Are you planning to explore “Bivouac,” Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec’s dynamic, mid-career exhibition, at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago? Here’s a selection of six Chicago to-dos, perfect for getting the most out of the Windy City.
Take a look at what’s been on our radar this week.
1. The can’t-be-missed photos in “LIFE With Charles and Ray Eames: The Simple Art of Beauty” at life.time.com.
2. A look at the Miller House archives at The Fox Is Black.
3. The eclectic Copenhagen home of designers Camilla Ebdrup and Andreas Stenmann at Design*Sponge.
4. The clever Architecture for Dogs site, including Konstantin Grcic‘s design for a poodle.
5. In other Konstantin Grcic news, his Medici Chair for Mattiazzi recently won the Icon Award 2012 for “Best Furniture Design.”
6. 10 Beautiful Buildings Shaped Like Triangles from Flavorwire.
7. This design-focused gift guide from the Society of Publication Designers.
8. The sleek new Ovale cutlery designed by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec at Dezeen.
9. This color-packed Romanian home design featuring Eames Molded Plastic Chairs and Wire Chairs (via Decoist).
10. The Domus Civita renovation project (complete with grottos and caves) by Italian architecture firm Studio F at ArchDaily.
Photo: Francois Dischinger for Herman Miller / Medici Chair Outdoor by Konstantin Grcic for Mattiazzi
As the 100th birthday of Ray Eames approaches, we continue to honor the life of the artist and innovator — this time through an interview with her niece, Midge Kaiser Martin, the daughter of Ray’s older brother, Maurice Kaiser. With warmth and fondness, Midge recounts a few personal memories of a relationship with an aunt who was inspiring, talented, loving, and, in Midge’s words, “magical.”
Italian designer Eduardo Alessi has a singular wit and energy. You can see it reflected in his work as well as distinct focus on sustainable products and materials. Eduardo believes if a product can make someone’s life a bit easier or even a bit more amusing, the product succeeds. His recent project, the ECO DIY Collection, is a series of 2D products made with recycled cardboard. The charming and minimal designs are modeled after endangered animals and include everything from a light to a speaker to a bookmark. Catch up with this desk-dancing-designer’s listening habits in this week’s Playlist.
You’ve heard a lot about the Herman Miller Collection, and may have seen the remarkable photographs included in its website, catalog, and brochures. If you’ve looked closely enough, you may have even noticed that many images of the line’s Eames offerings are set in a familiar place: the Eames House in Pacific Palisades, California.
Last spring, while the original contents of Charles and Ray Eameses’ living room were on display at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Herman Miller Collection team had the rare opportunity to hold a photo shoot in the husband-and-wife team’s landmark home. The capper? They were also invited to explore Ray’s extensive, well-curated personal collection of objects to use as props. In celebration of Ray’s upcoming 100th birthday, we asked Jennie Maneri, Art Director, Collection and Retail, to walk us through a few of the shots and explain how the details Ray was know for helped bring the Collection to life. Read more
It’s the final day to get 15% off everything you need to furnish your home or office (or any space in between). Click here to shop our storewide Holiday Sale now and save!
This Saturday, December 15, marks the centennial of influential artist and designer Ray Eames. Together with her husband Charles, she created some of the most distinctive design, photography, and artwork of the 20th century. Celebrate the legacy of Ray’s distinctive style and joyful creativity with these Six Ways to Ray Eames.
*Opening on February 23, 2013, The California Museum in Sacramento presents “Ray Eames: A Century of Modern Design,” revealing “a new perspective on Ray’s 60-year career in the arts, along with her influence on American culture and significance in history as one of the 20th century’s most influential artists.”
Here’s what we’ve been reading on the Web all week long.
1. Design Milk’s sneak peak at an upcoming addition to the Herman Miller Collection: Picnic Sofa by Industrial Facility.
2. Architect William O’Brien Jr.’s design of the Hendee-Borg House (check out the the saw-tooth roof line outside, and the various Eames pieces inside) (via Plastolux).
3. A look at the new Cleveland Museum of Contemporary Art at Co.Design.
4. The cover of Print magazine’s Regional Design Annual for its depictions of the various places and ways we work today.
5. This article on the influence of “Powers of Ten,” the experimental film by Charles and Ray Eames, at Slate.
6. The spirited workspace of the UK-based juice and fruit smoothie company Innocent, designed by Stiff + Trevillion and featured at designboom.
7. “Remembering Evelyn Ackerman, a midcentury master of craft” at the LA Times.
8. Another loss, this time in the field of architecture: Brazil’s Oscar Niemeyer (via Architizer).
9. These interiors by St Louis-based CURE Design Group at Desire to Inspire.
10. Per ArchDaily, AIA has just ranked Columbus, Indiana as the U.S.’s 6th “Most Architecturally Important City,” thanks in part to designs like this.
Featured in the photo above: Nelson Coconut Lounge Chair, Nelson Pedestal Table, and Nelson Pedestal Stool
When it comes to taking down notes throughout the work day, are you a single-notebook type, who prefers everything in one place? Are you a user of scrap-paper lists or post-it notes or reminders quickly inked on the back of your hand? Are you a doodler or a sketcher (for fun or for profit) — or have you eschewed paper completely and prefer to simply take it all down digitally? Tell us what works for you and why in the comments section below, then take note of what we found in a few of the offices we’ve featured here on Lifework. Read more
After graduating from Yale in 2001, Boston architect Chongzi Chen founded independent firm Chen Architect (which we learned about from previous Playlister Aisha Densmore-Bey). His work ranges from commercial projects to residential home and interiors to green buildings. In addition to his design work, he has also taught courses focusing on integrated design practices for environmental systems and the history of sustainability. From his sun-drenched studio, Chongzi gets right to the music in this week’s Playlist.
