Balance, Technology
February 29, 2012
By Iris Anna Regn
Artist, educator, and curator Leonardo Bravo is Director of School Programs at the Music Center: Performing Arts Center of Los Angeles County. He also organizes and produces Big City Forum, an interdisciplinary project designed to bring together creative practitioners over issues related the social dimensions of art, design, and public space. As an artist and curator, he’s had a long history exhibiting at spaces such as the Santa Monica Museum of Art, the Whittier College Arts Gallery, Deep River Gallery, Barbara Davis Gallery (Houston, TX), POST LA, Michael’s Restaurant (Santa Monica, CA), and Fifth Floor Gallery. Here he talks about how music seeps into all his activities. Read more
Balance, Technology
February 27, 2012
By Amy Feezor
Inspired by our easy-to-adjust Monitor Arm, we found six more items that help maximize your everyday devices. Read more
Balance, Design, Products, Technology
February 24, 2012
By Amy Feezor
Here’s a glimpse at what we’ve been reading.
1. Chairsmith, a blog find from Jamie Latendresse of this week’s Ideal Live/Work Space.
2. Everything at ghostlyferns.com.
3. This colorful interview with Eames Demetrios, grandson of Charles and Ray Eames, on Ace Hotel’s blog.
4. Should you? “Be Free, Lance: Should I Freelance?” via Studio Sweet Studio.
5. “10 Steps to a Home Office You’ll Love” from Apartment Therapy.
6. A peek into the secret lives of hired guns by Susannah Breslin for Inc.
7. This over-the-top home office at biscade.com. (We spy an Embody Chair.)
8. Bloomberg Businessweek’s “Who Should Take a Home-Office Tax Deduction?”
9. The latest issue of Edition29 ARCHITECTURE for iPad (we’re particularly fans of the Summerhill Residence in Kenwood, CA and the Lake Lugano house in Switzerland).
10. Did you celebrate Modernism Week in Palm Springs? There’s still time–events will be held through February 26. Get details here.
Balance, Design, Technology
February 22, 2012
By Amy Feezor
Take a listen to our latest music mix straight from York, Pennsylvania and the Eames-inspired home office of WORKtoDATE design director Greg Bennett. Read more
Balance, Design, Products, Technology
February 17, 2012
By Amy Feezor
Here’s what we’ve been reading this week.
1. The ongoing “Creative Spaces” feature at confessionsofadesigngeek.com.
2. Houzz’s look at the Nelson Coconut Chair, “a stylish slice of modern cushiness.”
3. Design Milk on the importance of plants in the Pacific Palisades home of Charles and Ray Eames.
4. Glimpses of this organized home office (and its Finnish office supplies) at Weekday Carnival.
5. The premiere issue of The Roger magazine and its mission to showcase creative workspaces.
6. Apartment Therapy’s transformation of a home office belonging to two engineers in need of a more functional space.
7. This smart toolkit covered on fastcodesign.com that rethinks the standard pencil cup.
8. “How America became a nation of freelancers” at The Guardian.
9. The colors and pattern in the home of Wolfgang Joop at The Selby.
10. Deskography.org, where you can “show the world where you work.”
Balance, Design, Technology
February 16, 2012
By Amy Feezor
There’s much to discover inside the oak tree-shaded Austin home in Apartment Therapy Tech’s latest tech tour, but one thing in particular got our attention: the owners’ serene, uncluttered home office. Designed around a his-and-her pair of desks created for Herman Miller by George Nelson, the space features small pops of color by way of well chosen office accessories, a flexible Mirra Chair for long nights spent on deadline, and lots of light via a tall floor-to-ceiling window. Just outside? A soothing water feature offering white noise and an extra dose of tranquility. Read more
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.
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.