NYC artist Laura Hughes is a jack of all trades, with a career that started in photography and shifted, most recently, into needlepoint (her blog Meanderings in Thread might certainly have been Alexander Girard-approved). Take a look at Laura’s combination home/work space in the middle of Manhattan in this office tour. Read more
A look at some interesting finds on the web this week.
1. What’s the perfect Bohemian interiors furniture accent? Eames Molded Plastic Chairs, says Bohemian Treehouse.
2. Your daily transit is in the cards with Norman Ibarra’s repurposed Metrodeck playing cards. (Via Core77)
3. Jägnefält Milton takes rail transit and city planning down a completely new track.
4. Tour the Portland-inspired Midori.so, a new green (sustainable and covered in ivy), co-workspace in Shibuya, Tokyo. (Via Spoon & Tamago)
5. Dwell’s Olivia Martin considers the individuality of designer Ray Eames.
6. Fast Company profiles Herman Miller’s sleek and strong AGL Table Group, designed by Leon Ransmeier.
7. Ease into your weekend with David Garland’s look into the musical equivalent of mid-20th century modern design, on WNYC.
8. Arnold Newman’s portraits offer us an intimate look into the lives of Charles Eames and other artists. (Via WSJ)
9. Check out these light and lively workspaces for kids on Apartment Therapy.
10. Photographer Shawn Clover seamlessly merges present day San Francisco with its well-shaken 1906 ancestor on Colossal.
Featured in the above photo: Eames Molded Plastic Armchairs and Eames Molded Plastic Side Chairs
Yesterday’s tour of thelab, a media arts company based in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan, gave just a taste of the impressive interior design of the space. Take a video tour to get an even better sense of how it incorporates some Herman Miller classics — Eames Aluminum Group Management Chairs, an Eames Sofa Compact, Eames Molded Plastic Chairs and Molded Plywood Coffee Tables — as well as contemporary designs like Aeron.
Video: Courtesy of thelab
David Bridges, president and CEO of thelab, a media arts company headquartered in New York City, recently gave us a tour of his company’s space in the Terminal Warehouse Company Central Stores Building, formerly a railroad freight terminal and the location of the infamous Tunnel nightclub (the curved structure in its reception area, above, pays homage to the building’s history). Here, David talks about the advantages of an open, collaborative workspace and gives us a look at thelab’s extensive collection of Herman Miller pieces, both vintage and new. While the photos barely do the large office justice (stay tuned for a video tour coming soon), they do give a glimpse at what it takes to be a thoroughly modern workspace. Read more
Where do you stay when it’s time to take your office on the road? Here is a quick peek at a few spots across the globe that feature some of our most work- (and rest-) friendly pieces in a variety of hotel settings.
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.
“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
Still smarting from the end of this season of Mad Men? (And can we make it through another year without being able to spot the mid-century modern pieces popping up in Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce?) While you wait, get your design fix from a few modern-day ad agencies that Don Draper — or perhaps his design-loving wife Megan — would be proud to call home.
How does music fit into the work and process of Andy Johnson, founder of Seattle-based Ample Furniture? Find out in this week’s Playlist. Read more
Take a look at a few of our favorite posts from the past week.
1. “How a home work space works best” at The Globe and Mail (featuring a pair of our Setu Chairs, above, in a photo by Barry Calhoun Photography).
2. Chairsmith’s electrifying photos of their recent Eames acquisition.
3. Fashion designer Leyla Piedayesh’s studio, which includes a Magis Chair_One by Konstantin Gricic (via Monoqi)
4. Daniel Kanter’s thoughtful post on his visit to Case Study House No. 8 in L.A. (via Manhattan Nest).
5. On a related note, these watercolor paintings based on the architectural photographs of Julius Shulman in the Los Angeles Times.
6. Could this save the iPad’s “lousy typing”? (via Co.Design).
7. “Kindergarten Design Grows Up: Contemporary Nursery-School Projects” at Architonic.
8. “How to Thank Your Employees in Only 8 Words” from Inc.
9. Apartment Therapy’s roundup of 10 office chairs from their Tech Tours (we spy the best of the best: Mirra, Embody, Eames Aluminum Group Management Chair, Aeron, Eames Soft-Pad Management Chair…)
10. This impressive mid-century-modern collection in the Michigan home of architect Robert C. Metcalf (via AnnArbor.com).
Photo: Barry Calhoun Photography / The Globe and Mail
