Six Ways to Go All-American

Celebrate our forthcoming Independence Day with a little tour of U.S.A-made items that are as all-American as apple pie, baseball, and the Aeron Chair.

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Studio Tour: Artist & Mobilist Mark Leary

One look at a colorfully sophisticated mobile by artist and writer Mark Leary and you can’t help but smile. Inspired by sculptor and artist Alexander Calder, they’re a modern-day take on an artform that uses motion, and a touch of whimsy, to mesmerize. We asked Mark for a look around his studio in Bend, OR — as well as his thoughts on why it is that some furnishings by Ray and Charles Eames always seem so well suited to bask beneath these captivating works of art. Read more

Dogs in the Office?

Did a bark, woof, or ruff (or perhaps a coo from an excited coworker) fill the halls of your office last week? Friday, June 22, was Take Your Dog to Work Day, a day dedicated to bringing man’s best friend into the workspace. This 14th annual canine celebration helped promote pet adoption, as well as the benefits of having Fido at work — which, according to recent research from Virginia Commonwealth University, include reducing stress and making the job more satisfying.

Companies like Amazon, Google, P&G Pet Care, Clif Bar & Company, and Ben & Jerry’s already have open-dog policies. What about your place of business? Would you welcome a dog in your workplace? Why or why not?

Let us know your thoughts in the comments section. And in the meantime, take a look at a few furry friends that made it into the office on Friday. Read more

Telecommuting: The Pros, Cons, & Everything In-Between

“At Work,” a blog from the Wall Street Journal, just reported on a new study by The Conference Board research group about the rise in telecommuting. “The number of employees who work remotely has jumped significantly over the last decade, nearly doubling among all full-time, non-self-employed U.S. workers,” it states. Moreover, 84% of people who worked remotely, either from home or another location, did so at least once a week. That’s up from 72% in 2008.

Along with these growing stats, the research offers a few of the pros that result from working out of a home office, such as increased focus, which can lead to better productivity. Cons, of course, included feeling out of the loop and burned out because of the fuzzy line between “home” and “work.”

Are you part of this growing trend? What are the positives? The negatives? Let us know in the comment section, then take a look at a few thoughts from some telecommuters (and some in-the-know self-employed workers) we’ve featured here on Lifework. Read more

Items For Your Workspace from ICFF 2012

It’s an annual showcase for some of the latest designs in the furniture industry, but the International Contemporary Furniture Fair — now back in full swing in New York City — also introduces interesting accessories for the home and office. Here are a few we spotted that might look smart in your workspace.

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Must-See Spots During Design Week NYC

Design Week NYC is again upon us — and these seven events are on our radar. Navigate your stay in the city starting with our list, and keep up with the latest on Twitter using #designweeknyc. Read more

Top Ten: Best of the Web This Week

A look at what’s been on our radar over the past week.

1. The foldaway features in a small apartment found on home-designing.com (check out the drop-away desk/Eames molded plywood lounge chair combo).

2. “6 Brilliant Studios Perfect For The Eco Artist” from Inhabitat.

3. Inthralld’s post on shipping pallets being used in office spaces (above).

4. A few workspaces that inspire over at Decor8.

5. Mesmerized by this digital map upgrade from San Francisco-based tech and design studio Stamen (via veryshortlist.com).

6. Did you enter your workspace for a chance to win on Design Milk?

7. If you’re still looking for spring break ideas, take a gander at these three cool cabins you can rent at Yosemite (via If It’s Hip, It’s Here).

8. “Woody Allen, Creative Management Genius” at Design Observer.

A Wave of White

When creating last February’s look at Eames molded plastic chairs in offices, we started to notice something: while the chairs are available in a range of 10 different colors, our white shell seats seem to be particularly popular right now (like in the Portland, Oregon workspace of the creative agency Juliet Zulu, above). Take a look at a few more setups using Charles and Ray Eames’ simple white-hued seating with the waterfall-front edges. Read more

Shipping Containers as Home Offices

Shipping containers repurposed as a studio or kitted out into livable spaces aren’t a new idea. But Jeff Wardell and Claudia Sagan’s reuse is unique for the fact they converted two shipping containers into a home office and a guest bedroom inside their huge warehouse space in San Francisco (a 3,200-square foot former Chinese laundry and tooth-powder factory). Read more

Top Ten: Best of the Web This Week

Friday already? Here’s are some smart posts (and a few videos) that kept us zooming through the week.

1. This video by artist Grant Taylor and Daniel Ostroff, editor of the design scholarship resource eamesdesigns.com, documenting their time together photographing 6,000 images for the site.

2. The shipping-container-turned-treehouse at Inhabit.

3. A stunning office space in Rio de Janeiro spotted by Contemporist.

4. Dreaming of stopping by for an afternoon snack in this innovative pastry boutique in San Pedro, Mexico (via Yatzer).

5. A helpful roundup of must-have tools for your home office from Entrepreneur.com.

6. The urban cabin for a writer spotted on officesnapshots.com.

7. A look at how the digital age is influencing furniture design at NYTimes.com.

8. Co.Design’s “An American-Made Miracle: How An Aeron Chair Gets Built Every 17 Seconds“ video.

9. Dwell.com’s tour of the E+ Green Home concept house outside of Seoul — possibly the country’s most sustainable house.

10. The new Design Museum Collection App for iPad featuring 59 “remarkable objects” from London’s Design Museum. (We’re especially fond of #38, #39, and #58.)