Cerentha HarrisEditor
A writer and editor Cerentha Harris has long been drawn to good design - whether it be a great chair or an elegant website. After more than a decade as a journalist and magazine editor Cerentha finds herself happily ensconced in the online world of Herman Miller.
Cerentha's Posts
Balance, Design, Products, Technology
February 10, 2012
By Cerentha Harris
Where we’ve been this week…
1. Treehugger for their “Most Beautiful Street in the World” post.
2. Apartment Therapy for this home office tour.
3. Design*Sponge’s wonderful wrap up of home office spaces.
4. Design Milk for their Designer DeskTop Wallpaper series.
5. MujiUSA has some very sleek minimal designs for the home office including these acrylic organizers.
6. Luludi for their cool way of incorporating plants into the home office – hang them on the wall.
7. Cleverhands shop on Etsy has a interesting alternative to the pencil case – check it out here. Good for home office workers on the go.
8. Vienna-based designers Less & More create beautiful wooden desk organizers. You can see them here on the US-Supermarket site.
9. Design Notes funny post on a new game – “Six Degrees of Cranbrook”.
10. Desire to Inspire‘s post on a cool Toronto office.
Balance, Design, Products, Technology
February 7, 2012
By Cerentha Harris
One strategy for preventing the loss of portable devices like the iPad or smartphones around the house is designating a “landing station“. Most people just drop their phones and tablets on their desk or kitchen counter, but setting up a specific spot with a holder is a better idea if you’ve got a habit of always misplacing your device even though you swear, “I put it right here”…
Constructed of oiled oak harvested from German forests, both the Objekten DOCK Box and Dock Tray are available in light and dark oak versions, and each providing a handsome way to not only display/view your favorite screened device, but also offering the “landing station” to keep clutter at bay and decrease the chances of “now where did I put that _____?!”
By Gregory Han
This story appears in partnership with Unplggd, a site for people who embrace technology and design in their home.
Balance, Design, Products, Technology
February 3, 2012
By Cerentha Harris
Where we’ve been this week…
1. Inhabitat ran a post on a beautifully designed little prefab cabin inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright.
2. Interior Design magazine “10 Questions with Konstantin Grcic“ - who designed, among other pieces, Chair_One.
3. Huffington Post for their piece on the Eames’ film “Powers of 10″.
4. Co.Design on how plywood change the world…look out for pieces by Ray and Charles Eames.
5. Architizer for Drew House - an amazing building that includes a tubular section for the living area.
6. The Office Stylist for her post on 22squared’s cool office space.
7. Cubicle Refugee for her lovely, color-driven tumblr blog. Lots of eye candy during your coffee break.
8. Pinterest has so many good boards loaded with home office ideas but make sure you check out Design Studio for really eclectic mix of images.
9. Poppytalk for her home work space post.
10. Habitus for their interview with BassamFellows.
Balance
February 1, 2012
By Cerentha Harris
Bloomberg Businessweek has just posed an interesting question in their Debate Room. They ask if businesses are more efficient and employees more productive if people work remotely instead of out of one central office? Nathaniel Borenstein argues that there are undeniable financial savings for a business of their employees work from home while Ben Waber weighs in on the other side of the debate pointing out the communications deficit that is bound to occur when some of your staff aren’t in the office. How do you work? And does it work for you…and your boss?
Photo: Paul Raff Studio
Technology
January 31, 2012
By Cerentha Harris
We all know achieving the ultimate workspace (like our past DeskTops spotlight above with its Mirra chair) is an iterative process that requires patience and keen eye for what should and shouldn’t go on top of the daily working surface. But if we could do it all over, we’d go for a more minimal look, showcasing only the bare essentials and shelving the rest.
First things first, we’d immediately replace all our keyboards and mice with Bluetooth-enabled devices. For batteries, we recommend using Sanyo Enelops. They’ve tested well in our Unplggd labs and have been a personal favorite around the office.
Next, we’d pair down the desk to just 3 main areas: 1) the main computer, 2) a desk lamp, and 3) the landing station for our smartphone. We’d even go as far as to create a separate area for keys and wallet since they make more sense by the door than on a busy surface as the primary working desk.
A potential spot for a fourth area would be reserved for audio junkies such as myself, in which case we’d make room for set of audiophile monitors or our favorite headphones.
We could even devise similar plans for a tablet-only setup by creating a quick and easy docking station that’s both functional and clutter-less. A simply designed stand like the Upstand allows for just that.
Lastly, we’d address the issue of wire management, both nearby items and along the underside. Remember, even the slightest overlooked detail can ruin the perfect setup!
What are the bare essentials for your dream desk setup?
By Anthony Nguyen.
This story appears in partnership with Unplggd, a site for people who embrace technology and design in their home.
Balance, Design, Products, Technology
January 30, 2012
By Cerentha Harris
In his latest series UK-based photographer Todd McLellan takes old technology – a typewriter or rotary phone – and explodes them, meticulously laying out every tiny screw and bolt and wire to create beautiful images. Here he shares his 3-studio workspace and a few things that inspire him.
How long have you been working as a photographer? What drew you to shooting? I graduated with a BFA in 2002 from the from Alberta College of Art & Design. Assisting for 4 years I officially started shooting full time in 2006. I originally went to college to specialize in graphic arts/design, but changed my major after the first year. I really had a hard time sitting in the same room working on drawings all day. Photography allows you the freedom to explore the environment around you. I appreciate this and wanted to fully discover the medium.
Tell us about your workspace. Any special considerations that effected the way it is set up? I actually share a workspace with two other photographers. It’s a large setup with a car studio and two smaller studios. I feel very fortunate to have the freedom of space. The first part of the series started in the studio space but found some of them would take me far too long with many interruptions. I recently moved it to my office above the studio and am able to work on the projects much easier.
Your new work, Disassembly, strips down electronics to their elements. You’ve managed to capture a real beauty in the bits and pieces that come together to form once ubiquitous pieces of technology. The typewriter and rotary phone certainly no longer have a place in our home offices. Was there a reason you didn’t choose a laptop or cell phone? Most everything that I have taken apart has been mechanical. If you press a button or turn a knob you can physically see it doing its job. They are very interesting and complex inside. New technology although very complex, is not on a level you can see physically. I have taken apart my iPhone before and inside there are minimal parts.
What inspires you in your work? Things I see, sounds I hear, conversations with people, it’s amazing what can come up if you let your mind wander.
Balance, Design, Products
January 27, 2012
By Cerentha Harris
1. Bloomberg Businessweek for their piece on the SAYL chair.
2. Saltsurf.com‘s blog is beautiful. Even if you don’t surf or have never been to the beach this blog takes you away from your desk for a few minutes and lets you indulge in gorgeous shots of beach and ocean. Plus their new canvas totes would hold your laptop rather nicely. Enjoy!
3. Design Observer for Adam Harrison Levy’s review of A History of the World in 100 Objects by Neil MacGregor. Sounds like a fascinating book.
4. Milo Paper for their cool notebooks. They’ve dubbed them “Men’s Collection” which is a shame because they really would be perfect for women too. So don’t be put off. Check them out – you can even personalize them.
5. SF Girl By Bay has revamped her site and now there’s even more great interiors for home office inspiration.
6. An Organized Nest for their 6 tips on dealing with mail – real snail mail not email.
7. Oki Ni for this awesome messenger bag/lap top carrier.
8. House Beautiful gives us a nice slideshow of 16 different home office styles.
9. Architizer for this amazing house by Blank Studio. It’s in a town called Superior at the base of the Superstition Mountain range in Arizona.
10. Brain Pickings for Maria Popova’s thoughtful post on Charles Eames (including a great link to an Eliot Noyes essay on Charles).
Design, Products
January 26, 2012
By Cerentha Harris
For the past few weeks Susan Lyons, our Materials Creative Director, has covered Herman Miller’s five material design principles over on our Discover blog. We’ve heard about honesty, utility, economy, pleasure, and possibility and the role these principles play in helping us choose the materials for our designs.
One principle is particularly relevant to Lifework readers: It’s the idea of utility. Lyons talks about utility in connection to Embody – a chair that finds its way into many a home office. “When we talk about material utility,” Lyons says, “what we really mean is that we use materials to solve problems.”
To hear Lyons talk about the rest of the principles simply follow these links: honesty, economy, pleasure, possibility.
To find a home office chair check out our tips on how to choose the right one for you. (And FYI – we’re now shipping our most popular office chairs for $29. Read all about that here.)
Balance
January 26, 2012
By Cerentha Harris
Last year we checked in with professional organizer Angela Kantarellis about getting ready for tax season and this year we look at the sorts of organizing mistakes you can easily avoid in your home office.
Angela: “It’s 2012, a brand-new year wide open with promise and possibilities. If ‘get organized’ is one of your resolutions again this year, let’s look at what might have gotten in the way in the past and work to change it in the future. I’ve compiled a list 7 Organizing Mistakes to Avoid in 2012 to help you sidestep the most common roadblocks to a well-organized workspace.”
Read more
Balance, Design
January 25, 2012
By Cerentha Harris
Yesterday I came across Caroline Clifton-Mogg’s new book A Space of My Own on Remodelista’s revamped site (which is certainly an improvement but will take a bit of getting used to!) Clifton-Mogg is a British journalist and has put together a beautiful book that explores the idea of home workspace as sanctuary. “The important thing is that it is known to all as very much your space and feels private; somewhere specifically designed to cater to you and what you are doing,” writes Clifton-Mogg. As I write this at my kitchen table with our home office desk piled with kid’s drawings I wonder if I’ll ever have a work space in this house to call my own! And I also wonder how many of us manage to carve this kind of precious space out for ourselves?