Six Ways to High Performance
There is nothing like a product that goes above and beyond. High style, high comfort, high performance — they’re the items that stay with us through thick and thin. Here are six such picks that top our list.
Design, Products, Technology
July 17, 2012
Design
July 16, 2012
Inspiration: Makoto Mizutani & Benjamin Luddy of Scout Regalia
Life and work truly do meet in the Los Angeles home of Scout Regalia’s Makoto Mizutani and Ben Luddy. The couple and co-founders of the multidisciplinary design practice use their smartly-designed compact home in LA’s Echo Park not only as their living space, but also as their company headquarters. Get to know their space and their work (we’re especially looking forward to the launch of their new all-American bicycle) in our latest tour. Read more
Balance, Design, Products
July 13, 2012
Top Ten: Best of the Web This Week
Here’s a look at what we’ve been bookmarking.
1. This poster (above) inspired by the Eames Lounge Chair from Weavers of the South Sea, available at Etsy.
2. A look inside the bold new CitizenM hotel in London at Ideas to Steal.
3. A tour of the Smith-Clementi residence in Venice, CA, on Design Milk.
4. An excerpt from the article “Some Thoughts on Eames” by Janet Fiske McCullough in the special 1961 ZODIAC annual at eamesdesigns.com.
5. “Design is everybody’s business” at Business Insider.
6. 15 tips to maximize your home office productivity at IT World.
7. “Living with Greens” at Modern Findings.
8. The clean, cool AA House designed by the Office of Architecture in Barcelona (via Contemporist).
9. The Trollstigen Tourist Route Project by Reiulf Ramstad Architects up in in the Norwegian mountains (and over at Dezeen).
10. Inspired to get the work to-do list done early and step out to catch some of summer’s must-see outdoor art as recommended by Architectural Digest.
Photo: Weavers of the South Sea
Design, Products
July 12, 2012
Home Office Tour: Kate Baxter of Fabric of My Life
Interiors stylist, writer, and publicist Kate Baxter charms us regularly with her musings over at her popular Fabric of My Life blog. Get a look at the flexible new SAYL chair now taking up residence in the flat she rents in London (and hear her thoughts on what it’s like to live in the middle of a city prepping for the world stage) in this easygoing office tour.
Tell us about yourself: What you’re passionate about, what you’re proud of, and where you’re going. Fabric of My Life is my own little corner of cyberspace where I document my favourite inspirational finds, be it interiors, homewares, fashion, or well-designed products that make me go “ooooh!” I started my blog when I was freelancing as an interiors stylist as a way of cataloguing all the things I liked in one place — but it has grown into so much more than that now. I’ve made so many great friends and connections through my blog and have had several fantastic experiences as a result of it — the best being selected this spring to take part in BlogTour NYC, a week-long design tour of Manhattan with 14 other interiors bloggers.
What inspires you in your work? Everything inspires me! Although I write mainly about interior design and homeware products, I draw inspiration from all areas of my life — friends, film and TV, magazines, being out and about in my beloved London…. The whole city is abuzz with energy just now, as we surge forward from the excitement of the Queen’s Jubilee celebrations to the imminent Olympics; the whole atmosphere is simply electric. Hearing the athletes talk about their preparations for the games, their dedication, and their ambitions is so inspiring and the increasing sense that we can actually do this — put on the greatest spectacle in the world — is truly, truly exhilarating.
Tell us about your home workspace. Were there any special considerations that influenced its setup? I live in a rented flat, so my main consideration is how to fit a dedicated “workspace” into my bedroom. Luckily, I have the largest room in the house and have been able to zone off a corner to set up a mini office. This is probably where I spend most of my time, catching up on emails, blogging, scouring the Internet for inspiration. I love that I have a window next to my desk – it’s great to have natural light to work by and a little bit of greenery outside to offer a moment of quiet contemplation while waiting for the next wave of inspiration to hit. I like how long my desk is — it’s great for laying out press pack materials and samples to order my ideas for posts. I keep things (somewhat) organised with desk accessories from Ording and Reda and Muji, and surround myself with photos of my friends, mementos from trips, and images ripped from magazines to keep me inspired. I would love to have an Anglepoise work lamp, but for now, my white lamp from IKEA does the trick.
You have a new SAYL chair. How do you like it? I am incredibly lucky to have had my SAYL chair gifted to me by WellWorking, a West London-based company that provides office furniture and ergonomic solutions for the workplace and home. I was introduced to them through my blog.
The chair was chosen for me based on my answers to questions regarding my height and build and how I use my work area. Before I got my SAYL, I had an industrial-style brown leather chair that I had bought at a car-boot fair. I loved it despite it being very impractical, so I had actually been very hesitant to change chairs. But as soon as I sat in the new SAYL I was a convert. WellWorking came to my home to “install” the chair and it was adjusted to my height and my desk, meaning that from the very first time I sat down to work in it, I was the most comfortable I’ve ever been sitting at my desk. I use my chair not just for work, but for leisure, as I often sit up at my desk watching TV on my laptop. The webbed back supports me perfectly and the recline (which I’ve always hated in other chairs) is an absolute dream.
Do you have other Herman Miller pieces in your space? This is my first Herman Miller piece, and I would most certainly have more if I could. In an ideal world, I would love to have a Nelson Swag Leg Desk and an Eames Molded Plywood Lounge Chair. I saw the fascinating Eames: the Architect and the Painter documentary recently and would very happily have anything by Charles and Ray Eames in my home. Their design aesthetic was simply stunning.
Photos: Kate Baxter
Balance
July 11, 2012
Playlist: One More Song
Here are Lifework, we consistently get enjoyable and eclectic Playlists from creative professionals across the globe. But what if each person we’ve featured in the past few months had the chance to add one extra tune to their workday music mix? We asked and here’s how they answered.
Song: Can the Can, Suzi Quatro
Added by: Designer Chris Brigham
Song: The Gathering Sky, Pat Metheny Group
Added by: Artist Antonio “Shades” Agee
Song: Mister Rogers Remixed, Symphony of Science’s John D. Boswell
Added by: Tyler Goodro of Plastolux
Song: Rumble, Link Wray
Added from: Rave On to Summertime Playlist
Song: Mo’ Better Blues, Branford Marsalis Quartet; Terence Blanchard
Added by: Designer Aisha Densmore-Bey
Song: Away Frm U, Oberhofer
Added by: Graphic designer Bryan Todd
Song: Bloodbuzz Ohio, The National
Added by: Designer & entrepreneur Andy Johnson
Photo: Jim Mezei
Design, Products
July 10, 2012
Six Ways to Summer Color
The brilliant sun of summertime means brilliant hues to warm up your work and play. Brighten your season with six ways to summer color.
Balance, Design
July 9, 2012
What’s on Your Office Bookshelf?
Here at Lifework, we get a chance to see inside a lot of home offices. And while we’re often focused on the centerpiece of the space — the desk, the accompanying chair, the computer setup — one thing that often catches the eye is when someone chooses to show us the books on their bookshelf (such as James Teo of Ampulets Design in Singapore, above).
Obviously, some are for reference on the job. Some might be left over from college courses, when books were such mighty investments. But with an increasingly more digital age that gives us so much instruction, opinion, and inspiration (and, for those of us who write, dictionary.com) at the ready on the Internet, there’s less need to reach for something off your shelf — making it all the more interesting to see what stayed in a workspace and what didn’t.
So what’s on your home office bookshelf? What does it say about you? What will always remain — and what, if ever, will you someday leave behind? Read more
Balance, Design
July 6, 2012
Top Ten: Best of the Web This Week
Between the cookouts and the fireworks, here’s what we’ve been reading up on this week.
1. Core 77′s coverage of the finale party at the Herman Miller Pop Up Shop.
2. Architect David Closes’ modern renovation of this crumbling convent church in Spain (via Inhabitat).
3. And over in Portugal, this reorganization of Pombal Castle’s Hill by COMOCO Architects (via Yatzer).
4. “Shocking Color in a Swedish Summer House” on Remodelista (check out that Magis Chair_One).
5. The gallery-like A+P House by Bauart Architects featured on Freshome.
6. The WTHR weather app inspired by the “10 Principles Of Design” by industrial designer Dieter Rams (via Co.Design).
7. The design of the Karaköy Rooms boutique hotel in Istanbul by RunArchitects via MoCo Loco.
8. These posters of chairs like our Eames molded plastic armchair with rocker base at Monoqui.
9. The “Lost” Steve Jobs interview that debuted this week on iTunes.
10. This must-see short video by NYC-based production company Variable celebrating the Hindu festival of colors (via The Fox Is Black).
Design
July 5, 2012
Office Tour: Educator Maurice LaBonte
Cheery, streamlined, and as comfortably designed as the loft he calls home, the small rented office of educational consultant and academic tutor Maurice LaBonte offers him the chance to keep his personal and work spaces separate. “Renting is an…indulgence and a necessary professional requirement,” he explains to Apartment Therapy Tech. “I enjoy leaving the house to go to work…It makes me happy.” Get a quick look at his Chicago-based office space (including a glimpse of his vintage Eames molded armchair), then get the full tour at Apartment Therapy. Read more
Balance
July 4, 2012
Playlist: Illustrator & Designer Jim Mezei
As a freelance illustrator and graphic designer, Jim Mezei is hands-on. He combines his love of building things with an affinity for vintage graphic design, including older disciplines like hand-painted signage. Jim is also the co-founder of Saw Horse Design Co. with Kellen Hatanaka, and together, they’re working on a solo show for this summer. When Jim isn’t enjoying baseball, bikes, and whiskey in Toronto, he’s listening to vinyl with friends. Get a sample of what they’re spinning in this week’s Playlist.