1. A quick tour inside the Ray Eames exhibit at the California Museum in Sacramento via Esoteric Survey.

2. Le Prado, a warm, welcoming home near the beaches of Marseilles, France, spotted by Design Milk.

3. More from Marseilles, this time from Contemporist: the simple and elegant Vieux Port Pavilion by Foster + Partners.

4. Co.Design’s peek inside a new book on Irving Harper, who designed Herman Miller’s logo and contributed to the design of George Nelson’s Marshmallow Sofa.

5. A surprising house design by Aires Mateus in Leiria, Portugal, found at I Need a Guide.

6. The Makoko Floating School project by NLÉ architects at designboom.

7. Remodelista’s roundup of “smart and skinny” houses in Japan.

8. Great shots by photographer Alan Wanzenberg at Plastolux. (We’re fans of the nicely lit image of a pair of Eames Walnut Stools.)

9. This chat with David Calvin Laufer, who presents interviews with George Nelson, Charles and Ray Eames, and Buckminster Fuller, among others, in his book Dialogues with Creative Legends and Aha Moments in a Designer’s Career (via Peachpit).

10. The renovated LeRoy Neiman Center at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Be sure to check out its interesting combo of Eames designs and colorful Caper chairs. (Via Retail Design Blog.)

Featured in photo: Eames Molded Plastic Chair; Eames Aluminum Group Management Chair; Nelson X-Leg Table

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

As is quite clearly stated on his website, J. Zachary Keenan makes “marks for personal and profitable endeavors”. Keenan, who shares a South Minneapolis studio with his wife Caitlin as well as two original Eames chairs, makes marks that include everything from logo, identity and print campaigns, to product design, illustration and even music production. His music tastes cover just as much ground, as you’ll hear in this week’s Playlist.

What do you listen to while you work?
Everything, literally. Motown, garage rock, jazz, shoegaze, folk, Hawaiian, etc. Almost anything that’s been released from the Ghostly International label finds it’s way into my work day.

How do you listen?
A pair of Grado Labs SR 80 headphones—really light, so I can wear ‘em for long stretches of time. And the open-air design let’s me hear what’s going on around me (like my son waking up from his nap in the next room).

Do you have any favorite music websites/providers?
After years of organizing and archiving a combination of MP3s and vinyl, I’m almost embarrassed to admit that Spotify has become my one-stop-shop for just about everything.

Does music influence your work?
It does. Not necessarily in aesthetics—maybe more so in attitude. Music is always an important part of the studio environment, but never just playing “in the background”. I hope that the creative work I produce plays a similar role in people’s lives.

Where do you find music recommendations? Who influences your musical taste?
Most of my friends and family have really great musical tastes. I think the seasons have the biggest influence on what I’m in the mood to hear.

What song or artist best represents the work you create?
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band. I’m not saying that I’m anywhere close to that amazing. But I like to think that I have a similar value in craft and work ethic. And I’ll take “timeless” over “new hot” any day.

Ideal place to sit and listen to your playlist:
The ideal place to sit and listen to my playlist is an Eames Walnut Stool (in “A-shape” configuration) — because you may be sitting and listening, and then you might want to get up and dance.

J. Zachary’s Playlist:
1. Small Axe, Bob Marley & The Wailers
2. Shuffle, Bombay Bicycle Club
3. I Confess, The English Beat
4. Faded High, Gayngs
5. Lufuala Ndonga, Konono N°1
6. Police & Thieves, The Clash
7. Vapour Trail, Ride
8. Atlantic City (cover), The Hold Steady
9. Romulus – Sufjan Stevens
10. Asleep, The Smiths
11. Island, IS, Volcano Choir
12. Like Gold, Erlend Øye

Photos: Caitlin Keenan

*Opening on February 23, 2013, The California Museum in Sacramento presents “Ray Eames: A Century of Modern Design,” revealing “a new perspective on Ray’s 60-year career in the arts, along with her influence on American culture and significance in history as one of the 20th century’s most influential artists.”

1. Eames: Beautiful Details, by Eames Demetrios - This vibrant, portable Charles and Ray Eames “exhibit” explores not only the iconic designs of the husband-and-wife team, but the wit, joy, and poetry of their lives. Get yours from Amazon.

2. Eames Walnut Stool - Ray called on her training as a sculptor to design this multi-purpose stool, originally designed for the Time & Life Building in New York City. With its distinctive silhouette in solid walnut, the stool is everything from eye-catching sculpture, to seat and stool, to table and stand. Find them at Herman Miller.

3. Blik Eames Wall Adhesives - Ray’s textile prints, created in the 1940s, now reside in several museum collections. Thanks to Blik, they can now reside in your home as decorative wall designs. Choose from Ray’s Crosspatch and Circles designs in a variety of colors. Find yours at Blik.

4. Changing Her Palette: Paintings by Ray Eames - Before studying at Cranbrook Academy of Art (where she met Charles), Ray studied abstract expressionist painting with Hans Hoffman in New York. This essential 40-page catalog from her show at the Eames Office Gallery offers a wonderful look at her early artistic work. Available from the Eames Office.

5. Select Eames Wire Base Low Table - Celebrating Ray’s spirited style and contributions to design, Herman Miller presents playful interpretations of the Low Table in cobalt blue, yellow-gold, and red-orange. Add a dash of color and enormous versatility with the perfect small surface solution. See them at Herman Miller.

6. Sea Things Print Textile by Maharam - Part of the Maharam Twentieth Century Collection, Ray’s “Sea Things” textile design has been re-issued for the 21st century. The pattern, available as seating material in a range four colors, features the unique aquatic life Ray originally designed in the 1940s. Her Circles, Crosspatch, and famous Dot Pattern designs are also available. See them all at Maharam.