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
Design, Products
October 11, 2011
By Cerentha Harris
It’s all about design right now in Southern California. Pacific Standard Time is a Getty-backed initiative celebrating art and design from the 1930s through to the 1980s in Los Angeles. There are over 60 exhibitions from San Diego to Santa Barbara and that doesn’t include the multitude of private galleries also showing work.
Where to start? LACMA has outdone itself with curator Wendy Kaplan’s ambitious “California Design: Living in a Modern Way.” This is the show that includes the reconstructed Eames living room. The whole show houses around 350 objects—furniture, ceramics, fashion, textiles graphic design and includes Herman Miller pieces that are still in production like the Eames Elliptical table and the Eames Storage Unit. This exhibition, which is the first major show to look at mid century modern design attracted over 1500 people to the opening night reception.
Photos: Cerentha Harris and Stefanie Keenan
Design
October 7, 2011
By Cerentha Harris
As a lot of you know, the contents of the Eames House living room was moved to LACMA as part of the ‘California Design‘ exhibition. The Eames Foundation is taking this chance to do some repairs on the house and is holding a few events to help raise money for that work.
This event – dubbed ‘Time Machine‘ – lets you travel back in time and see the iconic house as it looked like right before the Ray and Charles Eames moved in. “You’ll get to enjoy a glass of wine in the Eames House living room just as it was before Charles and Ray first moved in – full of possibilities,” says Eames Demetrios, Ray and Charles’ grandson.
This fundraiser is open to the public and offers a rare opportunity to visit inside the house, which is usually only open to members once a year. The tickets are $250 ($200 for members) and 100 percent of the ticket sale will go to support essential work on the house structure.
Click here for tickets.
Details: Saturday, October 15; 4.00pm-6.00pm at the Eames House; 203 Chautauqua Blvd, Pacific Palisades. Info: 424 229 4038 or info@eamesfoundation.org. Tickets must be ordered by Thursday October 13.
Design
September 26, 2011
By Cerentha Harris
The Los Angeles Times beautifully captured the relocation of Ray and Charles Eames’ living room from their Case Study house in the Pacific Palisades to LACMA as part of ‘Living In a Modern Way: California Design 1930-1965.’