Through January 26, the Yale School of Architecture is featuring “George Nelson: Architect, Writer, Designer, Teacher,” an exhibition taking a look at the pioneering designer’s work, including iconic furniture pieces like the Marshmallow Sofa and Platform Bench, his innovative workspace designs, and much more. Take a long weekend and catch the exhibit along with these six ways to explore the surroundings in New Haven, CT.
Take a look at what we’ve been bookmarking this week.
1. These beautifully organized home libraries on Apartment Therapy.
2. Writer Jesus Diaz’s “dream office” featuring our Mirra Chair at Gizmodo.
3. This video of Yves Béhar explaining the role of design in consumer products at Businessweek.
4. Now under construction: Seattle’s Bullitt Center, the world’s most sustainable building. (Via designboom)
5. The bright, airy home of Monya and Jeremy Eastman in Cape Town, South Africa featured at Design*Sponge.
6. Does the window in your home office need the Ready Made Curtain by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec? (Via Phaidon)
7. 18 of the world’s most amazing tree houses at Co.Design.
8. Tips to make every day more productive from Inc.
9. Coverage of the very playful exhibit “Le Dîner de Gulliver” (Gulliver’s Dinner) at CollabCubed.
10. This minimalist home redefining “cabin” on a wooded hillside in Wisconsin featured at Chicago Home + Garden.
Pictured above: Eames Soft Pad Side Chair
A workspace can be home to more than just the tools that help you complete your job. Here are a few looks at offices that use any available surface — desktops, bookshelves, occasional tables — to display objects of inspiration in artful ways. Read more
As is quite clearly stated on his website, J. Zachary Keenan makes “marks for personal and profitable endeavors”. Keenan, who shares a South Minneapolis studio with his wife Caitlin as well as two original Eames chairs, makes marks that include everything from logo, identity and print campaigns, to product design, illustration and even music production. His music tastes cover just as much ground, as you’ll hear in this week’s Playlist.
Designers Charles and Ray Eames moved into their now-legendary California home, Case Study House #8, on Christmas Eve, 1949. More than sixty years later, the Eames family — caretakers of the home since Ray’s death in 1988 — is prepping to preserve the space as it existed when the couple lived and worked in it for the prolific last-half of their lives. The family’s goal? To raise $150,000 toward conserving the house and grounds for the next 250 years.
Part of this fundraising effort includes an artful offering: four original, limited-edition prints inspired by the geometry and understated simplicity of Charles and Ray’s designs. Each hand-numbered print is available for just $75, and all proceeds will support the projects of the Eames Foundation. Additionally, the prints are tax deductible, and Herman Miller has helped create an “Authenticity Fund” to provide matching donations for each purchase.
It’s not a bad price for helping share the Eameses’ philosophy for future generations to come (and to own a piece of the Eames legacy). Find out specifics on the restoration project, buy the prints, and see a delightfully inspiring timeline now at eameshouse250.org. Read more
As each year draws to a close, industry color authority Pantone selects a single hue to characterize the incoming year. 2013′s color: Emerald Green. In its press release announcing the choice, Pantone’s Leatrice Eiseman explained that ”the human eye sees more green than any other color in the spectrum.” Cast your human eye on a spectrum of green with these six ways to the color of the year.
Here’s a look at where we’ve been this week.
1. Alexander Lange’s review of Yale’s George Nelson exhibit at Design Observer.
2. 30 home-office-organizing products as rounded up by Design*Sponge.
3. The streamlined C+P House by architects Gonçalo das Neves Nunes in Lisbon via ArchDaily.
4. “Designing Offices with Mobile Employees in Mind” at the CIO Journal blog from the Wall Street Journal.
5. Fairfield, Connecticut’s Sound House by Roger Ferris + Partners at Contemporist.
6. Treehugger’s second look at Casa En Una Maleta, or “House in a Suitcase,” a 293-square-foot apartment in Barcelona.
7. The reflective glass/Swedish forest combination at the Tree Hotel by Tham & Videgård Arkitekter at HomeDSGN.
8. Wave Avenue’s coverage of the Push + Pull Residence designed by Seattle-based studio MW Works.
9. The smile-inducing “Sum Times” series by artist Aakash Nihalani via Design Milk.
10. Still feeling motivated by a new year with this free 2013 desktop wallpaper at Design Love Fest.
Featured in the photo above: Nelson X-Leg Table and Eames Wire Chairs
There’s a lot of inspiration to be found in this recent post by Apartment Therapy Tech exploring a host of shared creative workspaces. “Optimized for collaboration, these studios are proof that collectively we can create something greater than ourselves,” states contributor Chris Perez. “The mix of individuality and expression in these spaces is visceral, inspiring — just looking at them encourages you to create something.” We couldn’t agree more. Here are several that caught our eye. Read more
New York City graphic designer and illustrator Christopher Dina‘s work ranges from identity and print work to wayfinding and environmental graphics, including a recent collaboration with his wife – herself an interior designer – on a children’s clinic in Japan. Chris draws inspiration from his love of illustration and painting, travel, and music like the eclectic pop and indie tracks of this week’s Playlist.
A memorable dining experience comes not only from the food you eat, but also from the space that surrounds you. Here’s how a few restaurants across the globe bring design to the table using pieces by Herman Miller and our partners Magis and Mattiazzi. Read more