Design
January 12, 2012
By Cerentha Harris
Late last year the Herman Miller team attended Art Basel in Miami. We were the furniture sponsor for the event which meant all the restaurants and bar areas were awash in our designs. We also had a booth devoted entirely to Eames pieces that was graced with a drawing by Ray Eames.
The drawing was of the room that she and Charles designed for Alexander Girard’s “An Exhibition of Modern Living” (catalog below). The show was commissioned by the Detroit Institute of Arts in late 1949 and Ray’s drawing for their “room” depicts a wonderfully colorful space complete with totem-like sculpture, an Eames table and molded plywood chairs. It was also the first public glimpse of the Eames Storage Units which today find their way into many a home office.
Photo: Randall Ross / modernism101.com
Our booth for Art Basel was designed by Herman Miller Creative Directors Craig Bassam and Scott Fellows. “We wanted an artful graphic for our space and we loved the idea that Ray Eames created it as a collage to illustrate a display space,” says Bassam. “Our display booth was also done to show an important point of history for Herman Miller. It’s important to remember where these pieces we’ve used throughout Art Basel’s public spaces came from.”
Bassam also stressed the importance of showing art. “We were part of Art Basel so we also thought it important to show art which we feel is an important link to the artful background of Herman Miller. Showrooms and displays were well known for their use of art and combinations of objects. So, we just couldn’t have a dry corporate graphic!”
Above: Ray Eames at her Case Study home with models of the sculpture similar to the ones in her drawing for the “Modern Living” exhibition.
But there’s more to this image that initially meets the eye. “Note it was the first time the public would see the model of the Eames La Chaise, which Charles and Ray designed for MOMA’s Low Cost Furniture Competition,” says Daniel Ostroff, editor of EamesDesigns.com. ”If you look closely at the drawing the faintest outline of it is shown in the foreground, which is where it was actually placed in the exhibition room.” You can hear Ostroff talk about the La Chaise here.
Balance, Design, Products
January 11, 2012
By Amy Feezor
During work hours, Royce Epstein focuses on materials and finishes at the architecture and interior design firm Kling Stubbins. After hours, she’s the lead singer and rhythm guitar player in not one, but two bands in the Philadelphia area. (How does she do it?) Turn up your speakers for a listen to her (not one, but two) music mixes in this week’s Playlist. Read more
Balance, Design, Products
January 10, 2012
By Cerentha Harris
Eric Nakamura wears many hats: publisher and co-founder of Giant Robot, longtime arbiter of art and culture, gallery/store/restaurant owner, and popular blogger reporting about the unique and unusual from Asia and America. Regularly on the forefront of art, design and pop culture, Eric’s Tech Top 10 may surprise you with its mix of new and old…and nary a mention of any robotic companions.
Canon T2i DSLR: It changed the way I do things. I always thought that the great point and shoots were good enough, but they really weren’t. The photography with this camera is solid and the video is sharp. This Canon opened a lot of doors and that’s what you hope technology will do for you. The lens is a Tamron 2.8 17-50. I used to think a lens like this would suck, but no, it’s solid and great. I used to worry about it’s non compactness, but you get used to it and it’s no big deal to have a camera on you these days. You never know when the alien ship will land and having a camera might be a good idea.
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Design, Products
January 9, 2012
By Cerentha Harris
Vintage Ad Browser is the work of Philipp Lenssen – a German living in China. He has obsessively collected over 100,000 ads, mostly from America, that cover everything from furniture to typewriters.
The nice thing about this site is you can search by name or type (or even color). The not so great thing is the lack of info on each ad. The image above is tagged ”Alcoa Aluminum Unit Girard Design Charles Eames (1957)”. It reminds me of the Eames living room and also the Miller House in Columbus, Indiana. And it’s just one of an amazing array of vintage images to inspire you.
Balance, Design, Products, Technology
January 7, 2012
By Cerentha Harris
Where we’ve been this week…
1. Architizer for their amazing roundup of inspirational architecture from around the globe.
2. Dwell for their home stories – check out this one on a small house that doubles its size but still kept the yard.
3. From the Desk Of...great roundup of creative’s desks.
4. Habitus is an Australian interiors magazine that is also available online here.
5. Design Observer for their lovely piece on architect Andrew Geller who died last month.
6. Architectural Digest talks to designers about setting up a home office.
7. DWR’s blog, Design Notes, for their piece on the late Eva Zeisel.
8. Smashing Magazine for their roundup of stylish free desktop wallpapers.
9. Real Simple for home office organization tips.
10. Cool Hunter for the architecture section – great eye candy here!
Balance, Design, Products, Technology
January 6, 2012
By Rebecca Niederlander and Iris Anna Regn
Gabriel Mann and Rebecca Kneubuhl are composers and musicians who collaborate on music for film, television, video games, and pretty much all other visual media. And non-visual media. Gabe is currently the series composer for the ABC television show “Modern Family” and a member of the Rescues. And Rebecca and Gabriel recently completed the score to Mattel’s “Barbie: A Perfect Christmas.” And yes, they are parents. Happy New Year from their studio!
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Balance, Design, Products
January 5, 2012
By Amy Feezor
Not interested in investing in a brand-new calendar every time a new year rolls around? Save yourself some time with one of these perpetual picks.
1. Calendar Tin, $9.00 Multitasking at its best: the three swiveling compartments of this container let you stay up to date, and the inside lets you store small office supplies. Get it: monkeybusiness.co.il
2. ThreeSixFive Calendar, $17.99 Inject a bit of color with the bright blocks of this easygoing wood design. Get it: joannehudson.com
3. Futuro Perpetual Calendar, CAD$29.99 The 14 double-sided inserts included with this smart calendar by designer Pieter Woudt help you stay on schedule. Forever. Get it: morba.myshopify.com
4. The Calendar Wall Decal by Ferm Living, $126.50 Change the look of your workspace in a flash with this decorative WallSticker, which can be personalized with post-its and chalk. Get it: velocityartanddesign.com
5. Perpetual Calendar, ¥9,345 Keep up with every day (every year) with this simple creation hailing from Japan’s “More Trees” organization. Get it: rumors.jp
Images linked to their sources within the numbered text
Balance, Design
January 4, 2012
By Cerentha Harris
If you missed the PBS screening last month of Eames: The Architect and the Painter you can now watch the film online here. And Eames Demetrios, grandson of Ray and Charles, sent me a handy link to a series of posts the Eames family has written about the film. You’ll get a personal insight into the documentary from the family.
Balance, Design, Products
January 3, 2012
By Cerentha Harris
It’s that classic Goldliock’s moment anyone with a home workspace has suffered through. Trying to find just the right office chair. It has to be ergonomic. That is a given. For me it had to have good back support, a seat that doesn’t cut off circulation in your legs and arm rests to keep RSI at bay.
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Balance, Design, Products, Technology
January 2, 2012
By Amy Feezor
There was so much good music last year we had to run a second story! So please, take a listen (and another look back) at this second half of our 2011 “Best of” Playlist—a music mix from some of our favorite features from the past year. Read more
