Balance, Design, Products
September 28, 2012
By Amy Feezor
Take a look at what’s been on our radar this week.
1. A must-see: “The Handmade Process Behind Your Eames Chair,” an insightful video taken in our manufacturing facility by Co.Design.
2. The home of Jennifer Bostic, founder of Paper Plane Studio, on sfgirlbybay.
3. Paintings of modern architecture by artist Paul Davies covered over at Plastolux.
4. The “George Nelson Designer Dossier” from Apartment Therapy.
5. The Columbia Dispatch’s interview with Eames Demetrios, grandson of Ray and Charles.
6. PSFK’s “Future of Work” series and its chat with Ryan Anderson, our Director of Future Technologies, about what the ideal office of the future will look like.
7. The beautiful grouping of red Eames Molded Plastic Side Chairs (with both stacking and “Eiffel Tower” wire bases) at Amsterdam’s Stedelijk Museum Restaurant, featured at designboom.
8. Rare color images of Le Corbusier via ArchDaily.
9. 10 Modern Hotels Across the USA from Dwell.
10. October 1 is the start of “Archtober,” Architecture and Design Month in New York City. Get details at archtober.org.
Photo: Magis Folding Air-Chair
Design
September 27, 2012
By Amy Feezor
There’s a lot to admire in this apartment of a scientist in Berlin, a one-bedroom home that blends contemporary and urban style with mid-century modern pieces, Chinese antiques, and a well-curated collection of artwork. We’re especially impressed by the space’s home office — a sensible, stylish spot filled with natural lighting and a timeless Eames Aluminum Group Management Chair. Get a quick look at the home workspace here, then take the whole tour at Apartment Therapy Tech. Read more
Balance, Design
September 26, 2012
By Jamie Latendresse
The work of Bettina Nissen mines the trappings of everyday living, drawing its symbolism, shapes, and even routines into the designs. Based in the UK, Bettina contrasts materials, colors, and other elements with her own wit and curiosity. The result – like her recent “Blurbs Coat Rack” – is a unique, instantly engaging line of home accessories, furniture, lighting, and more. Explore Bettina’s ideas on her work and music’s impact in this week’s Playlist.
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Balance, Design
September 25, 2012
By Amy Feezor
Sculptor Isamu Noguchi‘s relationship with Herman Miller began when one of his designs helped illustrate “How to Make a Table,” an article written by our then-Design Director George Nelson. That design became Noguchi’s well-known — and well-balanced — coffee table, originally introduced in 1947 and later reissued in 1984 (see it in our store here).
This artist’s diverse body of work ranged from furniture and gardens, stone-carved designs and lighting, playgrounds and plazas, and even stage sets for dancer-choreographer Martha Graham. He used any medium he could get his hands on: stone, metal, wood, clay, bone, paper, or a mixture of it all. “Everything is sculpture,” he said. “Any material, any idea without hindrance born into space, I consider sculpture.”
Today you can experience much of this work at the Noguchi Museum in Long Island City, NY. Conceived and designed by Noguchi himself, the gallery is located in a 1920s industrial building across the street from where the artist had established a studio in 1960. The space contains a permanent collection of works selected and arranged by Noguchi, as well as an outdoor sculpture garden — a serene oasis in the middle of a very busy city. Take a look inside the museum with a selection of photos from our recent visit. Read more
Design, Products
September 24, 2012
By Jamie Latendresse
This week Herman Miller’s Why Design series focuses on the work of Ayse Birsel, who describes herself as a designer of life rather than products.
Life shares a harmonious balance with work in the Resolve System by Herman Miller. Designed by Birsel to unite inviting environments with efficient workspace, the Resolve System is human and living focused.
To further enhance your living and working, here are Six Ways to a Great Workspace.
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Balance, Design, Products
September 21, 2012
By Amy Feezor
Here’s what we’ve been reading all week long.
1. The new studio of Don Chadwick, the subject of the latest installment in our “Why Design” series, at donchadwick.com.
2. 10 of the best at the London Design Festival 2012 according to The Guardian.
3. Yves Béhar speaking to Dezeen editor-in-chief Marcus Fairs at the 100% Design event, also in London.
4. This exploration of mid-century modern design at the library at the University of Colorado Boulder.
5. “The Rise of Coworking Office Spaces” from Harvard Business Review.
6. A look inside the always-hip ACE Hotel Portland at Thisispaper.
7. Liking how this home in Sydney, Australia, by CplusC architects spotlights the Eames Elliptical Table (via Habitus Living).
8. The Ochre Barn by Carl Turner Architects in Norfolk, England, at Inhabitat.
9. “50 Designers Shaping the Future,” including our own Executive Creative Director Ben Watson, from Co.Design.
10. Get a glimpse of our limited-edition Eames Wire Base Low Tables in honor of the 100th anniversary of Ray Eames’ birth at Design Milk.
Design
September 20, 2012
By Amy Feezor
We were charmed a few weeks ago when we featured Croatia’s Goli Bosi Design Hostel in our weekly Top Ten post — especially by its use of Jasper Morrison’s Magis Air-Chairs and Magis Air-Tables. The space smartly capitalizes on the versatility of Morrison’s lightweight plastic furnishings, using them in a variety of settings, both indoors and out. Here’s a deeper look at the bold, bright hostel (which might just inspire another backpacking trip through Europe). Read more
Balance
September 19, 2012
By Jamie Latendresse
Summer has passed by again. Time to bring in the patio’s Magis Air-Chairs and head back to the city’s Aeron and Embody Chairs. With a mix of earlier 2012 releases and a few new tracks for fall, here’s a Playlist to sign off from long, hot days and check in to crisp, cool nights.
Keep an eye out for more great interviews and playlists from our favorite designers, artists, and creatives all season long.
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Design
September 18, 2012
By Amy Feezor
Furniture designs by Ray and Charles Eames are instantly recognizable — think Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman, Eames Molded Plastic Armchair, Eames Molded Plywood Lounge Chair — but the design they crafted for films, exhibitions, toys, advertisements, brochures, and posters are the focus of a new exhibit in London, “Addressing the Need: The Graphic Design of the Eames Office.”
Spotlighting Eames-made material never exhibited before (much of it rare), this show at the PM Gallery and House takes a look at the creative process the pair — and architect and a painter — used to meet the needs of each design project they undertook. (“Recognizing the need is the primary condition for design,” Charles once said.) The exhibition runs through November 3. Per the Eames Office, plans are in the works to bring the show to Santa Monica at the end of 2013.
Get details at ealing.gov.uk. For an insightful video overview from the BBC featuring Charles and Ray’s grandson Eames Demetrios and curator Carol Swords, visit bbc.co.uk.
Image: hermanmiller.com/discover
Design, Products, Technology
September 17, 2012
By Jamie Latendresse
In this week’s “Why Design” series from Herman Miller, Don Chadwick discusses the camera and how it’s helped guide his eye, allowing him to see things differently. Chadwick’s unique view of the world has allowed him to redefine it with design.
His Aeron Chair is the perfect example. It introduced a completely new kind of task seating, eschewing traditional upholstery for form-fitting Pellicle suspension, which cools and focuses while offering unmatched ergonomic comfort and support.
Lifework draws inspiration from Chadwick’s words and work in this week’s Six Ways to Photography and Design.
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