Herman Miller blog: Lifework » new york city

Above the High Line: Celebrating NY Design Week 2013

Amy Feezor — Mon, 20 May 2013 12:00:48 +0000

For this year’s New York Design Week, Herman Miller raised a toast — and gave special guests a glimpse of upcoming designs — at the High Line room of the Standard in downtown Manhattan’s Meatpacking District.

Playlist: Rebecca Baust of The Daily Muse

Jamie Latendresse — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 12:00:21 +0000

Whether you have only visited New York City, live there now, or have left it behind, nutritionist Rebecca Baust’s blog The Daily Muse is a sublime way to connect and reconnect with living and well-being in the Big Apple. She explores the cityscape and its lifestyle — sometimes with her husband Ed and their curly-haired Labradoodle Sam Wiggins — all the while sharing delectable ways to stay on the healthy side of city living. We get in on her delectable listening habits in this week’s Playlist.

What do you listen to while you work?
Sometimes I really prefer silence in order to concentrate. Though it’s never really silent in New York City. When the construction noise gets too much, most any guy with an acoustic guitar will make it to my playlist.

How do you listen?
Desktop computer speakers. We have an Eames Table in light ash that serves as our workspace. It’s a beautiful simple piece that I try to keep uncluttered. It’s too pretty to cover up.

Do you have any favorite music websites/providers?
Pandora is a good way to find new artists.

Does music influence your work?
I can’t say that it directly influences my work but I listen to certain artists based on my mood. I play a lot of Nickel Creek in the fall and Frank Sinatra around Christmastime.

Where do you find music recommendations? Who influences your musical taste?
I can be pretty lazy about finding new music. My husband and I share similar taste in music and he keeps me up to date. I usually get stuck in a music rut until one of my favorite artist produces a new album.

What song or artist best represents the work you create?
Chris Thile plays the mandolin and his music is smooth and methodical, but also kind of all over the place.

Ideal place to sit and listen to your playlist:
An Eames Lounge Chair. I’m a fan of easy-listening music that helps me relax and the lounge chair is a timeless piece to rest your feet.

Rebecca Baust’s Playlist:
1. Doubting Thomas, Nickel Creek
2. Autumn, Ben Rector
3. Everything Will Be Alright, Matt Wertz
4. Assassin, John Mayer
5. When You Come Back Down, Nickel Creek
6. How Long, Dave Barnes
7. Never Gonna Let You Go, Ben Rector
8. Heart in a Cage, Chris Thile
9. Fly Me to the Moon, Frank Sinatra
10. A Familiar Taste, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross (The Social Network Soundtrack)

Photos: Rebecca Baust

Itinerary: Celebrating “Archtober” in NYC

Amy Feezor — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 14:00:08 +0000

The start of October also marks the start of “Archtober” in New York City, a month-long festival of architecture activities, programs, and exhibitions. Here are a few events that we’ve currently got on our radar. For the full schedule (there are more than 100 events being held throughout the city), visit archtober.org.

Wednesday, October 3

Brooklyn Design Panel Discussion with Andrew Tarlow and Friends
Architect Morris Adjmi, restaurateur Andrew Tarlow, and designer Stefanie Brechbuehler of Workstead will discuss the changing face of the borough of Brooklyn. The minds behind the Wythe, the first boutique hotel the Brooklyn side of the East River, examine the gentrification of the neighborhood of Williamsburg and how it has paved the way for a new breed of design-centric high-end developments in Brooklyn. 6:30 – 8:30pm at Wythe Hotel, 80 Wythe Avenue, Brooklyn. Tickets are $20; get them here.

Saturday, October 6 and Sunday, October 7

Home Tours in Manhattan and Brooklyn
Dwell & New York Magazine’s City Modern Home Tours will take you behind the doors of ten private modern homes in Manhattan and Brooklyn (such as the Flowerbox Duplex in Manhattan’s East Village, above, in a photo by Elizabeth Felicella). Homes will be open to self-tour 10am – 4pm. Tickets are $120 for a Single-Day Ticket and $240 Weekend Pass; get them here.

Sunday, October 14

The Noguchi Museum Curator’s Tour
At this Queens museum dedicated to the work of artist Isamu Noguchi (designer of the Noguchi Table), associate curator Matthew Kirsch will lead a gallery discussion of Hammer Chisel, Drill: Noguchi’s Studio Practice and provide insights into Noguchi’s working process as seen through tools, photographs, film footage, and sculpture. 3pm, 9-01 33rd Road, Long Island City. General admission is $10; get info here.

Tuesday, October 16

AIANY/Center for Architecture Around Manhattan NYC Architectural Boat Tour
Step aboard The Manhattan, Classic Harbor Lines’ 1920′s-style yacht, for an educational around-Manhattan architecture tour hosted by architects and members of the American Institute of Architects New York Chapter (AIANY). The 2.75-hour cruise will completely circumnavigate the island of Manhattan (passing under all 18 bridges) while taking in the sites and architecture tour designed by AIANY. 2:00 – 4:45pm, Chelsea Piers (Pier 62), W. 22nd and Hudson River, Manhattan. Tickets are $75; get them here. Use Archtober discount code “ARCHOB5″ to receive $5 off.

Monday, October 15, 2012

National Design Awards Winners’ Panel
This special panel discussion features National Design Award winners sharing their inspiration and drive as designers. Moderated by Richard Saul Wurman, panelists will include Janine Benyus, Thom Browne, Rebeca Méndez, and Scott Wilson. 7:00 – 8:30pm, The Altman Building, 135 W 18th St., Manhattan. Get info here.

Thursday, October 18

IIDA New York Chapter COLOR INVASION 2012
Celebrate the 10th anniversary of one of the biggest and most anticipated industry parties of the year from the International Interior Design Association. 7:00pm, 548 West 22nd Street, Manhattan. General admission is $150; get tickets here.

Thursday, October 18 through Sunday, October 21

Architecture & Design Film Festival at Tribeca Cinemas
Now in its fourth season, ADFF has become the premier festival for showcasing films about architecture and design. This year’s festival will offer more than 25 films from around the world, panel discussions with design leaders and filmmakers, and architectural driving tours of lower Manhattan. Tribeca Cinemas, 54 Varick Street, Manhattan. Get tickets and information here.

Saturday, October 27 and Sunday, October 28

Designers & Books Fair
The first Designers & Books Fair will include approximately 35 U.S. and European design book publishers and booksellers displaying and selling new and backlist titles. Special discounts (up to 40%) will be available on many books. You’ll also find rare and out-of-print book dealers; demonstrations of book arts, including calligraphy, letterpress printing, and bookbinding; and book signings. Programming adjacent to the Fair will include presentations, interviews, and panel discussions with leading members of the international design community. 10:00am – 7:00pm on October 27, 10:00am – 5:00pm on October 28. The Conference Center at Fashion Institute of Technology, 27th Street and Seventh Avenue, Manhattan. Admission to the Fair is $10; program costs vary. Get tickets and info here.

Photo: Elizabeth Felicella / Dwell.com

Playlist: Designer Iris A. Brown

Jamie Latendresse — Wed, 12 Sep 2012 12:00:16 +0000

In the 13 years since Iris A. Brown Design was founded, Iris has collaborated with a non-stop cavalcade of creatives inside the vibrant New York City design community and its pulsing cultural machine. Her upbeat style and inexhaustible attention to detail has produced work for iconic NY institutions like Lincoln Center and the 92nd Street Y, as well as theaters, non-profits, wine importers, and textile manufacturers. When she’s not in her Aeron Chair working (“It was the most important piece of studio equipment I bought when I set up shop,” she says.), Iris is probably cooking, gardening in the Catskills, or exploring the eclectic musical mix that yielded this week’s Playlist. Take a listen.

What do you listen to while you work?
Just about any genre except “commercial pop” – world music, electronica, jazz through bluegrass and soul. It’s important for me to have a very eclectic mix of music, it somehow makes me feel at home in NYC maybe because it reflects the diversity of the city. It also keeps me from getting bored.

How do you listen?
I have a Bose speaker system hooked up to my desktop computer where all my music is stored. I have the studio to myself a lot so I can play the music loud without bothering anyone else which is useful…sometimes music just needs to be blasted, it helps get me motivated.

Do you have any favorite music websites/providers?
When I’m not sure what I feel like listening to I pretty much always go to Radio Paradise, they have a fantastic eclectic mix. For jazz I listen to WBGO out of Newark NJ and WFUV out of Fordham University for alternative and local artists. And John Schaffer’s Soundcheck always exposes me to something unusual. I do Pandora on occasion and am just starting to use Spotify. I buy music from Amazon and iTunes.

Does music influence your work?
When I am working on a project to showcase a musical artist, I’ll listen to that artist a lot to help me get the right feel. For the 92nd Street Y’s tribute to Burt Bacharach I must have listened to Steve Tyrell’s Back To Bacharach 50 times that week.

For other projects, like creating pieces to showcase the children of the 52nd Street Project, the music I listen to can take me in all sorts of unique directions. I created some surreal plant illustrations (above) while listening to a lot of K.D. Lang and Dusty Springfield. Go figure!

Where do you find music recommendations? Who influences your musical taste?
Designers I collaborate with have turned me on to a lot. My summer intern has incredible taste and she exposed me to many artists that are becoming new favorites. My 13-year-old son has very sophisticated taste and he’s always on the prowl for new tunes, so he’s introduced me to some gems. My husband provided me with an amazing base of jazz standards, classical, R&B, and punk.

We also have friends who are musicians and artists and they’re always excited to share what they are into. And a huge influence is my client Celebrate Brooklyn!, a summer-long, very eclectic music festival that literally reflects the diversity of that borough. There’s always artists I don’t know in their line-up and I’m always prepared to be blown away.

What song or artist best represents the work you create?
Impossible! It would have to be upbeat because my work exudes a certain positivity, and quirky because I couldn’t tolerate just one style of music to define my work. It needs to be colorful, joyful, engaging… maybe Blackbird by The Beatles? Love You Madly by Cake? Roman Blue from “Rome” by Danger Mouse & Daniele Luppi? David Bowie’s Oh! You Pretty Things? How can I choose just one?

Ideal place to sit and listen to your playlist:
The Eames Molded Plastic Armchair with Rocker Base in Aqua Sky, if possible in a room with a fabulous view.

Iris’s Playlist:
1. Theme of ”Rome,” Danger Mouse & Daniele Luppi
2. Anonanimal, Andrew Bird
3. Frank Sinatra, Cake
4. Bullet and a Target, Citizen Cope
5. Vaporize, Broken Bells
6. Paradise, Coldplay
7. Indra, Thievery Corporation
8. Believe, Ozomatli
9. Dum Maro Dum (Take Another Toke), Kronos Quartet
10. Batonga, Angélique Kidjo
11. 100 Days, 100 Nights, Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings
12. Cool Jerk, The Capitols

Photos: Iris Brown

Graphic Design—Now in Production

Amy Feezor — Mon, 27 Aug 2012 12:00:59 +0000

Since the days of George Nelson, graphic design has been a vital part of the Herman Miller culture — which is why we’re delighted that Brooklyn designer and illustrator Mike Perry‘s one-of-a-kind hand-painted Eames Molded Plastic Chair helps welcome visitors just near the entrance of Graphic Design—Now in Production, an exhibition co-organized by Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, and the Walker Art Center. Currently on display at New York City’s Governors Island, the show explores the state of graphic design today, looking at genres ranging from books, newspapers, and magazines, to branding, film and television, and posters (a topic near and dear to our hearts this summer). If you’re in the area, the show is on for one more week, and admission is free. Get details here, and in the meantime, check out a few photos from our recent visit.

Screenprints by Minneapolis-based design studio Aesthetic Apparatus

"Annual Reports" on the everyday activities of designer Nicholas Felton

Israeli designer Oded Ezer deconstructs Hebrew letterforms and the Helvetica font

"Iconic TV," a series of posters by Vienna-based designer Albert Exergian

Jeff Canham and Luke Bartels, "For the Birds," hand-painted bird house

Printed work by Ben Terret

Woodblock posters by Anthony Burrill

Field Notes, a Lifework favorite

Must-See Spots During Design Week NYC

Amy Feezor — Thu, 17 May 2012 14:43:40 +0000

Design Week NYC is again upon us — and these seven events are on our radar. Navigate your stay in the city starting with our list, and keep up with the latest on Twitter using #designweeknyc.

1. The First Annual Core77 Open

Core77 holds its first-ever exhibit focused on the ever-evolving NYC design community, showcasing the five best creative works from each of the five boroughs. Can the Bronx or Queens top Brooklyn? Find out in the Noho neighborhood. Visit: 350 Bowery at Great Jones Street, May 18 – 22, 11 am – 6 pm.

2. Noho Design District Celebration

Hosted by Sight Unseen and the Noho-Bowery Stakeholders, this Sunday-night celebration includes an installation by lighting designer Lindsey Adelman featuring items from Dusk to Dawn, her 2012 collection inspired by things that grow “on the dark side.” Visit: The Bowery Hotel, 355 Bowery, May 20, 8 – 11 pm; RSVP to NDDBoweryHotel@gmail.com.

3. Reinvention; Writing History in Aluminum

Join Design Milk and Bobby Berk Home to celebrate designers Brad Ascalon and Frederick McSwain (AM) and Neal Feay Studio as they unveil a new breed of objects, lighting, and furniture within the Bobby Berk store. Visit: Bobby Berk Home Soho, 59 Crosby Street, May 19 – 27.

4. The 24th Annual International Contemporary Furniture Fair

Now a Design Week tradition, this annual showcase lets you explore 145,000-square feet of some of the newest offerings in contemporary design. Visit: Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, 11th Avenue at 38th Street, May 19 – 22.

5. Raw + Unfiltered

The American Design Club asked designers one question: “If your process became Raw + Unﬁltered, what kind of object would that yield?” See their responses in new work that highlights a material or process in its most natural, unﬁltered state. Visit: Heller Gallery, 420 West 14th Street, May 20 – 25, 6 – 9 pm.

6. Going Viral: Blurred Borders

This lecture and panel discussion from the American Institute of Architects New York Chapter (AIA NY) explores the impact that social media, technology, and device culture are having on today’s design process. Visit: The Center for Architecture, 536 LaGuardia Place, May 21, 6 pm.

7. Herman Miller Pop-Up Shop

Stop by, say hello, and experience the new Herman Miller Collection in person. (And be sure to check out the home accessories and desktop items for sale — a popular spot in the store.) Visit: 68 Wooster Street, through July 1, open Monday through Saturday, 11 am – 7 pm, and Sunday 12 – 5 pm.

Learn about more Design Week NYC events here and here.

6 Ways to Spend the Day in Soho

Amy Feezor — Mon, 14 May 2012 12:00:33 +0000

Make the most of your visit to the Herman Miller Pop-Up Shop in New York City’s Soho neighborhood by stopping by some of these local favorites.

New Museum: Take a 15-minute walk from the pop-up shop to the Bowery and then spend a few hours in Manhattan’s only dedicated contemporary art museum. 235 Bowery (at Prince Street), 212-219-1222, newmuseum.org.

The Daily: Stop by for a drink at this well designed new bar and restaurant, which showcases a different cocktail and dining menu every day. 210 Elizabeth Street (between Prince and Spring Streets), 212-343-7011, thedaily-nyc.com.

The Dutch: Hitting the shop early on a weekend? Call ahead to book a table for brunch at this hotspot and order its unforgettable hot fried chicken and honey-butter biscuit combo. 131 Sullivan St (at Prince St), 212-677-6200, thedutchnyc.com.

Boqueria Soho: If you’re shopping with a group, drop into this spirited spot on Spring Street to share some tapas (and perhaps some Sangria). 171 Spring Street (between Thompson Street and West Broadway), 212-343-4255, boquerianyc.com.

Saturdays Surf: Mix up your shopping day with a stop at this buzzy store filled with summer-ready clothes and accessories, art, gifts — and one of the best espresso bars around. 31 Crosby Street (between Broome and Grand Streets), 212-966-7875, saturdaysnyc.com.

Housing Works Bookstore: If you like the style of the vintage books filling the pop-up shop, swing by this destination to find some tomes to help you replicate the look at home. 100% of the profits from its donated book, music, and movie selections help people living with and affected by HIV/AIDS. 126 Crosby Street (between Houston and Prince Streets), 212-334-3324, housingworks.org.

The Herman Miller Pop-Up Shop is located at 68 Wooster Street (between Spring and Broome Streets) and is open Monday through Saturday, 11 am to 7 pm, and Sunday 12 noon to 5 pm, through July 1.

Photos: newmuseum.org; The Daily; thedutchnyc.com / Noah Fecks; boquerianyc.com; saturdaysnyc.com; housingworks.org