Balance, Design, Products
March 8, 2013
By Amy Feezor
Here’s what we’ve been viewing this week.
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
Design
December 13, 2012
By Amy Feezor
As the 100th birthday of Ray Eames approaches, we continue to honor the life of the artist and innovator — this time through an interview with her niece, Midge Kaiser Martin, the daughter of Ray’s older brother, Maurice Kaiser. With warmth and fondness, Midge recounts a few personal memories of a relationship with an aunt who was inspiring, talented, loving, and, in Midge’s words, “magical.”
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Design
December 11, 2012
By Amy Feezor
You’ve heard a lot about the Herman Miller Collection, and may have seen the remarkable photographs included in its website, catalog, and brochures. If you’ve looked closely enough, you may have even noticed that many images of the line’s Eames offerings are set in a familiar place: the Eames House in Pacific Palisades, California.
Last spring, while the original contents of Charles and Ray Eameses’ living room were on display at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Herman Miller Collection team had the rare opportunity to hold a photo shoot in the husband-and-wife team’s landmark home. The capper? They were also invited to explore Ray’s extensive, well-curated personal collection of objects to use as props. In celebration of Ray’s upcoming 100th birthday, we asked Jennie Maneri, Art Director, Collection and Retail, to walk us through a few of the shots and explain how the details Ray was know for helped bring the Collection to life. Read more
Design, Products
December 10, 2012
By Jamie Latendresse
This Saturday, December 15, marks the centennial of influential artist and designer Ray Eames. Together with her husband Charles, she created some of the most distinctive design, photography, and artwork of the 20th century. Celebrate the legacy of Ray’s distinctive style and joyful creativity with these Six Ways to Ray Eames.
*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.”
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