1. Love Heart PLYprint, $95.00 Made from formaldehyde-free maple plywood, this panel honors designer Alexander Girard’s playful graphic style and commitment to using natural materials. Get it: modernseed.com

2. Bon Journey Bag, $70.00 Hand-painted on cotton canvas, this study carryall is perfect for toting a portfolio to a client meeting—and big enough for a weekend getaway (it is Valentine’s Day, after all). Get it: thenewdomestic.com

3. Libratone Live Speaker, from $699.95 This simple (yet striking) audio solution lets you stream music wirelessly from an iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, or Mac/PC using Apple’s AirPlay technology. Get it: libratone.com

4. Twist a Twill Blanket, $139.00 The triangular shapes found in traditional twill patterns inspired the design of Tina Ratzer’s cozy wool blanket. Get it: gretelhome.com

5. Eames Molded Plywood Lounge Chair, $909.00 Time magazine declared Charles and Ray Eames’ chairs The Best Design of the 20th Century: “something elegant, light, and comfortable. Much copied, but never bettered.” Get it: hermanmiller.com

6. Josiah Lighting, from $200.00 A braided textile cable in bold crimson makes designer Terence Woogate’s bone-china hanging pendant pop. Get it: thefutureperfect.com

Photos: Linked to sources within text.

The nice thing about this site is you can search by name or type (or even color). The not so great thing is the lack of info on each ad. The image above is tagged  ”Alcoa Aluminum Unit Girard Design Charles Eames (1957)”. It reminds me of the Eames living room and also the Miller House in Columbus, Indiana. And it’s just one of an amazing array of vintage images to inspire you.

1. The Quatrefoil Pink Pillow by Maharam, $150.00 Perk up the place with this cushion by noted colorist and textile designer Alexander Girard, who helped build the Herman Miller Textile Division beginning in 1952. Get it: Velocity Art and Design

2. SomerTile Porcelain Mosaic Tile, $88.99 for a pack of 10 This lantern-white tile can be used indoors or out. Get it: Overstock.com

3. Fallon Rug, starting at $73.00 Designer Jill Rosenwald’s simple, geometric pattern is available in six sizes and thirteen color combinations. Get it: jillrosenwald.com

4. 2012 Weekly Planner 2012, approximately $41.63 Keep your whole year organized in this old-school paper planner. (Bonus: it contains a world map and an address registry.) Get it: Nauli

5. Quatrefoil Blank Notecard, $3.50 Say thank you (or just hello) to a favorite client using a memorable card like this one printed on ivory cardstock from a hand-carved linocut. Get it: Cursive Arts

“We followed  Alexander Girard where he led us because we knew he had impeccable taste and incredible astuteness about space, color and pattern. He provided…emotional attachment.” That was DJ De Pree, Herman Miller’s founder. His relationship with Girard began in 1952 when the designer was hired to head the fabric and textile division. Over the next 20 years Girard’s work with Herman Miller brought him together with designers like the Eameses and George Nelson. His colorful textiles incorporated geometric patterns and  folk art-inspired images that gave life and vibrancy to the company’s furniture designs.

It seems fitting with Valentine’s Day fast approaching to take a look at his “Love Heart” (1972) and the “International Heart”(1967) Girard, who grew up in Florence, Italy,  said “the whole world must know about itself…The colors vary, their languages vary, but their spirits and aspirations are interwoven into one incredible rich humanity.” The ‘International Heart’ with the word love in 16 languages certainly speaks to that sentiment. In the 1967 Herman Miller catalog the “International Heart” is referred to as “Love Heart” and “A tribute of Love and Friendship to your wife, sweetheart, or customer.” A nice broad sweep there! The price? $2.25 for a 15 1/2 inch square.

While, for me, the singular “Love Heart” is a testament to Girard’s extraordinary skill as a designer. He has taken a simple graphic, boldly red heart and graphically imposed the word love inside it.

And to finish here are some inspiring words from Girard: “The hope for good design lies in those designers who believe in what they do, and who will only do what they believe … contrary to hearsay, it is possible to make a living that way.”  I think that rings true for all of us.