What do you listen to while you work?
Recently, I have realized I work best with music that is nearly instrumental but with a slight peppering of vocals which do not take center stage.

I like that it doesn’t demand my attention, which is ideal for concentration. Also it follows the approach to my own work. Most of my work is wrapped around a subtle narrative which is sort of abstract, and I liken that to vocals which are abstract but still add to the song.

How do you listen?
I use Spotify on my iMac while I work. I have music playing from the moment I start to the moment I finish. It’s very integral to the work.

Do you have any favorite music websites/providers?
I like Pitchfork and Stereogum. There is a lot I don’t like about those sites, but they are good for finding new music. Soundcloud is really awesome, and I use Spotify all the time.

Does music influence your work?
Majorly. I couldn’t over-exaggerate this if I tried. Three or four years ago I started to dig a littler deeper into my personal work.

Music is probably the art form that moves me the most. I started keeping track of music that I deeply responded to, and I created a little playlist that I call “Soundtrack to My Work.” Then I would try to approach creating visual work that felt the same way as this music. All of my NOD project and most all of my personal work in the past three years has been made this way.

A lot of this music is vocally abstract and sort of whimsical with a twist of melancholy, and I think you can see that in the work.

Where do you find music recommendations? Who influences your musical taste?
I have been doing a lot of music-focused editorial illustration for the fashion company Aritzia. They have introduced me to some fantastic new music lately. I look through my favorite new bands related artists on Spotify too. I would say that if my peers on Twitter bring up a band a few times, I’ll usually go check it out.

If your work was a song or a musician, what or who would it be?
If my work was a song, I would want it to be this little one minute piano piece called “Row” that Jon Brion made for the film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. It’s so beautiful. I can listen to it on repeat. I think it feels exactly like the work I try to create, sad but hopeful, childlike but sophisticated.

Ideal place to sit and listen to your playlist is sitting in an Eames Lounge Chair oiled santos palisander veneer and black MCL leather. This playlist is for nighttime, hence the dark-colored chair. Preferably listened to in a warm climate, windows down, alone, leaning back, relaxed, and lost in the music.

Andy’s Playlist:
1. Row, Jon Brion
2. Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence, Ryuichi Sakamoto
3. Rain Smell, Baths
4. Garden 1, Teen Daze
5. Undo, The 1975
6. The Great Estates, Freelance Whales
7. Cleam, Mister Lies
8. Want U 2 Know, Different Sleep
9. Accordian, Madvillain
10. Sing About Me, I’m Dying of Thirst, Kendrick Lamar

Photos: Andy J. Miller

What do you listen to while you work?
It really depends on what I’m doing. If it doesn’t require heavy thinking, I usually like to catch up on podcasts, mostly from NPR. If it is somewhat design oriented, I tend to prefer down-tempo electronica or classical music.

How do you listen?
Depends on where I’m at. If it is in the office, I usually listen with headphones either plugged into my computer or iPod. I use a Bluetooth wireless headset so I don’t worry about accidentally yanking out my earbuds when I get up or move around.

Do you have any favorite music websites/providers?
I have several Pandora stations and I’ve been meaning to check out Grooveshark.

Does music influence your work?
Not at this point in my design career, but it does help me slow down and pay attention. For songs that I’ve listened to over and over, there have been several occasions where I’ve noticed a particular sound, beat, or rhythm that I didn’t notice before and I try to carry over that awareness to my design process.

Where do you find music recommendations? Who influences your musical taste?
Pandora or the iOS App Shazam if I’m out in public and hear something I really like.

What song or artist best represents the work you create?
I am just beginning my career in design, so I don’t have a body of work to represent. But I wouldn’t be able to narrow it down to one song or artist, it would depend on the type of space. For example, if it were personal space, like a home or private office, I’d like it to be calming, minimalistic, and relaxed, something like “In the Waiting Line” by Zero 7. If it were a public or social space, it would be something much faster and more upbeat.

The ideal place to sit and listen to this playlist is the Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman if you’re relaxing at home or the Aeron Chair if you’re listening at work. I’ve had an Aeron in my home office for almost a decade now. I got it because it was the perfect balance between form and function.

Ray’s Playlist:
1. Viejo Abasto, G-Spliff
2. Gotta Be Love, Joey Youngman
3. Arrabal, Gotan Project
4. Dunk, Noiseshaper
5. Mi Swing Es Tropical, Quantic & Nickodemus
6. Reality Check, Stigmato Inc.
7. Get Enough, Telemark
8. Transcendence, Thievery Corporation
9. Intro, The XX
10. A Little Soul, Pete Rock
11. Yachts, A Man Called Adam

Photos and renderings: Ray Tam

1. Five black and white offices that are “anything but boring” at Apartment Therapy (agreed).

2. Happy to see our Mirra Chair in one of the greenest structures in the world: the new Center for Sustainable Landscapes, designed by Design Alliance Architects for Pittsburgh’s Phipps Conservatory (via Architizer).

3. The “Quiet Motion” installation by designers Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec for BMW i at Milan’s Salone del Mobile 2013 (via URDesign Magazine).

4. More Bouroullecs: check out the brothers’ Steelwood Galva for Magis (a new iteration of their Steelwood chair and stool in galvanized steel and beech wood) along with other photos from Salone del Mobile from Wallpaper* Magazine.

5. And even more from Salone del Mobile: enjoying Snap Assembly’s Tumblr coverage of the show.

6. The solitary Eames Molded Plywood Lounge in this composer’s Wisconsin practice studio designed by Johnsen Schmaling Architects at Dezeen.

7. Classic mid-century chair stencils by Stencil 1 spotted by Design Milk.

8. The sunny Fresno House — nicely situated between the forest and the ocean in Carilo, Argentina — co-designed by Felix Raspall and Federico Papandrea and featured at Dornob.

9. The thoughtfully designed L23 House by Pitágoras Arquitectos in Portugal found at Archello.

10. Patrick Rochon’s eye-popping photos of wakeboarders riding special boards affixed with LEDs at Colossal.

Featured in photo: Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman, Eames Walnut Stools, and Eames Sofa by Charles and Ray Eames

1. China Shop Pattern Pillow - Like Harper’s “Pavement” pattern, “China Shop” was re-issued by Maharam Textiles in 2001. Since then the distinctive patterns have made their way to everything from Eames Wire Chair pads to decorative pillows. Hurry and win yours on auction at eBay.

2. Irving Harper Works on Paper, Michael Maharam - Explore the career and artwork of this living design legend. From his designs for Nelson Associates in the 1950s and 60s to his prolific art and sculpture, Maharam’s comprehensive monograph explores the many sides of Harper’s inspiring career. Get your at Amazon  or IndieBound.

3. Nelson Marshmallow Sofa Letterpress Card, Green Bird Press - Green Bird Press honors Harper’s iconic design for George Nelson and Associates with this bright letterpress card on 100lb Pop Tone card stock from The French Paper Company. The perfect way to send a little of Harper design to friends and family. Available from Green Bird Press on Etsy.

4. Nelson Sunburst Clock, Irving Harper - You may forget you were looking for the time whenever you gaze at Harper’s classic clock designs. The unmistakable timepieces were originally produced by Howard Miller (Herman Miller’s son) Clock Company. Now it’s time to get yours from Design Within Reach.

5. Florence by Prolon Melmac - Complete the perfect mid-century modern table with this kitchen classic – the abstract Florence pattern was designed by Harper for George Nelson and Associates and produced as Melmac dishes and serving pieces by Prolon. Get the set from Cattle Dog Modern on Etsy.

6. Nelson Thin Edge Buffet, George Nelson - The Nelson Thin Edge Buffet yields a great deal of style as well as high-efficiency utility. With two adjustable shelves with hinged doors and four deep, soft-close drawers, all exquisitely veneered, it’s a storage solution of the highest caliber. Find it at Herman Miller.

Photos linked within text.

What do you listen to while you work?
In the office we have a bit of a music ritual. Early mornings tend to be fairly mellow, picked by whoever comes in first. Then, at 10am we tune in via iTunes radio to the KCRW Morning Becomes Eclectic radio show. That lasts until 1pm and we usually go the duration — unless the guest in the last hour is driving us crazy. At 1pm we go into a rotation and we usually get a bit loud from 1 – 3pm while we’re trying to get a bunch of shipping done before the UPS pickup.

How do you listen?
We listen through iTunes via Airplay, connected to a fairly vintage thrift store find Yamaha receiver, connected to some old, but very nice Infinity speakers. It’s a handy system because we can all connect via iTunes or Spotify, etc. When I really need to focus and get a lot done, I’ve got a pair of Aiaiai TMA-1 headphones I’ll put on to shut out distractions.

Do you have any favorite music websites/providers?
“Favorite” might be a stretch, but we do listen to Spotify in the afternoons a fair amount.  And naturally, we keep an eye on Pitchfork and the usual locations.

Does music influence your work?
I tend to think music influences everything but it’s often in a behind-the-scenes way. More directly, I know that if we have a lot of shipping to do, some A Place to Bury Strangers might be just what we need to make it go fast.

Where do you find music recommendations? Who influences your musical taste?
Most of our new music is introduced via a collection of friends around the country on a small music email list. Usually once a week someone on the list sends out a new band for us to check out. It’s a mix of folk, so we end up with rap to sad-sack music and everything in between.

Do you have Herman Miller pieces in your studio, home, or office?
In my house I’ve got a Nelson Platform Bench and an Aluminum Group Lounge Chair. My daughter usually capitalizes the lounger (“it spins well!”) but my longtime favorite is the bench. Simple, clean, classic. [My partner] Jedd has a few more pieces at his place, he has an Eames Lounge Chair in leather — and I’m not convinced he ever sits anywhere else. His dog, Pinto, is usually found on the Ottoman. He has an Aluminum Group Lounge Chair as well — he found both his and mine at a local vintage shop.

Ideal place to sit and listen to your playlist is on a black leather Eames Chaise. It starts off slow so you can relax a bit, and then about the time you doze off it picks up — at which point, no more sitting. That means it’s time to get up and move. 

Mark’s Playlist:
1. Life’s a Beach, Django Django
2. One More Time, Psychic Ills
3. Don’t You Forget It, Allah-Las
4. Love Vigilantes, New Order
5. Let the Day Begin, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club (“The original by The Call (his dad) was great, too.”)
6. Borrowed Time, Parquet Courts
7. Build, Destroy, Rebuild, Hanni El Khatib
8. Electric, The Men
9. Anxiety’s Door, Merchandise
10. You Are the One, A Place to Bury Strangers

Mark adds:
This list represents what we’re listening to now with a few throwbacks that seem to pop up in rotation. It’ll likely be different in a few months.

Photos: Mark Hansen

What do you listen to while you work?
I usually work to music that pairs well with whatever project is at hand. Could be rock, classical, reggae, hip-hop, or anything else. I’m all over the place with my musical likes and don’t really have too many dislikes, so letting the project dictate the playlist works well for me.

How do you listen?
I’ve had a set of JBL Creature Speakers forever and they’re still getting the job done, plugged directly into my iMac.

Do you have any favorite music websites/providers?
Not really. I buy most everything from the iTunes store.

Does music influence your work?
I’m not sure I could highlight a clear-cut example, but the influence is huge. Being a designer is about finding and articulating somebody else’s voice, so picking “project-appropriate music” really helps me get in the right mindset for whatever I’m working on. It’s sort of like method acting, with music establishing a vibe that lets you further immerse yourself in the character you’re playing.

Where do you find music recommendations? Who influences your musical taste?
Pitchfork is my go-to for new music, music news, reviews, etc., and my friends have a big influence as well. I’ve also been known to Shazam the heck out of places when I hear something new that I think I might like.

If your work was a song or a musician, what or who would it be?
Geez, I have absolutely no idea. I listen to a ton of Bob Marley & The Wailers, so I guess I’ll go with that. Their music represents a lot of different things to me — places I’ve been, people I’ve known, and experiences I’ve had. Structurally, the songs are often incredibly sparse and tight, yet full of life and personality, which I would say is what I strive for in my design work. Do as much as you can with as little as you can. Drawing that parallel is probably a bit over-analytical, but I’ll stick with it.

Ideal place to sit and listen to your playlist:
Obviously I’m going with the Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman in walnut and black leather. Unique and timeless. That thing is brilliant. My uncle had one and it made an impression on me as a kid, long before I knew anything about design or Charles and Ray Eames. I remember hopping up into it and thinking “whoa, this thing is out-of-control cool.”

Jay’s Playlist:
1. San Francisco, Foxygen
2. Space Invaders, Playback
3. Time to Run, Lord Huron
4. Lost, Frank Ocean
5. Five Seconds, Twin Shadow
6. 17, Youth Lagoon
7. Everybody Knows, Vacationer
8. A Country’s King of Dreams, Caveman
9. Jamie Marie, Girls
10. Warm Heart of Africa, The Very Best

Find more from Jay on Dribbble and Twitter.

Photos: Jay Fletcher

What do you listen to while you work?
I have a pretty broad taste, but when I really need to bury myself into a project, I usually have something electronic or ambient playing. It helps keep me focused.

How do you listen?
I have the studio to myself all day, so I pretty much just blare the computer speakers.

Do you have any favorite music websites/providers?
Designers.MX, Pandora, Spotify, Daytrotter, and Audiotree are some of my favorites.

Does music influence your work?
It sure does. When designing anything tech related, I listen to a lot of Kraftwerk and Underworld. One example is the playing cards I did for Bicycle [above]. I also do a lot of illustrations based off of Morrissey lyrics. A lot of great things to work with there.

Where do you find music recommendations? Who influences your musical taste?
My friends are constantly sending me songs on Spotify. Other than that, I usually find new artists on Daytrotter or Audiotree.

If your work was a song or a musician, what or who would it be?
I would have to say Bruce Springsteen. I have been a really big fan for some time now. I love the stories he tells with his songs and I try to do the same with my design and illustrations.

Ideal place to sit and listen to your playlist is: the Goetz Sofa in Walnut Veneer, Neon Messenger Fabric, and a Night Crush Fabric for the accent. (My favorite piece has always been the Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman. I shall own one someday.)

Luke’s Playlist:
1. One Million Lovers, The Growlers
2. The Sky is Black, Window Twins
3. Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood, Santa Esmeralda
4. Well I Wonder, The Smiths
5. Wrecking Ball, Emmylou Harris
6. Midnight Confessions, The Grass Roots
7. How Long, Ace
8. Born to Be Wild, Steppenwolf
9. In Dreams, Roy Orbison
10. The Partisan, Leonard Cohen
11. Solitary Man, Neil Diamond
12. City of Night, Bruce Springsteen

Photos: Luke Bott

What do you listen to while you work?
I listen to a wide variety of music because as I go throughout the day I need different sorts of sounds to organize my mind around. Usually it will be more ethereal or classically inspired types of music — Doves, Andrew Bird. But if I need something energizing, I mix that in as well — Röyksopp, Delta Spirit.

How do you listen?
I usually listen on my Bose headphones because that keeps all of the outside noise from coming in to disturb my thinking. Sometimes, depending on what problem I’m solving though, I need to move around while I’m thinking. In that case I have Harman Kardon SoundSticks speakers which fill up my small San Francisco space very well. I have tendencies in my listening habits but I try not to stick to anything rigidly in any of my creative life.

Do you have any favorite music websites/providers?
For discovering music Hype Machine is definitely my go-to site. It’s easy to find music that I like and discover new musicians. There’s also usually a plethora of free, linked music to get through there.

If I don’t want to do any active DJ-ing I will likely wind up on Pandora because it’s really good at following my instructions when I tell it about the type of songs that I do or don’t want on a station.

Does music influence your work?
Music absolutely influences my work. It’s not necessarily visible but it helps me to hold together a continuum of my thoughts as I try to digest design problems or develop ideas. If there is a design that I’m working on with a certain visual quality to it, though, I might try to match the musical style to that so that my mind can more easily get into the groove of thinking about that aesthetic and feeling. It also enables me to work better by putting a backdrop to the day so that I don’t become distracted by irrelevant problems or tasks.

Where do you find music recommendations? Who influences your musical taste?
I mentioned Hype Machine earlier, so that’s one major place that I find recommendations. There are lots of different venues for following rabbit trails of new tunes. Just start reading music blogs and you’ll find tons of new stuff. I also do a periodic survey of my friends to see who’s found new music that they think is particularly wonderful.

What song or artist best represents the work you create?
My style and way of working varies, but whatever the project, Rufus Wainwright is always a fantastic match. His work is very grand, based in classical composition, but is modern in its execution and has a lot of variety. He shies away from getting trapped into one style of expression, allowing experiences and new knowledge to influence his pieces over time. I subscribe to the belief that a designer should not cultivate their own sense of aesthetics exclusively. Rather, they should respond to the client or design challenges at hand in a way that is tailored to that specific situation, much as a set designer creates space that responds to and enhances the interactions of characters. In this way I think that my personal methods as well as my outcome are represented well by Mr. Wainwright’s own.

Ideal place to sit and listen to your playlist:
The Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman and the Mirra Chair.

I really think this pair of seats would be best, because I don’t like to stick to one thing long enough to get stuck in a groove or to know what to expect next. My playlist goes back and forth between dreamy, free-thinking music and more beat-driven, work-motivating tunes. So between these two seats, both the conceptual idea phase and the design execution phases are accommodated.

Amelie’s Playlist:
1. The Man Who Told Everything, Doves
2. Le Long De La Rivière Tendre, Sébastien Tellier
3. Caravan, Husky Rescue
4. 1969, Boards of Canada
5. Fingers, The Seatbelts
6. Mer du Japon, Air
7. You Hear Colours, Cfcf
8. Special, Mew
9. Vision One, Röyksopp
10. 14th Street, Rufus Wainwright*
11. The Old Days, Dr. Dog*

*Two artists Amélie “could listen to endlessly.”

Photos: Amélie-Phaine Keller

1. “The Untold Story of How the Aeron Chair Was Born” at Co.Design.

2. 12 backyard office pods from Inthralld.

3. Designs by Charles and Ray Eames (molded plastic chairs, an Eames Aluminum Group Side Chair) found by Automatism.

4. Jauntsetter’s tour of Zubehaus, the upstate New York home owned by Fab.com founder Bradford Shellhammer.

5. This clip from 1967 featuring Walter Cronkite previewing 21st-century technology — and his foreshadowing of how it could change the way we work at home — via FORA.tv.

6. Six things to know when setting up a home office from Kiplinger.

7. The light and airy home of Jesper and Majbritt in Copenhagen, Denmark, spotted by Lovenordic Design Blog.

8. ArchDaily’s look at Interstice, a settlement house from the 1930s rehabilitated by Fabi Architekten BDA in Regensburg, Germany.

9. The just-opened AETHER shop in San Francisco made entirely of shipping containers (and decorated with a pair of Eames Lounge Chairs) via The Fox Is Black.

10. Normann Szkop’s inspiring aerial photos of tulip fields in the Netherlands at Colossal.

Featured in photo: Eames Sofa; Eames Wire Base Elliptical Table; Eames Molded Plywood Lounge Chair with upholstered seat and back

1. The tour of Hodgson House, the 1950′s home of Herman Miller consulting creative directors Craig Bassam and Scott Fellows, at Mr. Porter.

2. “Where I Work,” a new LinkedIn photo series featuring the workspaces of various thought leaders.

3. New York City’s first prefab apartment tower, scheduled to rise in 2015, featured at Co.Design.

4. “30 Cozy Attic Home Office Design Ideas” at Homedit.

5. A step inside the Nervous System design firm in Boston via Design Milk.

6. “Insanely Simple Work-Life Balance Shortcuts From People Who ‘Have It All’” at Fast Company.

7. Automatism’s post on the house that recently won the “Danish Fairest Home” contest. (We particularly like the Eames Aluminum Group Lounge Chair in the den.)

8. DesignTAXI’s coverage of a new app that “gives your photos a ‘mid-century modern’ twist.”

9. This review of the upcoming book Irving Harper: Works in Paper at Collectors Weekly.

10. The quietly dramatic L House by Florian Busch Architects in Japan, found by ArchDaily.

Featured in photo: Scissor Chairs; Tuxedo Corner Sofa with Attached Sofa; Noguchi Table; Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman, White Ash; Eames Walnut Stools

New York City graphic designer and illustrator Christopher Dina‘s work ranges from identity and print work to wayfinding and environmental graphics, including a recent collaboration with his wife – herself an interior designer – on a children’s clinic in Japan. Chris draws inspiration from his love of illustration and painting, travel, and music like the eclectic pop and indie tracks of this week’s Playlist.

What do you listen to while you work?
I listen to whatever is inspirational and anything that serves as a good backdrop to the work I am doing. If I’m coming up with ideas or sketching I prefer something softer and melodic, perhaps with some electronic or jazz influences – and if I’m cruising along then I can really listen to almost anything. There are also times when I choose music based on the type of project I am doing.

How do you listen?
I prefer computer speakers – I can step away from the desk and move around freely without disrupting the tone I’ve set. The iTunes Radio is nice for a little randomness and I’ll use headphones when I want to listen to music more finely.

Do you have any favorite music websites/providers?
iTunes is really great for seeing what’s new and sampling artists.

Does music influence your work?
The music I like to listen to relaxes me, its creates a space for me to think and generate ideas and sketches when I design. It allows my thoughts to go places which can lead to some pleasant surprises creatively.The influence is usually more direct if I am painting or drawing since sound, emotion, movement and physically making the mark are more closely connected.

Where do you find music recommendations? Who influences your musical taste?
I find music recommendations everywhere, friends, other designers, the outside environment. I think for me it has always been about exploration and being open to new artists and sounds.

What song or artist best represents the work you create?
I don’t know if there is one artist but I can say that pop music may best represent the work I create. I seem to gravitate toward pop-art sensibilities, bold colors, geometric shapes, and pattern in my work. The Pet Shop Boys are definitely at the convergence point of music I enjoy and design I love; their packaging, set designs and costumes have always been incredibly inspiring.

Ideal place to sit and listen to your playlist:
Although I have many favorites – the Aeron chair which I sit in at the office is simply amazing, both on a comfort and aesthetic level – the ideal place to sit and listen to my playlist is on an Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman (Black Cow Leather with Walnut Veneer). The Eames Lounge Chair is sophisticated and iconic in its form, a timeless modern classic which I think makes it a great match for my mix. Also perfect because it will totally elevate your level of comfort and listening enjoyment.

Chris’s Playlist:
1. Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots Pt. 1, Flaming Lips
2. Photograph, Air
3. Carrion, British Sea Power
4. The Origin of Love, Mika
5. Fake Plastic Trees, Radiohead
6. Hoppipolla, Sigur Ros
7. Girls, Death In Vegas
8. History Chimes, Echo And The Bunnyman
9. You Don’t See Me, Keane
10. The Wanderer, Johnny Cash
11. Home And Dry, Pet Shop Boys

Photos: Chris Dina

Jeff’s work ranges from product and experience design, to designing Evernote’s building and physical workspaces. Previously Jeff founded the SF office for Hamburg-based Factor Design, launching products for Apple, Google and Coca-Cola just to name a few. Take note of Jeff’s diverse work and listening habits in our first Playlist of 2013.

What do you listen to while you work?
I usually need to listen to music that is more ambient so I can keep my thoughts straight and do the writing I need to for my work. My early years were spent listening to groups such as the Austrian duo Kruder and Dorfmeister. I also lived and worked in Berlin during the early 90′s when this kind of music and techno was booming.These early experiences made it easier for me to enjoy a wider range of music today.

How do you listen?
At the office, when I am working on a deadline or if I have uninterrupted work time in the evening, I will wear my basic Apple ear buds so I can still hear the ambient noise around me while signaling to others “I’m busy.” At home, I have multiple Sonos speakers set up throughout the house so my wife and I can listen to music in say, the dining room, and the kids can listen to their music downstairs while they are playing. In addition to being a great wireless system for an old house, the desktop and iOS controllers make the Sonos system perfect for a connected family like ours.

Do you have any favorite music websites/providers?
I have been a happy paid subscriber of Spotify since their launch in 2010. Buying music one song at a time through iTunes is too prohibitive and kills the discovery process for me. The lack of control with other subscription services such as Pandora and Internet radio services are annoying. I really appreciate the flexibility and the control Spotify affords. Plus, the Sonos system integrates seamlessly with Spotify.

Does music influence your work?
I rely on music more to help push me to get work done rather than provide inspiration or open up new avenues of exploration. I have been fortunate to work with and meet some famous rock-and-roll photographers on a few projects, ranging from the launch of the Apple iPod to some charity work we did through my studio, Factor Design. The most notable of those photographers was Jim Marshall, the famous photographer responsible for iconic images such as Johnny Cash flipping the bird, the last shot of the Beatles coming off the stage at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, and thousands more. We did pro bono work for a Multiple Sclerosis organization in San Francisco Jim steadfastly supported up until his death called “MS Friends.” MS Friends held a Rock and Roll photography gala and auction twice a year and we designed the identity and promotions for it. Meeting many of these photographers and hearing stories about touring with bands like Led Zeppelin, the Rolling Stones, the Doors, and others illuminated decades of musical history for me and make the images that much more vivid to me.

Where do you find music recommendations? Who influences your musical taste?
Now that there are third-party apps that are integrated within Spotify, I like to use many of those to help find new artists and broaden my horizons. I frequently listen to the We Are Hunted app which features emerging artists.

What song or artist best represents the work you create?
On a purely aspirational level, someone like Peter Gabriel. I grew up with his music and the stories they presented. As an artist, he has clearly been on a life-long quest to listen, learn and recast himself based on his experiences and influences at every given stage of his life. You certainly would not call him one-dimensional.

Ideal place to sit and listen to your playlist:
Kicking back in the Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman, MCL black leather with oiled walnut. It’s relaxing and comfy and is the perfect place to listen and think — regardless of how comfortable the couch might be.

Jeff’s Playlist:
1. Dirty Little Secret, The Chevin
2. What’s The Matter, Milo Greene
3. Ho Hey, The Lumineers
4. Escape in the Afternoon, French Films
5. It’s Alright, Matt & Kim
6. Daniel, Bat For Lashes
7. Sun, Two Door Cinema Club
8. Demons, Imagine Dragons
9. Love Is Greed, Passion Pit
10. Aeolus, Freelance Whales

Photos: Jeff Zwerner

1. Aeron Chair, Bill Stumpf and Don Chadwick - Sweeping away virtually every tenet of traditional workplace seating, the Aeron has become one the most well-known ergonomic office chairs ever made. Its form-fitting Pellicle suspension supports and cools, moving as you move, no matter what size and shape you might be. Choose from three frame finishes and eight seat and back fabrics to create a distinctive seating solution, on sale now at Herman Miller.

2. Nelson Swag Leg Desk, George Nelson - With its gracefully curved legs, unencumbered work surface, and cheerful cubbies, the Swag Leg Desk answers to the call of our modern, increasingly compact world. Combine it with an Eames Wire Chair for a perfect mid-century pairing. Find them both on sale at Herman Miller.

3. Eames Sofa, Charles and Ray Eames - Combining simplified form and high-quality materials and craftsmanship, the Eames Sofa yields stunning design beauty and luxurious comfort. Its gently angled silhouette unites rich walnut or teak, sumptuous leather upholstery, and polished aluminum for a truly modern design in home or office. Explore all the options, now 15% off, at Herman Miller.

4. Noguchi Table, Isamu Noguchi - Sculptural, perfectly-balanced, and visionary, the three-piece Noguchi Table is a design classic — simple, but never plain. Created in the 1940s, the design acclimates effortlessly to 21st-century living. Get the classic Noguchi, on sale, from Herman Miller.

5. Nelson Basic Cabinet Series, George Nelson - The best storage solutions are functional, efficient, and most of all versatile, just like the Basic Cabinet Series. Create a custom solution from an array of configurations utilizing cabinets, shelving, and even the Platform Bench. Save 15% on yours now at Herman Miller.

6. Eames Hang-It-All, Charles and Ray Eames - Beguiling pops of style and ever-present functionality defined much of the Eameses work, capturing our imagination and attention. Marrying their signature wire lattice construction with vibrant, solid-wood knobs, Charles and Ray created a hat and coat rack with a real hook. Get your Hang-It-All, on sale now, at Herman Miller.

Images: Herman Miller

What do you listen to while you work?
Mainly to things that are fairly mellow, like Bon Iver, Band of Horses, and Blind Pilot. And apparently I only listen to things that start with the letter “B”…

How do you listen?
Typically with headphones and my laptop.

Do you have any favorite music websites/providers?
A friend just introduced me to an amazing site – Rdio. I also use Pandora and stream NPR’s All Songs Considered.

Does music influence your work?
I’m a writer, so I’m sort of naturally attracted to story songs. I’m amazed how songwriters like the Decemberists‘ Colin Meloy only need a few minutes to tell an epic tale. I suppose the same is true of copywriting. You only get a few words to capture the reader and convey an impactful message.

Where do you find music recommendations? Who influences your musical taste?
David Dye and World Café have changed my life. The man’s taste is impeccable.

What song or artist best represents the work you create?
I help with the development of Herman Miller’s online product campaigns, and the messaging always speaks to the timelessness and innovation of our designs. So it would have to be someone like Tori Amos or Bjork— both amazing musicians who aren’t afraid to take risks.

Ideal place to sit and listen to your playlist:
My playlist is mellow but also challenging — to really appreciate the songs you need to listen to the words. So it would definitely be an Eames Lounge Chair — a beautiful place to settle in and enjoy the songs as the stories unfold.

Mindy’s Playlist:
1. The Story I Heard, Blind Pilot
2. Live and Die, The Avett Brothers
3. In My Time, Kurt Vile
4. We Both Go Down Together, The Decemberists
5. No One’s Gonna Love You, Band of Horses
6. I’m Writing a Novel, Father John Misty
7. Romulus, Sufjan Stevens
8. Bloodbuzz Ohio, The National
9. Velcro, Bell X1
10. Heaven, The Walkmen

Photos: Mindy Koschmann/David Foster

Give us a little insight into your background. I am an artist by nature and a graphic designer by profession. I’ve been drawing as long as I can remember. My earliest memories are of my mother drawing words in bubble letters and me coloring them in. As a child, I was an avid comic book collector, often doodling my own comics mostly consisting of army ants and nuclear dinosaurs. After high school, I enrolled at the Art Institute of California’s San Diego campus. I knew I wanted to do something creative for a living and I liked working with computers, so it was an easy decision to major in graphic design. While in school, I worked part-time for a print shop near campus, learning the in-and-out’s of the print industry. The hands-on experience I was learning at the shop was more than I was learning at school, so I left college after two years and returned home to the Bay area. I put together a portfolio of school projects so I could look for a job. It turned out the print company who printed my portfolio was looking for a designer, so I began working for them. I bounced around different print shops for about eight years before starting my own business as a freelance graphic designer and print broker.

What year was your studio established? What led to that point? I began working in my current studio in 2004. While in college, I began experimenting on canvas. I was interested in showing art in galleries and began submitting my work to group shows in the area. The living room of my apartment quickly became my studio: art on one side, design on the other, somewhere in the middle was the couch, TV, and other clutter. It was obvious that I needed a dedicated creative space, but I didn’t have much money, as the print shop I worked for wasn’t paying much.

My grandfather, a retired general contractor, built a workshop in the early 1980s for his wood-working hobbies. The space was perfect — he had everything an artist needed: a light table, a projector, a large drafting table, and a wood-burning stove to keep warm on cold days. He loved working with his hands and his personal projects kept him young. We ended up sharing the studio for few years until he passed at the age of 92. Times working next to him, often on the same project, are some of my fondest memories with him. I’ve continued to work in the studio, transforming it to suit my needs, but still leaving room for his wood-working tools.

Tell us what you’re passionate about, what inspires you, and where you’re going. Art and design consume most of my time. When I’m not creating, I’m studying other artists work and technique, researching future pieces, and day-dreaming about what they might look like. I also love baseball. I find it most relaxing to work in the studio with a Giants baseball game on the radio. Though I wouldn’t consider myself a math brain, I’m fascinated by the statistics and percentages in sports.

What inspires me is always hard to answer. The world around me is inspiring. Daily experiences, my friends — most of whom are artists and designers. I’m inspired by books because I like to imagine what the story looks like. Dreams often find their way into my work. Architecture blows my mind, especially Victorian-era buildings.

I can’t tell you where I’m going because I don’t think I know myself. I love being creative. I’m fortunate to have the resources and space I have. Art has taken me on some incredible experiences. With every show and mural, I become more confident that art is where I need to be focusing my time. Not knowing what’s next inspires me to work harder. I have faith that everything will work out and that if you concentrate on something long enough, anything is obtainable.

Were there any special considerations that influenced the studio’s set-up? What would you change if you could? The studio space is special to me for the very fact that I’m carrying on something my grandfather started. The space itself isn’t very big. One room, about 400 square feet. No running water, but lucky for me, there’s a faucet nearby to wash brushes. The heater is a wood-burning stove, but the climate in California is pretty mild and I don’t build a lot of fires. The space is perfect for what I need it for. I have room to paint, shelves for supplies, and desk for my computer. Yogi, the sweetest 13-year-old dog ever, keeps me company every day, often laying at my feet while I work. I wish the space was a little larger and had more natural lighting, but I make it work.

You have an Embody Chair and your grandfather’s Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman in the studio. Tell us how these both came to be. I do design work for Trope Group in Santa Rosa, CA. On occasion, I go into the office to discuss design and marketing strategies. They have a showroom where I enjoy test-driving the chairs on display. I’m not one to splurge on office furniture. Most of what I have now are hand-me-downs or pieces donated from past employers. I liked to imagine how nice it would be to have a real office chair. And then I sat down in an Embody chair and fell in love. The relief it gave my back was instantly noticeable. So I bought one and use it every day. I’ve yet to regret the purchase for a second. I love the look on someone’s face when they sit in the chair for the first time.

The Eames Lounge is something that I’ve known my whole life. It’s been in the family longer than I have. As a child, I remember curling up and napping in it, waiting for the adults to finish talking about things I didn’t understand. I never knew anything about the chair until a few years ago. It was always just a comfortable leather chair that was great to sit in with a good book or listen to music. So out of curiosity, I asked my mother about chair. This is the story she told me.

“In the summer of 1963, we moved into a 1940′s stucco house in San Anselmo. It had a large, well-lit area — empty except for a dining table and three chairs at one end, a hi-fi at the other, four Parsons-style end tables, and a matching coffee table (made by my cabinetmaker grandfather). It was the heyday of Swedish modern, and my parents were both working and had saved enough money to have — for the first time in their lives — a living room that was in style.

So off we went one Saturday to buy furniture in San Francisco. It’s probable that from his former profession in architecture, my dad had cards that got him into high-quality showrooms.

I was 16, the decorating gene had skipped me. What I loved were books, so armed with a copy of ‘Betsy in Spite of Herself’ by Maud Hart Lovelace (Betsy and I were the same age), I planned to spend the day reading in comfortable chairs.

They bought, that day, a mustard and grey Swedish modern sofa, a black Swedish modern chair, and a 3″ x 5″ red Rya rug. I was underwhelmed: they were uncomfortable and, to my eyes, ugly; the mustard was a disgusting color and all three items were wool — to which I was allergic.

However, I’d had a splendid time with Betsy, curled up in a seriously comfortable chair. When they were ready to leave, they came to find me. ‘Do we have to leave?’ I asked, stretching in the Eames Lounge.

They looked, not at me, but at the chair. They knew what it was; they’d admired Charles and Ray Eames for years. And they needed one more chair.

The rest is history. If you look at the feet, you’ll see scratch marks from Jack, the Springer spaniel puppy who hated being left alone and took it out on the furniture: he gnawed the Eames Chair legs, jumped on the coffee table so often his claws gouged out long tracks, and tore up feather pillows on the Rya rug. So much for style.”

Photos: Ricky Watts

Spotlighting Eames-made material never exhibited before (much of it rare), this show at the PM Gallery and House takes a look at the creative process the pair — and architect and a painter — used to meet the needs of each design project they undertook. (“Recognizing the need is the primary condition for design,” Charles once said.) The exhibition runs through November 3. Per the Eames Office, plans are in the works to bring the show to Santa Monica at the end of 2013.

Get details at ealing.gov.uk. For an insightful video overview from the BBC featuring Charles and Ray’s grandson Eames Demetrios and curator Carol Swords, visit bbc.co.uk.

Image: hermanmiller.com/discover

What do you listen to while you work?
I listen a broad spectrum of music while working. I share a studio space with my partners from More & Co. and we often share the DJ-ing responsibilities. On a day when we are all working together in the studio, it’s not strange for us to go from soul to house to hip-hop to rock… then to the news and back again. When I am working alone I tend to gravitate to atmospheric sounds regardless of the genre. Right now, I have a rekindles love affair with techno — real, proper techno. I find that I can really just get lost in it.

How do you listen?
I have a dedicated laptop that holds all of my music files and also doubles as a music production system (I’m dabbling in some minimal electronic compositions). I have a speaker system connected to that. I also have turntables and a mixer set up. I’d say I listen to more vinyl than anything else. I started spinning records in 1991 and have amassed a pretty nice, diverse collection.

Do you have any favorite music websites/providers?
Online, I really like XLR8R, Ghostly Music Service, Aquarium Drunkard, White Light Mixes, Pitchfork, and Mog. I often find or preview stuff on sites like these and then download them or go buy the vinyl. My preferred way to acquire music is through record stores. I still love to go and dig.

Does music influence your work?
Absolutely. I’m honestly not sure exactly how, but I know it does. If I had to guess, I’d say it all started when I got my first Depeche Mode or New Order records. The cover art was a huge part of defining the music in my mind. Then I discover jazz and the rest is history. There are so many images I could show you as examples of how music influences my work. I could really show you pretty much my entire archive, but in an effort to save time, here are three recent examples.

Where do you find music recommendations? Who influences your musical taste?
Besides the websites I mentioned earlier, I have a handful of friends who, like me, are always open to something new. In fact, I have a friend visiting this week. We went digging through used record stores yesterday. He turned me onto an Ethiopian/Latin jazz record that is amazing. I found him Eno’s Ambient 1: Music for Airports. Score.

What song or artist best represents the work you create?
Wow, that’s a tough question. I make a lot of different kinds of work. Sometimes it’s bright and playful and other times it’s more serious. Ultimately, I try to make intelligent work… so I’d have to go with someone who has that vibe in my mind. Maybe Damon Albarn or Badly Drawn Boy. I would love to hear how someone other than me would answer this question.

Ideal place to sit and listen to your playlist:
Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman in walnut veneer with black leather. I have this exact one sitting a few feet from my turntables. After I record a mix, I sit down and listen from it. It is perfect for my mix because it’s comfortable and it’s too beautiful.

Christopher’s Playlist:

1. The Sea Horse, Yo La Tengo
2. As Quick As It Comes / Carrera, Calla
3. And Then So Clear, Brian Eno
4. A Beautiful Place in the Country, Boards of Canada
5. The Order of Things, Badly Drawn Boy
6. Bike, Autechre
7. Idiot Country, Electronic
8. Voodoo Ray, A Guy Called Gerald
9. With A Professional, Dabrye
10. The House Always Wins, The Clientele
11. Inn Keeping, The Sea And Cake
12. Green Aisles, Real Estate

Photos: Christopher David Ryan

Ample desk space and a flexible Mirra Chair help a busy business traveler stay on task at the Hilton Garden Inn Frankfurt Airport. Photo: hiltongardeninn3.hilton.com

Designed by Terence Conran, the Charles and Ray Eames Room in London’s Boundary hotel lives up to its name: an Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman, Aluminum Group Management Chair, Wire Base Low Table, and Hang-It-All all call the space home. Photo: Paul Raeside and Lisa Linder / theboundary.co.uk

Once home to 19th-century tobacco and Bourbon warehouses, the very artsy 21c Museum Hotel now keeps Aeron Chairs in its spacious guest rooms and suites in Louisville, KY. Photo: 21cmuseumhotels.com

A collection of Aeron Chairs keep meetings comfortable in the business center of downtown Chicago’s Sofitel Chicago Water Tower. Photo: sofitel.com

A compact (yet efficient) guest-room workspace offers the use of a Mirra Chair in New York’s Wyndham Garden Chelsea Hotel. Photo: wyndham.com

The luxe Gene Autry Residence (yes, that Gene Autry) at the Parker Palm Springs contains an Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman to keep guests, ahem, humming right along. Photo: theparkerpalmsprings.com

Have you spotted any Herman Miller furnishings during your business travels? Let us know about it in the Comments section now.

How long have you been working as a mobilist? What drew you to it? I guess I’m really just a guy who does art and happens to be making art that moves. I started selling my mobiles in 2008, but had been tinkering with shape, form, and movement for many years prior. I started with the goal of selling one mobile that year — and ended up selling over 100.

Ultimately, what’s kept me in love with mobiles is my love of modern design and its clarity of expression. It may sound like self-obvious, but I just love the way mobiles move. There’s something so simple, so graceful, so true about it. They belie the very air that is always swirling around us and expose this invisible “stuff,” making it real, tangible in pretty magical ways. Mobiles bump up against something that is unseen and collaborate with it to make something wholly dynamic, always changing. The results, for me, are hypnotic, meditative. They allow for something — the truest definition of creative energy, I guess — where the outcome is so much more than its pieces, a cooperation, a showing up, a serendipitous alliance.

But, really, they’re just cool.

What inspires you in your work? I’ve always done some kind of art and am a writer by profession, so I guess I’ve always liked making things with my hands. Once I discovered how deceptively difficult mobiles were to make well (there are no less than 18 stages every one of my mobiles goes through), I think I was motivated by the challenge to create forms that can appear ridiculously simple, but require a fair amount of technical work to make it so.

But, that’s not like inspiration-inspiration, is it? As boring as it may sound, I am inspired by visually-pleasing things and, I suppose that mobiles — when done right — satisfy that in me. Without trying to sound corny, I love the random symmetry of drops of water clinging to the hood of a waxed car, or the satisfying progression of the leaves on a Mountain Ash as they turn from green to gold to red in fall, or the faultless vertical lines of a suspension bridge. And, really, I’m inspired most by the simple pleasure people seem to get when they watch one of my mobiles. It’s kid-like and that’s fun to be a part of in some small way.

Tell us about your studio space. Any special considerations in its set-up? My workspace is split into two halves that couldn’t be more different. For half the mobile-making process, I work in one of the more barefoot-unfriendly places you’ll ever visit. It’s fitted with all the tools of the trade, including sanders, drills, metal files, and an assortment of clippers, nippers, and pliers. And, it’s got a ragtag paint booth, shards of metal poking out here and there, steel dust floating in the air, and countless colored cans of paint ready to explode. Then, if I’m lucky enough to survive that part of the process, the actual creation and assembly of my mobiles happens in an obsessively clean indoor space where I recline in a modern, but beat-up chair sporting a red leather cushion with a converted, rolling Nordisk Andels Eksport as my work table. Most definitely modest, but it does the trick.

Your work is inspired by Alexander Calder. It’s interesting: some pieces by Charles and Ray Eames seem to be perfectly partnered with a Calder-esque mobile hanging above them. What’s your take?

Ah, Eames and Calder. Close your eyes. You can see it, can’t you? For me, their work epitomizes the beauty, pragmatism, and genius of the modern design movement.

There’s an iconic picture from Charles Eames’ 1946 show at MoMA where his new molded plywood lounge chair is sharing the photo with a Calder stabile that is so clean, so crisp, so right. That was right around the time that the Eameses started with Herman Miller, too.

As for Calder and the Eameses, in their own very different, yet complimentary ways, they were all relentlessly interested in curvilinear form, spatial relationships, and color.

You just have to look at the most well-known furniture by Eames — pieces like the signature lounge chair and ottoman, molded plywood folding screens, molded plastic armchairs, and aluminum group management chairs — and you can see the way line, shape, and palette were so important to them. And, obviously, you can see the exact same attentions across Calder’s body of work. I dig that.

All were seemingly fearless in their art and never satisfied — always driven by what came next.

Experimenters, tinkerers, paradigm busters. How can you not like that about them?

Photos: Mark Leary

1. “The Home Office – a Visual Guide” from The Globe and Mail

2. The New York Times‘ feature on photographer Julius Shulman, who was known for shooting the Eames House in Los Angeles (among many others).

3. Want to see more of the Eames house? Get a look inside with these videos at Mental Floss.

4. Inspired by this office in the woods found by Inthralld.

5. Lots of smart advice over at workfromhomewisdom.com.

6. The video of the Dragon Skin Pavilion of hi-tech bent wood at Co.Design.

7. “Why Eames Matters” at Maharam.

8. “Email Tips: 5 Ways to Get Action” at Inc.

9. Creative Director Garrett Murray’s review of the Mirra Chair — and his thoughts on our Embody Chair — on Maniacal Rage. (And don’t forget — you can now share your own reviews at the Herman Miller store.)

10. Another reminder: today is Arbor Day. Learn about it at arborday.org…then get outside and celebrate.

It’s a great picture-driven timeline giving you a distinct glimpse into the design lives of Ray and Charles Eames. We’re running a giveaway in conjunction with the site. Just enter your email for a chance to win an Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman.

Watch Charles & Ray Eames: The Architect and the Painter on PBS. See more from AMERICAN MASTERS.

I also mentioned at the beginning of summer that we would be offering Magis pieces. Well, you will now find Konstantin Grcic’s Chair_One at the Herman Miller store. This is an iconic piece of design that we are proud to include in our furniture collection.

Look out for more on these pieces in the coming weeks.