Balance, Design, Products, Technology
March 19, 2010
By Cerentha Harris
Our week on the web…
1. Cool Hunter Australian Bill Tikos founded this hub for creativity in 2004 and it has blossomed into a great design source. Where to start: I’m always slightly overwhelmed by the amount of content here. Let the Hot Picks at the top of the homepage guide you. Or to see how the corporate world works head over to Offices.
2. Writer’s Rooms In case you missed yesterday’s post on Jane Austen’s “office” I wanted to list this great Guardian series again. They’ve rounded up a ton of contemporary writers and interviewed them about their workspaces. Where to start: They are all fascinating!
3. Metropolis P/O/V This is Metropolis magazine’s blog. A great way to dip into the world of architecture and design between issues. Where to start: At the top…
4. Felt and Wire A cool site (thank you Pentagram) devoted to design, paper and print edited by arts and design journalist Tom Biederbeck. Where to start: A funny essay from illustrator Laura Tarrish on her home workspace.
5. Please Enjoy This is the online home of Ji Lee - a graduate of Parsons and a creative force to be reckoned with! Where to start: I can’t decide between his great Parallel World project and the Abstractor.
Design, Products
March 19, 2010
By Cerentha Harris
Josh Leo sent this photo of his home office to Lifework last week and I am thrilled to share it with you. I’d love to see more colorful home workspaces. You can leave them in the comments section or email me directly at cerentha_harris@hermanmiller.com.
Josh, who lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan, says: “I saw your blog post about the use of color in offices and thought I would share mine! When my wife and I bought our house 2 years ago, this room used to have clouds painted on the a wall and the other walls were mint green. I needed an office (I do freelance video and design work) so I decided to go with a bit of a bold color. I already had a number of wood pieces and a white iMac so I decided to continue that color scheme with the addition of a moss green. The Eames circles on the wall added a bit of visual interest and the contrast between the white and green really makes it a fun room to work in. I updated the desk and storage units just two months ago when I got a new computer. I must be honest, when looking for desks I dreamed of having an Airia Desk or Enchord Desk (both fit the color scheme perfectly) but alas, my budget isn’t quite big enough for those purchases…yet.” You can see more images of the office in Josh’s flickr page.
Balance, Design, Products, Technology
March 19, 2010
By Cerentha Harris
Artist Abbey Hendrickson is the voice behind Aesthetic Outburst, a blog that tracks the comings and goings of Abbey, her husband and their two children. She manages to balance all the facets of her life with a really appealing grace and humor (plus there’s some cool kid’s projects thrown into the mix!)
How long have you worked from home…and where is ‘home’? Home is in upstate New York, a little town between Ithaca and Binghamton. I’ve worked from here for just under one year.
What does an average work day involve? I have two kids under the age of three, so my day starts pretty early. I work between naps and late at night, whenever I can find a free moment to jump on the computer or sneak into the studio.
Is there any form of technology that really inspires you and helps in your work? I’m absolutely addicted to our MacBook Pro. I was reluctant to make such a big purchase (and argued with my husband about it), but it quickly became my favorite thing.
How do you organize your space? I’m thinking here of your physical space but also your virtual space (any particular software or program that helps keep things under control?) If my space isn’t organized I feel overwhelmed, so I‘m always trying to come up with new systems to help. This also applies to my desktop; it needs to be clutter-free or I freak out. The software programs that I use most are Bridge and Photoshop. I’m a visual person and Bridge is great for organizing images.
What item from your desktop can you not do without? Super sharp pencils and Pilot precise pens are must-haves.
What piece of office furniture would you most like to change? I’d like more storage, so I would probably change my desk. If I had time to sit at my desk for more than a fifteen-minute stretch, I’d definitely have to change my chair. For now everything seems to be okay though.
What inspires you? The little moments in life are what inspire me the most. Seeing my sleepy children in the morning; watching my husband play outside with our two-year-old; long games of Scrabble; red wine and good food; lingering visits from friends and family; those are the moments that I’m talking about.
Balance, Design, Technology
March 18, 2010
By Cerentha Harris
The faster the network connections, the better people can work at home and on the move. Google thinks more speed for more people is the answer. It’s planning to test a network that will deliver the Internet over 1 gigabit per second fiber connections “in one or more trial locations across the country.”
Holland, Michigan, where Herman Miller’s Design Yard facility is located, is one of the communities vying to be chosen. From now until March 26, residents can nominate the city and make the case for why it should be chosen. All you need is a Gmail account. Here’s hoping that Holland will be chosen (and that you’ll help by nominating the city).
Via Discover.
Balance, Design
March 18, 2010
By Cerentha Harris
How streamlined can an office get? Jane Austen worked at this tiny walnut table revising Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice. It is part of the excellent Writer’s Rooms series run by the Guardian.
Design
March 18, 2010
By Cerentha Harris
“Backpack mogels Eastpak teamed up with design studio Quinze & Milan to create this catch-all, carry-all sofa that’s part of their ‘built to resist’ collection. Although at first glance it seems a little strange, we think it’s a great idea for an all in one home office. No really! Think about it!
In small apartments having a home office can be difficult, even if you’re working out of a closet. When we first saw this sofa, we couldn’t really decide what to put in all those pockets, snacks? Remote Controls? Tea Cup Poodles? But then it dawned on us… what if it held all of our office supplies? The pockets are large enough to hold file folders, books, supplies, even your laptop. They’d be the perfect place to holster small electronics, cords, adapters, battery chargers — you name it. As long as your cat doesn’t use it for a scratching post, we’re not against the idea in a small space. We like the idea of at-hand storage and it would be much easier to stash away all your gaming controls and not have to put them in a box, on the other side of the room, just to make them look pretty.
What do you think? Is the backpack sofa here to stay or just another crazy designer idea?
(Image: Highsnobiety)
This story appears in partnership with Unplggd, a site for people who embrace technology and design in their home.
Balance
March 17, 2010
By Amy Feezor
You may know Markos Moulitsas as the founder and publisher of the progressive political community Daily Kos. But did you know that he’s also an accomplished pianist? Just before his trip to Austin for this year’s South by Southwest festival, he gave us a look at how music plays a part in his life.
What do you listen to while you work? Depends on my mood. Anything from punk like Bad Religion and Ramones, to Bach Brandenburg Concertos or Chopin Waltzes, to new country like Rascal Flatts and Sugarland, to Latin music like Juan Luis Guerra and Carlos Vives.
How do you listen? Either on my laptop, or if I’m alone at home, I’ll power up the stereo. I also play music, so I’ll take quick mental breaks tickling the ivories. (Check out some stuff Markos recorded a long time ago here.) Below is a picture of my living room, focusing on my piano. The green chair in the background is where I do most of my work.
Do you have any favorite music websites/providers? I get all my music via iTunes these days, though I love Sirius satellite radio as a way to expand my musical horizons. It’s great having so many genres available at my fingertips.
Does music influence your work? Can you show me an example? It doesn’t influence my political work, no. But it certainly plays an important role in my own personal life. Latin music reminds me of my cultural roots—I love to dance salsa and met my wife in a tango class. Country music speaks to my love of family and country. As a classically trained pianist, I grew up listening to and playing Bach, Mozart, Chopin, and most of the classic classics.
Where do you find music recommendations? I find new music in large part through satellite radio. I’m also a big fan of the iPhone app Shazam. If I hear something that I like while I’m out and about, the app tells me exactly what it is I’m listening to. But of course, the older I get, the more locked in my playlist becomes. But rather than look for additional artists in familiar genres, I force myself to expand into new musical niches. For example, since my existing playlist started sounding too derivative, I’ve started exploring jazz.
If your work was a song or a musician, what or who would it be? I’d be punk rock, like Bad Religion—opinionated, in your face, unrelenting, and not always in tune with mainstream wisdom. But still fun.
MARKOS’ PLAYLIST
Brandenburg, Black Violin
Quiero Decirte Que Te Amo, DLG
Welcome to the Future, Brad Paisley
Yes!, Chad Brock
Read more
Design, Products
March 17, 2010
By Cerentha Harris
I’m always on the lookout for Herman Miller around the web and in real life I did spot a nicely used Eames Lounge Chair in the Santa Monica Kiehl’s store but didn’t have a camera! If you find anything in your travels send them on.
Los Angeles Times: This home office caught my eye. It ran in the LA Times over the weekend and is the renvoated home of film producer Mark Gill and screenwriter Hanna Weg. That has to be an ottoman for the Eames Lounge Chair poking into the bottom of the frame?
Kicksonfire: Walk the walk. DC Shoes andNorfolk Virginia’s shop CommonWealth have collaborated to create the Gatsby in Eames Black.
Shorpy: Great shot of Alexander and Susan Girard at the Herman Mille showroom in San Francisco.
Mai Nakamura: The work of creative director Mai Nakamura. This poster is aptly named “Voice Your Style”.
Design*Sponge: Grace runs great sneak peaks of people’s homes. The home of Jamie Gray, a graphic design professor at Kansas City Art Institute, has some very nice Herman Miller pieces.
Balance, Design, Products, Technology
March 17, 2010
By Cerentha Harris
Monkeys Always Look is the name of an opinionated and funny design blog and etsy shop run by designer Allison D. Cecil. She works from her San Diego home with her husband, tortoise, three great danes and “a really angry cat.”
What sort of work do you do and how does that impact the space you work in?
I am a housewares designer/maker, trapped inside a vintage treasure hunting horticulturist that fantasizes about paper and typeface I need LOTS and LOTS of room since I have so many different products that I make and sell. Each product seems to require a different tool, dedicated work space, oversized piece of large machinery or fun gadget I had to buy and to justify buying it I make something with it to sell. To my very patient husband’s horror it has taken over the entire house, backyard, garage, legal air rights and walls in our tiny little house.
How long have you been in your current work space and what size is it? I started my business almost two years ago in our 130 sq foot spare bedroom. I still use that bedroom to do computer design work related to my business and all the packing and shipping of my wares. In the last year my business has taken over the house and I consider my workspace to be 1200sq feet, which is the size of our little tiny house. In the living room I stamp silverware, photograph items, and nap on the couch. In the dining room I cut stationery, pile up outgoing orders and pig out, and in the kitchen I make candles, horde photo props, and make coffee (the most important meal of the day).
Do you have any tips on how to organize a work space? Well I *try* to stay organized by storing things in lots of antique tins, wooden boxes and other vintage booty I find along the way. I also find that piles and piles and piles of stuff where the most important stuff is hidden somewhere in the middle is helpful for me. Not because I can find anything, but reminds me that I have a lot of work to do and shouldn’t be goofing off.
What are some of the pitfalls of working from home? A triple soy cheese veggie burger and an entire bag of frozen french fries is only 3 minutes in the microwave and a bite away. I think the biggest pitfall is that work is never over. I will find myself checking email on the way to the bathroom at 3am.
What do you most enjoy about working from home? Probably what most people love about working from home…, Oprah marathons, the bon bons, 3 hour lunches, on-staff masseuse, emailing in the nude, you know the usual.
Do you have a desk accessory you can’t work without? I love a good tape dispenser.
How big a role does technology play in your work? While so much of what I do is handmade, my “shop” is on-line. So while producing the actual items requires more muscle than technology, I couldn’t live without my Mac to blog it, sell it, tweet it and communicate with clients and customers.
