon Design

Bombo Stools complement the warm, wood accents in the kitchen of this modern Australian home. Photo: Fox Johnston

Aeron Chairs —check. Protective gear—check. Sticks are all Easton Bell Sports needs for an impromptu game of office hockey. Photo: Marco Zecchin

Comfortable with a touch of luxury was the request of this condo owner; the Noguchi Table fit the bill perfectly. Interior Design: Eleven Interior

What kind of “tree house” has Eames Molded Plywood Chairs? The kind BC/PIC requested for their Melbourne, Australia, headquarters. Architecture: BVN Architecture

Perhaps an unconventional location for an Eames Lounge, but every room is deserving of a comfortable seat. Design: Joni Spear

Modern pop, courtesy of several Eames designs in the bedroom of this New York City condo. Design: Kristen Rivoli

Table, stool, or spa companion, the Capelli Stool is an award-winning design that can play many roles. Photo: SB Architects

“An Embody for everyone” seems to have been the mantra of the award-winning offices of this Chicago trading firm. Design: Perkins+Wills

A great view and afternoon sun make this Eames Lounge a contender for the best seat in the city. Design: Kristen Rivoli

Pull up a Bombo Stool and appreciate the clean lines and modern finishes of this contemporary kitchen. Design: Anthony Wilder

Start the day off right with a sunrise and seaside view. Photo: James Silverman

Family dinner, game night, or birthday party, there’s a seat for everyone around this kitchen table. Photo: Hive Modern

A pair of Coconut Chairs: the perfect place to spend a quiet evening in with your toes curled up in a sheepskin rug. Photo: Fab

Enjoy the view of Lake Geneva from a living room that embraces the warmth of wood and leather. Photo: James Sliverman

Table, stool, or stand, Eames Walnut Stools have a myriad of uses, not least dressing up the kid’s playroom. Design: Wentworth Studio

A New York penthouse with an interior slide; what better way to arrive at the dinner table? Photo: Travis Dubreuil

Stainless steel and colorful linen accents abound, but you’ll not find a trace of wood in the headquarters of Lee Steel. Design: Davis & Davis

Take in the New York City view from a vintage Nelson X-leg Table surrounded by Eames Molded Plywood Chairs. Photo: Elizabeth Felicella

Simple and spacious was the intent of the combined dining room, kitchen, and living area of this Japanese home. Photo: Studio Skilm

This warm, contemporary home gets a modern edge courtesy of a great pendant light and some Magis chairs. Photo: cdlworkshop.com

There’s something satisfying about green grass between your toes, even if it’s not the real stuff. Photo: davidlauerphotography.com

Kick your shoes off and get some work done in this clutter-free home office. Photo: gaileguevara.com

Take one handsome cat, add two vintage Eames chairs, and you have a Pinterest perfect photo. Photo: Jason Forest

Sit back and relax or get down to business, this office was designed with both in mind. Photo: aplusi.com

How do you know when your boardroom table is big enough? When it takes 20 Eames Aluminum Group Chairs to surround it. Photo: aplusi.com

Clothes aren’t the only stylish thing at the Banana Republic offices. Photo: Banana Republic via Instagram

If breakfast is the most important meal of the day, then this cozy corner is the perfect place to dig in. Photo: fiorelladesign.com

It’s only fitting for a media company like Horizon to have monitors prominently on display in this cool conference room. Photo: Magda Biernat for a+i Architecture

Whether it’s a weeknight dinner or a weekend crossword, this dining room has a grown-up allure for all occasions. Photo: natalieyounger.com

The spectacular city view from this home office is unimpeded by bulky furnishings and clucky technology. Photo: terratelms.com

Choosing a comfortable place to sit may be the only easy decision made at this big, angular boardroom table. Photo: arupassociates.com

Blending life and work together into a single space, Intexure Architects opted to line the perimeter of a casual meeting table with Magis Air Chairs. Photo: tm-studio.com

Clean and uncluttered, everything in this home office was thoughtfully selected from the art to the Aeron work chair. Photo: tm-studio.com

Sometimes good design moves to the background so you have room to enjoy life. Photo: Ira Lippke

A couple of Eames molded plywood chairs and table and a lamp—that’s all the minimalist interior of this renovated Swiss farm building needed. Photo: Daniela Droz

Eames Time-Life chairs on display alongside several other soon-to-be classics at Braan’s Frankfurt, Germany office, circa 1960. Photo: Hans G. Conrad

Cheer up the dreariest of board meetings with a touch of color—in this case some purple Eames Aluminum Group Chairs. Photo: clivewilkinson.com

Colorful artwork and a comfortable Aeron Chair make this home office feel less like the office. Photo: H. Tokuyoshi

A handy little piece to have around, the Eames Wire Table is perfect place for a laptop or dinner in front of the TV. Photo: CBY

Who says a chair is just for sitting? This Eames Molded Plastic Chair makes a fine bedside table. Photo: Trecompany

This vintage photo captures the graceful repose of a model seated in an Eames Aluminum Group Lounge Chair, featured in the November 1960 issue of “Vogue” magazine. Photo: Karen Radkai

A colorful collection of Eames Molded Plastic Chairs take sides in the dining room of this Belgium retreat. Photo: Louis-Philippe Breydel

Sometimes work requires a quiet sanctuary away from the buzz of people, an Aeron Chair ensures the time will be spent comfortably. Photo: Matt Winquist and and Kat Nania

What better way to enjoy the desert air than dining al fresco in these vintage Eames Molded Plastic Chairs. Photo: ruemag.com

The warmth of a vintage Nelson Basic Cabinet complement the white tiled walls and floors of this apartment designed for Tile of Spain. Photo: fotoarquitectura.es

The simple look of Setu helps make this home office a cozy place to check a few emails on Saturday mornings. Photo: Barry Calhoun

Magis Chair_One on a four-star base is a rare sight; that makes the set of eight around this table quite a treat. Photo: ideastosteal.com

JetBlue chose Setu Chairs to sit around the giant boardroom table of their New York headquarters. Photo: Adrian Wilson

Standing while you work has been in fashion since Herman Miller designed the first office system in 1964. Photo: Herman Miller

Contrasting with the sea of red carpet, these white Eames Aluminum Group chairs surround a custom-made table in the boardroom of Kids II. Photo: Emily Followill

Enjoy the California sun while working in a pair of apple green Eames Aluminum Group Chairs. Photo: midcenturymodernist.com

A place for everything in the shelf-lined home office of architect Steven Shortridge, complete with Eames Soft Pad chair. Photo: bethanynauert.com

Almost too many to count, Eames molded plastic chairs dot the interior of this office workspace for design blog DesignLoveFest, among others. Photo: bethanynauert.com

Magis Stool_One complement the ultra modern lines and limited palette of this renovated Greek home. Photo: studiopaterakis.com

Rebuilt after devastating tornados in 2011, the new Mercy Hospital in Joplin, Missouri chose to outfit patient rooms with the flexible Compass System. Photo: mercy.net/node/4582

A set of Magis Chair_One provide a place to enjoy the outdoors in the courtyard of this Greek seaside residence. Photo: studiopaterakis.com

Brand new Eames molded plastic armchairs complete the look of this 1950s conference room. Photo: ro-lu.com

Trying their hardest to act natural, the employees of Japanese web developer Colony Interactive pose in their Aeron chairs. Photo: hermanmiller.co.jp

Eames wire chairs in this photo for Marazzi, an Italian maker of fine ceramics and stoneware. Photo: marazzi.it

A place for your drink and magazine, with room to spare. The Eames elliptical table in the living room of a Scandinavian apartment. Photo: Birgitta Wolfgang Drejer

A pair of Aeron chairs in the home office of a renovated San Francisco loft. Photo: mazenstudio.ca

A photo realistic rendering of a home workspace with Eames molded plywood chairs. Image: annkos.com

Don Draper and his fellow Mad Men discuss business while in their Eames executive chairs. Photo: blogs.amctv.com

George Nelson Swag Leg chairs provide a modern touch to the dining room of this hundred-year-old Northwest Portland home. Photo: jhinteriordesign.com

Not even a leaping lion can distract from the design of a Nelson platform bench in the apartment of Eric Goode. Photo: personaproduction.com

A simple palette complemented by the warm touch of an Eames molded plywood chair. Photo: birgittawolfgangdrejer.com

Stand, sit, or pull an Aeron chair up to a pallet/desk in the office of Amsterdam-based BrandBase. Photo: MOST Architecture

A pair of Eames Aluminum Group lounge chairs in the living room of this Australian flat. Photo:Elizabeth Bay

An old parking garage became a state-of-the-art research lab stocked with Equa chairs for the Weill Cornell Medical College. Photo: Stonehill&Taylor

Creative juices flow free with the aid Aeron chairs at the office of Manchester-based creative studio the Neighbourhood. Photo: the-neighbourhood.com

Eames molded plastic chairs line both sides of the dining table in the energy efficient Hudson Passive Project. Photo: Peter Aaron

A Danish modern desk and Eames Aluminum Group chair, a cozy pairing in this home office. Photo: the10centdesigner.com

A Mirra work chair in the sunlit office of Australia-based Digital Eskimo. Photo: Scott Nolan

A community space with Eames molded plastic chairs in Red Bull’s new headquarters. Photo: Ewout Huiber

A Nelson platform bench in harmony with the Scandinavian style of this living room. Photo: Apartment Therapy

The office of typographer of Nick Keppol, outfitted with a Herman Miller Aria desk, Embody chair and Eames LTR. Photo: Apartment Therapy

It’s a snowy view from this Eames Desk and Aeron chair. Photo: Shawn Wall

A Noguchi table in the comfy living room of this Swedish apartment. Photo: Lagerlings

Sayl chairs make a guest appearance in the Gamemakers control room of The Hunger Games. Photo: Lionsgate

Eames molded plywood chairs in front of a cloud backdrop used by Eameses in various photo shoots and films. Photo: Wright 20

Frank Sinatra throws his feet up and relaxes in his Eames lounge and ottoman. Photo: Unknown

Several Eames classics in the living room of this renovated So-Cal bungalow. Photo: Dwell

Avive tables and Ethospace workstations in the busy Boston office of architectural firm Shepley Bulfinch. Photo: Shepley Bulfinch

"Take Note of Spring's Best Looks" advises the Bloomingdale's catalog featuring this sunny Nelson Marshmallow sofa. Photo: Bloomingdale’s

Eames Soft Pad chairs and tables provide a place to chat in the lobby of Marquette University’s Ray and Kay Eckstein Hall. Photo: Shepley Bulfinch

Molded plywood chairs by Charles and Ray Eames lend a mid-century touch to the bedroom of this Nashville loft. Photo: Reid Rolls

Eames molded plywood chairs and storage unit in the dinning room of House Industries founder Andy Cruz. Photo: Rose Callahan

Eames molded plywood lounge chairs set a casual tone for a community area at the headquarters of creative agency Parliament. Photo: Weareparliament.com

The shipping container office of Jeff Wardell, complete with an Aeron chair designed by Bill Stumpf and Don Chadwick. Photo: Drew Kelly.

An Eames lounge and ottoman in the bedroom of this modern New York City apartment. Photo: ixdesign

Eames Aluminum Group chairs are center stage at hair salon, club, and sometimes gallery Club Milano. Photo: Oficina Stoberl

SAYL work chairs flank a Geiger Peer table in the headquarters of Plantronics in Santa Cruz, California. Photo: Plantronics

A green Eames Aluminum Group management chair sits behind the desk of this beautiful home office. Photo: unknown

A pair of Eames molded plywood dining chairs in the light-filled living room of this Seattle home. Photo: Aaron Leitz

Vintage Eames molded plastic chairs pleasantly contrast the traditional details of this Swedish home. Photo: Idha Lindhags

A modern meal spot made comfortable with a set of Eames molded plywood chairs. Photo: Michael Wells

A community space with Aeron work stools in the award-winning Armstrong Oil and Gas office, Denver, Colorado. Photo: Lake Flato

An Eames aluminum group management chair, part of a study under the stairs in this light-filled Bozeman, Montana residence. Photo: John Clark, Dwell

This Riverside loft offers guests both an Eames lounge and ottoman and molded plywood lounge chair. Photo: John Heineman, Blue Ant Studio

Twelve Eames molded plastic chairs are the entire seating capacity for the Parisian rooftop restaurant Nomiya. Photo: KleineFenn

The angular interiors of Arthouse Cafe perfectly match Konstantin Grcic’s Chair_one for Magis. Photo: Joey Ho Design Limited

The complementary warmth of an Eames molded plywood coffee table in the incredibly energy efficient Hudson Passive Project. Photo: Peter Aaron

Enjoy a panoramic view of the Dutch seaside from this dining room, complete with Eames wire chairs. Photo: Hotze Eisma, Elle Decor.

Caper multipurpose chairs provide students to study at Georgia Institute of Technology’s Hinman Research Building. Photo: Jonathan Hillyer, Architect magazine

The dynamic boardroom of Red Bull’s Canadian headquarters, featuring a custom table surrounded by SAYL work chairs. Photo: Tom Arban, Contract magazine

Looking back at 2012: Irving Harper

David Foster — Mon, 24 Dec 2012 14:00:46 +0000

Paper doesn’t require any special equipment—“All you have to do is sit down, cut paper out, and score it, bend it, and glue it.” Designer Irving Harper has a way of making it sound easy; when you see his creations you realize it’s not. Harper is just humble and extraordinarily talented.

This fact becomes even more apparent when you reflect back on his long and distinguished career. A long-time member of George Nelson’s design office, Harper is widely acknowledged as the creator of some of the 20th century’s most iconic designs: the Marshmallow Sofa, the Ball Clock, and (something very close to our heart) the Herman Miller logo, among many well-known designs.

Much in same way he transforms paper into art, Irving Harper has always had a knack for turning humble materials and seemingly simple ideas into something special.

In Irving Harper’s hands, you can imagine any material to be versatile.

See more of Irving Harper’s paper sculptures at Why Design, a series of eight videos featuring designers from Herman Miller’s creative network.

Details Make the Difference

David Foster — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 17:31:59 +0000

Charles Eames used to say, “The details are not details. They make the product.” Today, we honor Charles’ belief in the way we craft the designs of the Herman Miller Collection.

Working with local suppliers and manufacturers, we balance handcraft and industrial process. We utilize the newest technologies and latest materials to create a designer’s vision to the highest level of precision, durability, and sustainability. We then rely on skilled craftspeople to provide individual human touches: finishing, upholstering, and assembling each piece by hand.

These details make a difference; we believe that Charles would agree.

Designing for Tomorrow

David Foster — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 18:14:08 +0000

When Yves Béhar says, “Design’s purpose is not only to show us the future, but to bring us the future,” he means it. Whether it’s the frameless back of the SAYL Chair, the dock-killing wireless speakers of JAMBOX, or tackling mobile commerce for Paypal, it’s clear that Béhar follows his own philosophy.

So, what does Yves Béhar see on the horizon? Good question, and the topic of his upcoming talk, “Designing for Tomorrow,” at the Chicago Humanities Festival on November 3. A few seats are still available, so if you’re in the area, this is your opportunity to catch a glimpse of the future.

Eye Delight

David Foster — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 16:45:46 +0000

Check out Eye Delight-2011 for more interesting images.

Design Writing

Randall Braaksma — Tue, 14 Aug 2012 15:00:16 +0000

George Nelson, designer and Design Director for Herman Miller from 1946 to 1972, has written that “every design in some sense is a social communication.” So what is design saying? Nelson spent a good deal of his life answering that question, along the way skewering those “social communications” that weren’t worth listening to.

Nelson’s writings on design predated a phenomenon Steven Heller notes: art schools teaching writing. That’s no surprise, says Alice Twemlow, who with Heller co-founded the MFA Design Criticism program at the School of Visual Arts. Design is all around us, so it’s important that there be insightful writing on the subject.

Few have been as insightful as Ralph Caplan, another friend of ours and recent recipient of the AIGA Medal for contribution to writing about design. When he wrote that it is “a process for making things right,” he could have been describing Herman Miller’s approach. Solving a problem that people really care about in a way that improves on other solutions is the way another pretty good writer, Clark Malcolm, put it.

So if solving problems by design is so important, why bother writing about it? The world has plenty of intransigent problems that could benefit from design thinking. For the answer, we give Caplan the last word: “Thinking about design is hard, but not thinking about it can be disastrous.”

Then x Ten: Genevieve Gauckler

David Foster — Tue, 10 Jul 2012 15:47:57 +0000

French illustrator Genevieve Gauckler’s quirky characters have graced magazines, ads, and gallery walls around the world. Later this summer, Gauckler will introduce her playful style to Herman Miller as one of ten new artists commissioned to create posters for Then x Ten, an upcoming exhibit juxtaposing old and new to celebrate the power of the poster.

Herman Miller’s Asia Pacific blog recent spoke with Gauckler:

What influenced your style?
I loved American graphic design from the 1950s to the 70s: Paul Rand, Saul Bass, George Lois. Their work is like good design—form and function are working together, it’s well balanced.

What led you to pursue a career as an illustrator?
I started my career in graphic design, working for publishing companies and record labels. More and more I was attracted to illustration, I was starting to draw characters and realized it was so much fun. Making an illustration is like building a miniature world, it reminds me of when I was a child playing with toys and imaging a landscape with people and animals.

Does the past influence your work?
I want to be influenced by the past! I’ve always studied the masters of the past. If you don’t know them, your work may be superficial. The more rooted, the better, the further you can go creatively.

Do you have any rituals or routines you follow before embarking on an illustration?
I like to look at my favorite books, blogs, and websites before I start working. If I’m creatively stuck, I’ll go outside, sit in a café, or go to a good bookshop, or even better, go to a museum.

What advice would you give to aspiring art makers?
To be passionate, curious, explore, and to be patient.

Can you share some early ideas of the poster you’re creating for Ten x Ten?
Firstly I chose the Setu chair, a quite recent design that I would describe as an ”organic technology.” I made some “serious” drafts because I was impressed. After a few days, I realized the danger of being serious is to become boring. So I’ve incorporated one of my characters to interact with the chair. I’ve been very focused on the drawing, spending a lot of time with the shapes and curves. I’m super proud of the final result.

Click here to read more of the interview.

Living and Working in the Eames Home

Mindy Koschmann — Thu, 05 Jul 2012 14:34:07 +0000

Charles plays with a new toy design while Ray looks on from a balcony inside the Eames House.

The Eames home in Pacific Palisades, California, is more than a modern architectural icon. It is a compelling intersection between nature and industry, beauty and utility, life and work.

Situated on the edge of a meadow, the home is at once whimsical and spare. The sleek exterior, constructed from prefabricated, off-the-shelf materials, is a geometric grid of steel and glass, punctuated by pops of bold, primary color.

When the Eameses lived in the home, their life and work converged in the artifacts that populated the interior. Ray Eames had a knack for turning clutter into art. She created visual tableaus by juxtaposing knick-knacks, toys, flowers, and other found objects. Books, paintings, and projects from the Eames Office also lived in the home.

In their blurring of work and life, Charles and Ray Eames were precursors of twenty-first century workers, who need Venn diagrams to map the complex overlaps between life and work. For Charles and Ray Eames, turning these overlaps into artful living was a matter of course.

Aeron: American Made in 17 Seconds

Mindy Koschmann — Tue, 03 Jul 2012 15:34:22 +0000

What can you do in seventeen seconds? Send an email or text? Update your Facebook status? Read this blog post?

Every seventeen seconds, Herman Miller can build and box an American-made Aeron Chair. Seventeen seconds includes Bill Stumpf and Don Chadwick’s pioneering design, upgrades like leather armpads or a titanium base, and quality that meets our high standard.

In seventeen seconds, Herman Miller can support American workers. The award-winning Aeron Chair is made in the USA at our West Michigan manufacturing facility. Since Aeron first hit the lines in 1994, we’ve relied on the input from US-based employees to continually analyze and refine Aeron’s construction process. So maybe someday we’ll be asking, what can Herman Miller do in sixteen seconds?

Pop Up Shop Party

David Foster — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 14:28:18 +0000

Open for just a limited time, the Herman Miller Pop Up Shop will be celebrating its final week with a party. Joining us is renowned type foundry House Industries, who has offered to share artwork and artifacts from their many Eames, Girard, and Herman Miller projects. The design magazine Metropolis will also be there with a tribute to the new collection of Alexander Girard textiles. It’s sure to be a good time.

Going to be in the New York City area and want to join us? Be sure to RSVP by Wednesday, June 27.

Friday, June 29, 2012
6:00 – 9:00PM
Herman Miller Pop Up Shop
68 Wooster Street, New York, NY

Designing the Workplace to Be Less and More

Randall Braaksma — Thu, 24 May 2012 13:55:46 +0000

There are lots of forces at play in today’s workplaces. People are drawn to the buzz of activity. Ask, and most of them will tell you they’re more productive, more energized, and more engaged when they’re around other people. So it makes sense to shrink the size of offices; it not only brings people closer together, which can foster collaborating, but it also cuts real estate costs. Given that many offices aren’t being used, the trend toward compacting offices is understandable; nothing kills the buzz in an office faster than a bunch of empty workstations.

All that togetherness can cause problems, though, with cries for quiet piercing the office buzz. Putting people too close together without places they can go to concentrate can backfire. That’s why smart companies are using some of the real estate they save to design other types of spaces, such as community zones, gathering areas, quiet rooms, and phone booths, so people have choice and variety in where they work. These companies are cutting real estate costs while giving employees a better workplace. It becomes a matter of making real estate work harder, so it costs less and it gives people an appealing, inspiring place where they can to do their best work.

Essential Eames in Jakarta

David Foster — Tue, 15 May 2012 15:48:34 +0000

Charles Eames once said, “Recognizing the need is the primary condition for design.” More than words, the works of Charles and his wife Ray are an embodiment of that philosophy. Problem solving and innovation were their hallmarks, but the seed for every design began by recognizing a need.

Essential Eames is a traveling exhibition tracing the life and work of the Eameses. A collaboration between Herman Miller and the Eames office, the show invites visitors to dive into the many facets of Charles and Ray, from architecture to film, and from toys to products and furniture.

Beginning in Hong Kong as part of Herman Miller Reach, the successful exhibition has recently moved to Jakarta, Indonesia, where will be open until June 22.

More information here.

An Eames Chair Makeover for Charity

David Foster — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 14:25:47 +0000

Presented with an Eames molded plastic chair, 30 San Antonio based designers and architects transformed the modern icon into a canvas for art.

Employing a range of media, from paint to plywood, the final creations were auctioned off at a Good Design challenge sponsored by the local IIDA and Herman Miller. All of proceeds, more than $9,000, went to Say Si, a San Antonio non-profit providing students an opportunity to develop artistic and social skills in preparation for higher educational advancements.

The Art of Seating: 200 Years of American Design

David Foster — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 14:53:47 +0000

Designer Bill Stumpf said, “No new chair can ever be new unless it betters the existing state of the art.” The search for the next advance has been a hallmark of our approach to chair design for over 60 years. The Art of Seating: 200 Years of American Design, a traveling exhibition by the Museum of Contemporary Art Jacksonville, Florida is curated on a similar notion.

The exhibit showcases 43 chairs designed between the 1800s and 2000s. Each was chosen for it beauty and historical context with important social, economic, political and cultural influences. Together, they tell a story of American history, from humble beginnings to industrialized nation.

On display is the molded plywood lounge chair designed by Charles and Ray Eames in 1946. Shaping plies of veneer to the contours of the human body, Charles and Ray created a chair important to American design and Herman Miller as well—beginning us on a path to advance the art and science of seating.

Check out the molded plywood lounge chair, among others, at the Westmoreland museum in Greensburg, a suburb of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Art of Seating ends April 12, 2012. The next stop on its national tour will be the Columbia Museum of Art, in Columbia, South Carolina.

Eames Molded Plastic Chairs: Designed to Last

David Foster — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 17:14:00 +0000

Polypropylene makes the Eames molded plastic chair a weather-proof choice for outdoors.

Charles and Ray Eames designed products to last a lifetime, a fact evident in the Eames molded plastic chair. In production for nearly 60 years, the chair has been a mainstay of town halls, school cafeterias, and other public venues for its ability to withstand the rough and tumble of daily use.

Made from injection-molded polypropylene—the same recyclable plastic used in soda bottles and kid’s toys—the material of today’s molded plastic chair is nearly indestructible. And polypropylene is naturally flexible. It moves with the sitter, making for a comfortable seat. But if accidentally knocked over, the seat bounces back unscathed. No chance of cracking, chipping, or breaking. A perfect choice for an outdoor café or rowdy pediatrician’s waiting room.

Designed to last a lifetime, only the Eames molded plastic chairs sold by Herman Miller are approved by the Eames Office and Eames family heirs as an authentic design.

Eames Molded Plastic Chairs: Authentic Design

Randall Braaksma — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 15:22:01 +0000

Stamped metal prototypes of the designs that eventually became the Eames molded plastic chair.

The Eames molded plastic chair began as an entry in the Museum of Modern Art’s International Low-Cost Furniture Competition. Originally conceived in stamped metal, the entry marked a stop along the journey Charles and Ray Eames undertook to achieve a chair in a single form.

After taking second place in the competition, Charles and Ray remained committed to the form of their design, but continued to investigate other materials. They landed on plastic, which required fiberglass for reinforcement, since without it the plastic of the late 1940s wasn’t strong enough for the single-piece design. While not ideal, the Eames accepted the visible surface fibers as an honest constraint of the material.

They continued their journey. By the early 1970s, plastics had evolved to allow the solid, uniform, matte finish Charles and Ray originally envisioned. When a sustainable polypropylene became available, that was embraced too. As a result, only the Eames molded plastic chairs sold by Herman Miller are approved by the Eames Office and Eames family heirs as an authentic design.

An early advertisement celebrating the versatile styles, colors, and bases of the Eames molded plastic chair.

MASS Design Group: Designer of the Year

David Foster — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 17:43:38 +0000

MASS founders Michael Murphy and Alan Ricks outside the Butaro Hospital in the Rwanda countryside.

A Rwandan hospital designed to reduce the transmission of airborne disease; a school and library for orphaned Rwandan children; and an urban strategy for Port-au-Prince, Haiti; are just a few of the good works achieved by MASS Design Group, recently named Contract magazines’ 2012 Designer of the Year.

Only a few years old, MASS was founded on the belief of first-rate healthcare facilities for the third world. Utilizing a process of research and development focused on communities, MASS engages, empowers, and educates local workers in the construction of their projects. Breaking the cycle of poverty, they improve more than just health. The 140-room Butaro hospital in the Rwandan countryside is testament to this approach.

A partnership based on shared philosophy, Herman Miller supports MASS’s work in Rwanda and Haiti, and is a sponsor of the MASS Design Group fellowship program. Together we hope to build a better world around you.

Student Designers Make Their Mark

David Foster — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 18:22:36 +0000

Student designers at Drexel University recently rose to the challenge of making their mark at the school’s Library Learning Terrace. Part of an extra class project, more than 50 graphic design students created experimental compositions using words associated with Drexel’s learning outcomes. Sophomore Seth Fowler choose to “show growth through exploration and learning,” two words appearing in the trunk of his tree-like design; “the branches are the fruit of learning, represented by the word ‘knowledge.”

Five student designs were selected and will be printed on Herman Miller Resolve dividing screens located in the Learning Terrace, a hub for students to gather, study and collaborate with one another.

Materials Design at Herman Miller: Economy

Angelina Spaniolo — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 12:00:51 +0000

“We have to be incredibly mindful and purposeful with how we use our resources,” says Susan Lyons, Materials Creative Director at Herman Miller. This is a major idea behind sustainable design at Herman Miller—doing more with less material is a constant challenge, but one we’re passionate about. A great example: the Setu chair.

As Lyons explains, Setu’s Kinematic Spine, inspired by the chambered nautilus, uses “structure instead of mass” to create its strength and flexibility. And this sustainable innovation, designed by Studio 7.5, yields a lighter, ready-to-sit chair; with Setu, there’s nothing to tilt or tweak, just immediate comfort.

Economy is one of five material design principles: honesty, utility, economy, pleasure, and possibility.

Isamu Noguchi: Courage in Design

Angelina Spaniolo — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 12:00:17 +0000

As a Japanese-American in a time when the world was at war, Isamu Noguchi embraced both sides of his heritage culturally and artistically; because of this, it is fitting that Isamu means courage.

During World War II, Noguchi voluntarily entered a relocation camp for Japanese-Americans in Arizona as a protest against the camps—and then was unable to get permission to leave. After seven months, he was granted liberation. “I was finally free,” he said gratefully. “I resolved henceforth to be an artist only.”

Much had happened during his internment, including with Noguchi’s art. He discovered that someone had “borrowed” his design idea for a three-legged table. To Noguchi’s protests, the borrower replied, “Anybody can make a three-legged table.” Noguchi designed one as only he could, balancing a freeform glass top on a curved, solid wood base. The ethereal result has been in production since 1948.

Most widely known for his sculptures made from any and every material, Noguchi’s artistic experimentations were diverse: from baby monitors to stage sets, children’s playgrounds to fountains. “I like to think of my work as having some kind of relevance, no matter how abstract or how small or how big,” said Noguchi. “It has a voice which other people can hear.”

Materials Design at Herman Miller: Possibility

Angelina Spaniolo — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 12:00:30 +0000

Solving problems through design is a core goal at Herman Miller. Because materials are an integral part of our designs, they can solve problems, too. In this segment, third in a series on Herman Miller materials design, Susan Lyons discusses the possibilities of materials and how they play a key role in problem-solving design.

“We spend a lot of time out and about, looking for materials that we may have no idea what we’re going to do with them,” says Lyons. Our job is then to ask, “How can we possibly begin to use this? What could we do with it? What could it turn into?”

The answers to these questions sometimes come naturally. “Nature is the most efficient designer,” she has said, and the best innovations already exist in nature. GreenShield, a sustainable nanotechnology textile finish, mimics the lotus leaf’s “micro-roughness,” repelling dirt and oil naturally. By experimenting with GreenShield and our own materials, we developed Quilty—a high performance textile that stays clean because of its design, not chemicals.

Possibility is one of five material design principles: honesty, utility, economy, pleasure, and possibility.

Three Views on Product Design

Randall Braaksma — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 14:00:10 +0000

Recently, PBS Arts, in an episode of its Off Book, took a look at product design and what it means to three practitioners. For Yves Béhar of fuseproject, the San Francisco-based design and branding company and designer of our SAYL chair, “what design does, at its best, is to accelerate the adoption of new ideas.” Harvey Moscot, a fourth generation owner of a classic eyewear brand, and Peter Schmitt, an MIT researcher looking to revolutionize the product experience through 3D printing, offer two other perspectives.

It’s certainly the case that the role of design is much in the spotlight lately. It can make the difference, some say. It can change the world, claim others. For us, design is something we get—according to FastCompany. It’s how we solve problems. It’s not just an approach to products, though, it has also become, as George Nelson said in 1948, “a central part of our business.”

Thanks to Rusty Blazenhoff of Laughing Squid for bringing this video to our attention.

Stockings Galore at the Design Yard

Angelina Spaniolo — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 14:32:40 +0000

The lords are leaping and the maids are milking, but who’s been making all these stockings?

For the fifth year, holiday stockings hung along the corridors of the Herman Miller Design Yard and multiplied into the hundreds. And they’re not cookie-cutter stockings either—each are one-of-a-kind and handmade out of our textile leftovers. In fact, every once in a while, passersby try buying one for themselves to hang over their fireplace.

However, these stockings were not for sale, but rather made for a greater cause. In the season of giving, Herman Miller employees volunteered their lunch hours for sewing and decorating a total of 477 stockings. All those carefully crafted stockings were distributed to these handpicked charities: Holland Rescue Mission, Urban Family Ministries, Love INC, and St. Jude’s Ranch for Children. These organizations work directly with the families who took the stockings filled with goodies home for the holidays.

Materials Design at Herman Miller: Utility

Randall Braaksma — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 12:00:47 +0000

There’s an attitude at Herman Miller that’s been around for a long time: treating materials as something integral to the design process. Think of Charles and Ray Eames and their work with molding plywood for the origin. In this second in a series on materials at Herman Miller, Susan Lyons gives a recent example: the Embody chair.

Whatever the example, the point is the same: to achieve what Lyons calls “beautiful practicality.” “When we talk about material utility,” she says, “what we really mean is that we use materials to solve problems.” It’s a symbiotic relationship, with sometimes the material driving the form and other times the form driving the material.

Utility is one of five material design principles we live by: honesty, utility, economy, pleasure, and possibility.

Give the Gift of Design

Randall Braaksma — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 13:01:20 +0000

What to get that design-minded person on your holiday gift list? Give them 15 pounds of pure Girard delight. Just in time for the season, designer Todd Oldham brings us the definitive monograph on the life and work of Alexander Girard. This book is massive; it really does weigh in at about 15 pounds, making it the ultimate coffee-table book. (The irony of the name of the book’s co-author, Keira Coffee, is appreciated.)

The authors cover the life and work of Girard in words and pictures, about 2,300 of the latter, most in color and many never published before. We especially enjoyed the explication of Girard’s bold and colorful textile designs for Herman Miller during his tenure as our textile division director from 1952 to 1975. (Thanks to our folks in Archives for making these treasures available for photographing.) For a sneak peak, watch the video of Simon Doonan of Barneys New York speak with Todd about the book.