In House: Q&A with Wayne Susag

This is the first in an occasional series where we will highlight some of the extraordinary talent at Herman Miller. Wayne Susag has had a variety of design-related roles at Herman Miller since he began as a design consultant at the company back in 1988. He is currently part of the Research and New Product Development team. Here’s a few more things you may not know about him.

1. Tell us a few things you’d like us to know about you. I met Ray Eames at a cocktail party in Minneapolis. I am a dedicated  textile junkie  - I have textiles from all over Europe, Africa, South America and the Middle East. Ironing is my therapy. Not PETA approved but when a small child (that’s me on the bottom right) I had trapping lines and would sell my pelts to a Canadian furrier.

Above: This is Wayne as a boy sitting on the rug he would eventually inherit.

2. Which is your favorite piece of Herman Miller design? I think the Nelson Marshmallow Sofa fits this bill. It is bold and has personality. The strong visual form of the sofa asks for round tables and artwork with complementing geometry. I like the idea of letting its form, color, and hue work together to make the statement.

3. What Herman Miller piece do you wish you had at home? I have coffee spoons, pastry forks and  pate knives that all need a home. The BCS Large Cabinet is on my list for the perfect companion piece.

4. What should you keep in mind when setting up a home workspace? Transparency can trump scale by making any form appear as though it’s occupying less space. And your desk chair is a good place to start. The SAYL chair, for example, is comfortable and supportive, but it has a transparency that doesn’t cramp your space visually. Chair, desk, storage cabinet—whatever you choose—arrange them so they complement how you work. Don’t get hung up with doing all your tasks in this primary work zone. Keep only the essentials there and move all the secondary materials elsewhere.

5. What inspires you? When it comes to designing interiors, I take it personally. I’m trained professionally in design, but I always relate any challenge to those I’ve faced in my own home. Take the rug I inherited from my aunt early on in my design career (it is pictured above). It’s a beautiful Iranian Sarouk. I remember sitting on it as a young boy and being fascinated by the pattern and colors and the amazing craft involved in making it. I made it the centerpiece of the room, and my inspiration. I picked the vibrant hues in the rug and everything—furniture, textiles, artwork, flowers—all work as accents to complement these colors.

When I add something, it has to harmonize. For example, I’m considering adding an Eames Molded Plywood Lounge chair. Its classic form, designed in 1946, would complement the rug, which I estimate is 80 to 90 years old. And it comes in a red that will make it an excellent accent.

Top 10

Where we’ve been this week…

1. Milk and Honey for its great interiors inspiration.

2. GOOD for its cool infographics section.

3. Fantastic Journal for its design and architecture coverage by architect Charles Holland who is a director of FAT.

4. Laughing Squid for its quirkiness. I don’t really know what this is – a blog? A site? An online gallery? All I know is every time I visit there’s something interesting.

5. Ourhaus for their awesome good taste. How much Herman Miller can you fit in one house? Love it.

6. The Awl for its ability to eat time. This is one of those perfect procrastination sites. Interesting news, packaged well – what more could you ask for?

7. You Are My Fave for its up-beat tone and gorgeous images. Melanie Blodgett is really very sunny.

8. Damn You Autocorrect for its hilarious reporting of typos and slips on smart phones.

9. Despoke is a new blog from 100% Design devoted to uncovering new talent and materials. The My 3 Favorite Designs series is great.

10. David Report for its trends coverage and nice clean design.

Unplggd: More Ways to Clean Your Computer

In a recent post, I delved into a few ways of uninstalling apps in OS X. Our readers had a few more suggestions, which led us to this roundup of apps to help clean out your programs completely. It makes sense to use an app to remove unwanted programs, to clean them fully off your Mac. Here are the ones we found, thanks to the helpful suggestions of our readers, and a few extra for good measure.

1. AppCleaner The latest version of AppCleaner is free to use, but you’re encouraged to donate something to the developers. It works with OS X 10.4 and later and using it is pretty straightforward. You simply drag and drop the app you want to delete and AppCleaner takes care of the rest.

2. AppZapper AppZapper works in a similar way as AppCleaner. You drag and drop the unwanted app and AppCleaner will delete it for you. AppCleaner costs $12.95 to purchase, but you can try it out for free.

3. AppDelete AppDelete costs $7.95 for new users and is another solution if you want to delete your apps. Just like the previous apps, it’s simple to use.

4. Amnesia This app is shareware and will cost you $19.95 to buy, but it will also delete all the apps that you need.

5. TrashMe This app was created by JibApps and the latest version was just released in December. It uses a simple drag and drop procedure to rid you of unwanted apps.

By Range.

Interview: Photographer Gabriela Herman

I came across these images of writers on Unplggd last week. It’s not often you find such beautiful images of people at work in their homes. The lighting reminds me of a Rembrandt but the subjects, all bloggers, are thoroughly modern. I immediately emailed Gabriela to see if we could post them on Lifework. She agreed. So here’s a selection of the series and a short interview from the New York-based photographer.

1. How long have you been working as a photographer? I like to think of my experience with photography as a puzzle where I’m constantly adding new pieces to form a collective whole. I started in high school, where I would spend most of my afternoons slaving away in the darkroom, jamming to my Discman. When in college at Wesleyan University, I began shooting for the school newspaper and working as a darkroom assistant. While studying abroad, I broadened my knowledge adding more pieces to the puzzle. I moved to Mexico for a semester and was introduced to the color darkroom. In São Paulo, I learned the history of photography from an old Brazilian master. In Salvador, Bahia, I turned to documentary work. After college I moved to Sao Paulo and it was there that I decided to pursue a career in the field. From that moment I have completely invested myself in that pursuit. After working with several acclaimed Brazilian photographers I made the move to New York and started again from scratch. It has now been three and a half years that I have been living as a freelance photographer in the city.

2. What inspired the blogger portraits? I blog and I read blogs. A lot of them. Blogs have become my go-to source for information; they feed and comfort me. Today, bloggers are widely respected within their industries and have become our new decision makers as they showcase, analyze and filter information for us.

While it is heavily debated how modern technology can isolate us, there are undeniably many upsides to this online evolution. I believe bloggers are connecting us, bringing us closer. In some ways, bloggers are helping create a reverse wave in our technological age by forming an authentic exchange between blogger and reader. Bloggers allow for an interactive platform, a dialogue that allows for both online and offline relationships to form.

It is through our screens, these beacons of light, that the world opens up and we become literally linked to one another. I began photographing bloggers with this idea in mind, giving the viewer a peek into their intimate worlds by using their screens as the sole light source.

3. You’ve worked all over the world. Tell us about your favorite shoot? Ohh that’s a tough one! My favorite shoots are the ones where I come out of them with a new friend. Just yesterday, for example, I was sent down to Vero Beach, FL for an assignment shooting a couple who runs a boot camp and this morning we have been sending facebook messages and texts non-stop!

4. What draws you to portrait work? Since I began photographing, I have always insisted on being in front of the lens, becoming part of the construction of my images. Photography has become my therapy, an exclusive dialogue between myself and the camera where we push each other to a point of exhaustion, both emotionally and physically. My work reveals this intimate process which I invite the viewer to partake in. In my portraiture, as I approach other subjects, I take this comfort with me and try to recreate the same intimate setting. This process from subject to intimate confidant is what drives me to keep creating.

5. Who would you most like to photograph? I hope to have the fortune of my family allowing me photograph then until the day I can no longer pick up a camera.

Five Fabulous: Reasons to Take a Power Nap

1. Kimara Throw, £158.00 This colorful Japanese-inspired wool blanket from Marimekko proves that naptime is happy time. Get it: The Lollipop Shoppe

2. Tourne Woolen Blanket, $225.00 Simple and sophisticated, this pick is woven from the wool of locally raised sheep at a small family-run mill. Get it: Brook Farm General Store

3. Richard Nixon Throw, $295.00 More soft and snuggly than you’d ever think. Get it: Jonathan Adler

4. Dayglo and Linen Twin Quilt, $350.00 The neon detail of this handmade quilt from artist Carrie Strine is guaranteed to wake you up (or at least wake up the room). Get it: carriestrine.bigcartel.com

5. Plus 9 Throw, $350.00 A double-weaving technique creates this wool blanket’s bright, geometric patterns. Get it: Design Within Reach

Images linked to their sources within the numbered text

The Playlist: Product Designer Stanley Ruiz

The work of industrial designer and media artist Stanley Ruiz reflects a raw yet modern aesthetic—resulting in folk-inspired objects that tell some sort of story about how they came to be. We think his Playlist does the same. Take a listen.

What do you listen to while you work? It usually depends on the time of day. In the morning, I usually listen to loud and fast songs from the likes of Minor Threat and At the Drive-In to keep me up and running. Midday, I settle for slower instrumental music, sometimes Explosions in the Sky or This Will Destroy You. Evenings are tricky because my mood varies—sometimes I indulge in heavy, slow music by tuning to Black Sabbath, Sleep, or Om. I listen to a wide variety of music and it keeps me from getting bored. I also listen to a lot of folk/global music from Sublime Frequencies or the Smithsonian.

How do you listen? My desktop computer is hooked to a low-end speaker system. The sound is kind of lo-fi, but hey, that’s how I like it!  In the studio I can plug in my iPod onto a dock…an iPod with Altec Lansing earphones would get me through most of my day—on the subway, etc.

Do you have any favorite music websites/providers? Sometimes I listen to Pandora, which is kind of nice depending on the station you set up. However, I noticed that sometimes the same songs are playing over and over again!  For getting updated on music/gigs/bands, I check out ohmyrockness and Brooklyn Vegan. To get my avant garde fix, I go to UbuWeb.

Does music influence your work? Yes, it does. Growing up, I was heavily into punk and hardcore music, scenes that are based on the DIY (do-it-yourself) ethic. Somehow that’s how I approach my designing—to make do with what’s available and make something and try to be independent as much as possible. Having said that, I wouldn’t mind receiving some funding for my projects!

Where do you find music recommendations? Who influences your musical taste? Most of the music I listen to is from way back—like Black Sabbath and bands that they influenced (like Sleep, that eventually reincarnated as Om). So it’s like a family tree of sound. Sometimes when I listen to a random track in Pandora and like it, I then search for that band. I also go to see bands play live, which is the best way to experience music. My musical taste has evolved over the years, and I can’t pinpoint any particular person to blame for it but myself. Now I can listen to Operation Ivy and right after that, a flamenco tune from Paco De Lucia, or a Gamelan ensemble from Bali, and not feel guilty about it.

If your work was a song or a musician, what or who would it be? I would have to say the Japanese noise-rock band Ruins. They are raw, loud, tight, and just crazy! They are more like a concept band—most of their songs are about ruins, artifacts, and archaeological sites like the Stonehenge. I think that’s how I see my own designing as well.

STANLEY’S PLAYLIST

Uma, OOIOO

Arcarsenal, At the Drive-in

Snowblind, Black Sabbath

Unitive Knowledge of the Godhead, Om

Loomer, My Bloody Valentine

Meeting of the Spirits, Mahavishnu Orchestra

Death That Sleeps in Them, Jonas Hellborg, Buckethead, Michael Shrieve

Your Hand in Mine, Explosions in The Sky

Just Like Heaven, The Cure

Can’t Find My Way Home, Blind Faith

Pink, Boris

Tensioning, Sparta

Images: Stanley Ruiz and Tammy David

Surprise Us

Surprise us and win a SAYL chair. Sounds good doesn’t it? We believe that people at their best live unframed, going beyond expectations. When Yves Behar designed  SAYL, he set out to design and build a chair that gives form to that spirit.

So we want to know how you live unframed? And you don’t need to write a thing. Just tweet us a pic (use TwitPic or YFrog if you like). Send it to our Twitter account, include hashtag #liveunframed, and you could win a SAYL chair!

For rules and regulations click here.

Unplggd: Cat Power

If you’ve got a cat and a laptop, you’ve probably found your kitty lounging about near or on your laptop (or just on computers in general). While we understand that cats enjoy sitting on something warm, it’s kind of funny and annoying at the same time. I can’t remember the number of times that I’ve shushed my own cat Yoda off my laptop. What can you do to stop this behavior?

Sure, finding your cat on your laptop is funny. My wife finds it pretty funny when Yoda climbs up on her own MacBook, but I dislike it as she tends to knead. This means that she’ll most probably end up scratching up my laptop at some point in time. It’s not something I want to happen. Here are a few ideas to keep your pet off your laptop.

1. Move your laptop You can easily take your laptop away into another locked room. Currently, I’m using part of this option since I don’t want to take chances. My laptop ends up in the bedroom with the door closed; no pets allowed.

2. Place some cat obstacles on your laptop This involves stacking a few light things from your desk, like notebooks, calendars, a tissue box, to create an obstacle to prevent your cat from lounging on your laptop. In my experience, this only works part of the time as an intelligent cat will most likely just throw these off to make space for itself.

3. Use a notebook stand This is a simple solution that will probably leave everyone happy. The stand, that will put your laptop at an angle or upright, makes it impossible for a cat to lie on it.

4. Create a cat bed nearby Using a small blanket or cushion, you can create an alternative resting spot for your cat. Although I wouldn’t put it on you desk, since cats tend to throw stuff off them, it could be put on one of your nearby shelves. Since I also have a dog, my pets are a lethal combo. The cat throws something off and the dog chews on it.

5. Take your cat on your lap Our feral little cat has turned into a lap cat, and we’re sure that your cats are like this as well. The best spot in the house is on your lap, and cats enjoy staying there for hours at a time, especially if you’re working.

By Range.

(Image: Flickr member Nanda licensed for use under Creative Commons, Flickr memberLaihiu licensed for use under Creative Commons)

Stop Wasting Energy and Unplug

Have you ever stopped to think about all of the things you rely on every day that you plug in – your computer, cell phone, printer, lights, TV, etc.? If they aren’t plugged in or recharged, then they just don’t have the energy to work.

Now think about all of the things that you are metaphorically plugged into in your work-life. Think of all the mental energy you devote to your work. Think of the various physical activities you engage in during the day. Step back even further, and think about your beliefs about yourself, the world, and the people in your life.

Are you plugged into the activities and thoughts that get you what you want, or are you wasting energy on things that lead to frustration and exhaustion? We all have a finite amount of plugs and energy.

Here are three ways to help you stop wasting your energy this month.

1. Unplug. Literally unplug your computer, cell phone, TV, lights and anything else electric that you use for 12-24 hours. Unplug metaphorically as much as you can from all the other things that get your energy and attention. Live simply. Use this time to explore what is most important to you. See what you miss. Create some quiet, introspective down time for yourself. Don’t forget to take some deep delicious breaths. If 12-24 hours seems too long then try it for just an hour or two.

2. Plug Back In. You are probably not going to choose to stay unplugged forever. So, when it’s time to plug back in, do it consciously. Think about what you want to plug back into or what you really missed. Use a rating scale if that helps you to think about each item, activity, thought or belief in your work-life. How important/helpful is it to you to plug back into ________? 0= least important, 10= most important. Plug back in to only the most important and energizing things first – the things you rated with a 9 or 10 and then see how many plugs and how much energy is left over/. Experiment and let some plugs hang loose.

3. Choose. Even when things seem daunting and impossible, remember that you have a choice. In any and every moment you can choose where you are going to put your attention and focus. Are you going to put it on thoughts or activities that deplete you or are you going to put it into the places that energize and enliven you? At any time you can unplug cords that are frayed or no longer serve you and you can plug in new ones or untangle old ones.

Here is an example from one of my clients:

For months Jeffrey was plagued by his messy home office. At times he felt like a failure for not making the time to clean it up. This month, he unplugged for a day and realized that he had a choice to plug into:

1. Beating himself up about his messy office.

2. Whole-heartedly choosing to keep his office messy, for now.

He decided to plug in to the mess – letting it be messy, instead of plugging into beating himself up about it the mess. What a refreshing shift! This freed up energy so he could focus on other tasks that were much more important to him.

What are you going to consciously unplug from and plug into this month? When you use your energy to plug into what is most important to you, you’ll stop wasting energy and may even have some extra left over to plug into you.

Illustrations by Jordan Awan

Inspiration: Len Kendall

When he’s not working as the digital guy at public relations firm GolinHarris Len Kendall is busy blogging, contributing to GOOD and getting other people to blog at the3six5 project – a daily dose of writing he runs with with co-founder Daniel Honigman.

How long have you worked from home? And where is home? I live and work in the lovely city of Chicago. I grew up here and am not quite sure I’ll ever leave. Some might say that’s unadventurous, but truly this city has so much to offer. I’ve worked from home to some degree ever since college. I’ve dabbled in the world of freelancing before where my home office served as my full time location for work, but now it’s a place I spend my evenings working on my personal side projects.

Describe your style? How would you define your aesthetic? My style is chaos. What you see is probably the cleanest my desk has been in months (thanks a lot for making me have to clean…). I like lots of screens, and lots of items on my desk to both distract and inspire me. In a perfect world, I’d have a few more monitors, and a much more comfortable chair. I’ve been holding out for a SAYL actually, and I think I’ll be pulling the trigger soon.

How do you keep your work space organized? I try to maintain organization by recycling, or in rare cases disposing of, items I don’t need. Some people tend to hold onto things in fear that they’ll realize later they needed them. I on the other hand like to live dangerously and play Russian roulette with my document saving decisions.

When you set up your home office what did you have to keep in mind? Were there any particular obstacles to overcome? The space I had to work with was rather small. My office is part of my living room space and I didn’t want it to overwhelm the space overall. I ended up buying a simple IKEA desk which was large enough to house my computers and also give me enough space for writing and drawing off to the side. I do have a small drawer that’s part of my work space, but I rarely use. I find that having more storage, also means unnecessary accumulation.

Is there any piece of home office furniture you covet right now? My first job didn’t pay well, but it did mean I got to sit in a Herman Miller Aeron chair. Ever since then, I’ve missed it.

What desk accessory can’t you do without? Part desk accessory, part peripheral, I couldn’t live without my Wacom Bamboo tablet. Sometimes I just can’t express myself words and I feel the need to doodle. The electronic pen/tablet has been an excellent, low-cost creative tool (one of Len’s sketches for GOOD‘s create a doodle project).

What would you change about your work space? I do enjoy being able to watch television (Purdue Basketball and Bears Football) while I’m cranking out some work. In a perfect world, my apartment would be laid out in a way that would allow me to be in the direct line of site of my television OR I suppose an elaborate system of mirrors could accomplish the same thing. In the meantime, I do on occasion move my “workspace” over to my couch.

What inspires you? I’ve always been driven to create things that I can go out into the world and see. Whether it’s writing, advertising, art, or other projects, the process of making something and seeing other’s reaction to it (good or bad) has inspired me to continue that behavior.