Balance, Design
May 8, 2013
By Jamie Latendresse
The narrative-driven work of artist, illustrator and designer Andy J. Miller combines bold, figurative imagery with abstract details and patterns like stars, spots, icons, and more. Though modern in influence, the work has a handcrafted feel to it, at once introspective and emotive. In addition to client for work the likes of Sony and Smart Car, Andy created the Indie Rock Coloring Book, a charity collaboration with the Yellow Bird Project. His site Art Directions offers online pep talks to artists and creatives. In this week’s Playlist, we asked Andy take a moment to pep us up with a sampling of his music tastes. Lend your ears.
Read more
Balance, Design
January 17, 2013
By Amy Feezor
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
Design
January 15, 2013
By Amy Feezor
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
Balance
May 9, 2012
By Jamie Latendresse
Born and raised Detroiter Antonio “Shades” Agee has been know to hit a wall or two. In fact, as a graffiti artist he’s hit pretty much every kind of surface you can imagine, and then some you might not imagine. Now a 15-year arts veteran, his career has taken him everywhere from the streets to galleries to corporations, internationally. The infusion of his surroundings, influences, and personality into his artwork has drawn the attention of clients like Fiat, Chrysler, and Quicken Loans just to name a few. So what does Antonio listen to while he’s painting? The answers to that question reside within this week’s Playlist. Read more
Technology
July 28, 2011
By Cerentha Harris
We’ve covered the GRID-IT before on Unplggd as an awesome solution for toting and storing hard-to-manage tech. But we never really saw it’s other function—as a blank canvas, waiting for you to paint with your cords and devices. Let’s stop tucking these in our messenger bags and start hanging them on the walls! We have a personal persuasion that tech gets more gorgeous when laid out in a grid. (Just check out The Tech Collections of Team Unplggd for plenty of gluttonous ogling.) So the GRID-IT system, which keeps your gear in check with a plaid patchwork of grippy elastics, lends itself to creating compositions worthy of showcasing.
1. Travellious reviews the GRID-IT in their Test Labs, giving us this awesome grid of tech travel essentials.
2. French blog Le Journal du Geek shows off this camera-ready composition.
3. Oh Gizmo! gets hands-on with the Cocoon laptop bag, packing tech gear into its built-in GRID-IT system.
4. And the WiFi Edge blog shows us how even wireless network supplies can look sharp in a tidy little grid.
Interested in grabbing your own GRID-IT? Check out our write-up, then head to Cocoon Innovations and snag one for $9.99 to $49.99.
By Taryn Fiol.
This story appears in partnership with Unplggd, a site for people who embrace technology and design in their home.
Balance, Design, Products
September 22, 2010
By Cerentha Harris
Susan Huls, the editor of our sister blog, Discover reported on Grand Rapids’ ArtPrize. Sounds like a great event.
“Herman Miller’s former President and CEO Max DePree once advised us all to “make room for people who have unusual and creative gifts.” Enter ArtPrize—the international art show and competition based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Grand Rapids is a burgeoning city that is making its mark among design and innovation circles. It also happens to be minutes away from our Zeeland headquarters.
ArtPrize provides us a fantastic opportunity to support creativity within our local community. In fact, we’ll be sponsoring a central resource center for ArtPrize called The Hub, which is located downtown in the Old Federal Building. From September 22 to October 10, The Hub will host a visitor center, voter registration area, artist lounge, and volunteer offices—all furnished with our products.
ArtPrize and its prize money—totaling $449,000—have proven to attract a tremendous amount of talent and votes, but they also attract a community excited about art and its city. It’s a great event and we’re thrilled to be a part of it.
Balance, Design, Products
May 7, 2010
By Cerentha Harris
For some people procrastination comes in the form of cleaning or tidying (see Cameron Moll’s interview for example). I wish I was that sort of a person. For me it’s all about window shopping. I find myself surfing the net looking at ‘stuff’. I can justify it as part of my job…sometimes! One of the things I’ve been shopping for lately is art. I’m fascinated by all the amazing work you can find online. So I was thrilled to get this tip from Marcia, the Discover editor. A friend of hers sent us a link to UK-based Cut Out Paper. Of course, we were drawn to the ‘Chairs‘ piece above (recognize any of those designs?) But I also really like the ‘Beetles‘ below.
Balance, Design, Products, Technology
February 1, 2010
By Cerentha Harris
Morgan Satterfield is many things – a teacher, artist, gallery manager, blogger, thrifty shopper and the owner of a house – she is also very funny. Her blog The Brick House chronicles the renovation of the Hemet, CA home she and her husband share with their dog Iggy. (Hemet is near Palm Springs…as Morgan says, Google it).
What sort of work do you do and how does that impact the space you work in? My day job is teaching fine art and managing a gallery at a private high school for the arts. I’ve been working in contemporary art galleries for the last five years and those big white walls have rubbed their magic into my design sensibilities, especially when it comes to my work space. I’ve got to have my obligatory iMac, white walls, sculptural objects, art (of course) and clean open white space. When I’m not at school or painting I also run a blog called The Brick House that’s all about buying our first home and it’s slow and budget friendly renovation in a sleepy retirement community in Southern California. Most of my blogging for The Brick House is done at home in our office. I don’t need much equipment to run the blog, just a home, a camera and a computer. Also, the balls to put it all on the internet.
How long have you been in your current work space and what size is it? I’ve been in this space for about two years. The desk is an original built-in constructed in the 1950′s and is almost twelve feet long when you add together the two sections of the L-shape. It has tons of storage and is a spacial beast that takes up about half of the room.
Do you have any tips on how to organize a work space? Oh no, I just stick everything in drawers and hope nobody opens them. I like everything in view to be beautiful or functional while all the other crap needs to be hidden away. Built-in storage is great for this, if you opened the doors you’d be horrified at the mess but a casual glance gives the impression that I’m super clean and very organized. It’s all an illusion.
What are some of the pitfalls of blogging from home? It sucks up a lot of time. Time I could be using to organizing my drawers.
What do you most enjoy about working from home? All my content and material are right here. All I have to do is look around and go “hey that’s ugly, lets fix it” and bam – blog content. Plus my dog [that's Iggy below] and the fridge are here, so that makes it awesome. Oh, and I can wear my pajamas. I’m doing it right now.
Do you have a desk accessory you can’t work without? My iMac. It’s amazing.
How big a role does technology play in your work? Huge. HUGE. Super huge. Without technology there would be no blog. The Brick House wouldn’t have every frivilous detail documented and posted on the internet for international perusal and judgement without my digital camera, computer and Photoshop. I use technology for my classes and in the gallery constantly. Computers, cameras, projectors and the internet are indespensible when it comes to almost everything we do. Super dependancy, even in something as analog as a painting class. Digital technology is a tool that is increasingly embedded in the structure of working and education.
I just got a new Mac mouse and it’s incredible – is there anything you’re loving right now? I want a new Mac mouse desperately, the scrolling ball on my old Mac mouse sucks. Just so awful. I recently got my first iPhone and I think we are in a romantic relationship. Now I finally know what all the fuss was about.
