Featuring work produced prior to meeting husband Charles in 1941, the show includes more than 100 original works and rarely-seen artifacts from Eames Office and the Eames family’s collections. A new perspective on Ray’s 60-year career in the arts as well as her role as Charles’ equal partner in the Eames Office, the exhibit details the work of one of the 20th century’s most influential — yet largely unknown — artists.

A fitting celebration of Ray’s centennial, “Ray Eames: A Century of Modern Design” will remain open until February 23, 2014. Not currently in or near Sacramento? You can find several sneak peeks of the show now on the Facebook pages of the California Museum and the Eames Office.

1. The Ray Eames-focused article “Finding Ray” by Architect Magazine.

2. The cheerful pair of Eames Molded Plastic Armchairs welcoming visitors to the Dorsey Residence by Coates Design (above, in a photo by Andrew Waits and Roger Turk) at Contemporist.

3. Co.Design’s coverage of our Then X Ten poster project.

4. According to Apartment Therapy, 2012 was the “Year of the Home Office.”

5. Design Milk’s 34 creative desktop wallpapers.

6. The New York Times talks about our re-release of George Nelson’s Miniature Chests.

7. Treehugger’s review of the green workplace in 2012.

8. Dwell‘s Top 12 Homes of 2012.

9. Desire to Inspire’s favorite kitchens of the last year, part 1 and part 2.

10. “10 Iconic Modern Furnishings That Never Go Out of Style” via Decoist. (We agree.)

Photo: Andrew Waits and Roger Turk / Coates Design / Contemporist

1. How the house of Charles and Ray Eames created new thinking in modern living, via Inhabitat.

2. Apartment Therapy’s gift guide for a home office.

3. Dwell’s roundup of inspirational shipping-container homes.

4. This interview with Charles and Ray’s grandson Eames Demetrios by the Japan Times Online.

5. On a related note, Ray Eames’ elephants meet real elephants in this short film by Eames Demetrios, uploaded by the Eames Office on YouTube.

6. Silo 468, an interactive light installation built to commemorate Helsinki’s “World Design Capital” status, via Design Milk.

7. Lifehacker’s Most Popular Featured Workspaces of 2012.

8. “The Woman Behind the Eames Chair” at Legacy.com.

9. Useful advice on how to make the most of working from home from the New York Times.

10. The Eameses’ “Powers of 10” Re-Imagined by 40 Artists at Co.Design.

Photo: Francois Dischinger for Herman Miller / Nelson X-leg Tables, Eames Molded Plastic Chairs

My father had a stern exterior, but his baby sister Ray could melt him in seconds flat. She adored her brother. He was a career military man, so our family would be stationed in different places as I was growing up. Ray would visit us — like a fairy godmother, she’d pop up in places with off-the-wall presents and smiles. I’ll never forget when my father was stationed at Norway. Ray came in on one of the first SAS [Scandinavian Airlines] over-the-Pole flights. And when she arrived she said, almost with some surprise, “I expected to look down and see the candy-striped pole on the North Pole!” Of course she did! She just said it in that “Ray way” that made it magic. She was full of magical moments like that.

My aunt was such an artist; everything she did, she did perfectly. When we stayed at the house, we’d have breakfasts that were almost too pretty to eat. Every dish, every place mat, every napkin, the flowers on the table and on the sideboard, a bowl of fruit… everything had to be not only beautiful to taste, but beautiful to see. And the breakfast table was a work of art in itself — the way she arranged it differently every day, using different plates, different flowers, and different cups. All with love. You’d feel enveloped with love in her house.

Ray had an enormous spirit of fun. Work and fun were the things she had in common with Charles — they were the same thing to them. They embodied the philosophy of doing what you love and loving what you do. They loved their toys, and they loved the fanciful. (Where else could you get the Hang-It-All?) And Ray was intensely curious. When I was in seventh and eighth grade and my father was stationed in California, I was in a state band and individual instrumental competition. I played the clarinet and had a solo. Afterward, my friend Margaret Ann, who had accompanied me on the piano and who also played glockenspiel, came out with us to Ray and Charles’ house. Ray was so fascinated by someone who played the glockenspiel. (“Oh! Glockenspiel!” she’d say.) And she would go on and on asking Margaret about what it was like — questions about where it came from and how she got started in it. She had such a childlike curiosity about everything.

Ray, in her way, was a different kind of Renaissance woman — so much a woman, and yet, operating in a man’s world in an enormously successful way. She was very demanding in what she wanted and how the vision should be presented. She made no bones about it. So, in her, you had this combination of a brilliant, detail-oriented artist with a wonderful, fanciful, and intense curiosity about everything in the world — every piece of it. She had a way of educating you and learning at the same time. I still miss her effervescence and the extreme attention, love, and care she showed when she was with you. What I miss most is her joyous presence… and sharing it. I miss her.

Beginning February 23, 2013, the California Museum in Sacramento will present “Ray Eames: A Century of Modern Design,” an exhibit 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.” Find details at californiamuseum.org.

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.

“We knew going into the project that many of the photos would draw from Charles and Ray’s own photos — not shot for shot, but as inspiration. This image [above] is a re-imagining of a picture they’d taken [below] using all the same furniture pieces in the same location, except their lounge and ottoman had black leather and the old Rosewood shell. We wanted to do the updated version in white ash and pearl MCL leather. We included one of Ray’s baskets and her jade plant, which we brought in from the outside. This photo really moved me, as I felt that it was the shot that shows what the Collection is all about: a lived-in quality, a feeling of warmth, beautiful architecture, timeless design.” Pictured above: Eames Lounge and Ottoman, White Ash and Eames Sofa Compact

“We, of course, wanted to shoot the Ray-inspired Select Eames LTR in the home. The bowls on the tables are hers, as is the unique cat sculpture sitting on top of the grouped tables.” Pictured above: Select Eames Wire Base Low Tables and Eames Molded Plywood Chairs

“The inspiration for this shot was ‘Ray getting ready for a party.’ We used her china, her champagne glasses, and some amazing gold flatware. We even went into her garden and picked Aster flowers for her bud jar.” Pictured above: Eames Table and Eames Molded Plywood Dining Chairs

“We shot this photo in the Eames Studio, which is adjacent to the house. The whale sculpture was hers. According to old photos, it was once hanging in the house. It had also been in the original Herman Miller showroom in Los Angeles, which Ray and Charles had designed and styled. We found Ray’s rug folded into a tiny cube within a big stack of textiles. We didn’t even know it was a rug until we opened it up. There were a lot of wonderful surprises like that throughout the day of the shoot.” Pictured above: Eames Molded Plastic Armchair and Eames Storage Unit

“This shot is not in the Collection catalog, but everything here is Ray’s: the plants, the decorative sculptures, the saucers (which were almost like little dessert bowls on pedestals). And then there are pieces from her collections of bowls and salt-and-pepper shakers. . . . There was so much to choose from. Ray didn’t just have one salt bowl; she’d have 40 salt bowls, all different. She’d have 50 different candlesticks and all kinds of plates and bowls. There were cabinets of vases. Drawers of linens. We saw artifacts from different cultures — earthenware, African baskets. But they’d all still be a curated collection. And we found inspiration in the way she could could take very-different objects — a sea pod, a bowl, fresh flowers — and turn that combination into sculpture. Ray made sure her toolbox was abundant, but how she put it together — that’s where the art came from.” Pictured above: Eames Table Outdoor and Eames Molded Plastic Side Chairs

See more of the Collection at hermanmiller.com/collection.

Photos: Francois Dischinger for Herman Miller

*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.

1. The tour of the Craver family home in Littleton, Colorado, at Apartment Therapy.

2. Co.Design’s coverage of our Why Design series (with particular emphasis on this interview with Sam Hecht and Kim Colin).

3. “Ray’s Displays: The Thoughtful Displays of Ray Eames” at the Archives of American Art blog.

4. House Beautiful‘s 10 Home Decorating Trends That Will Be Hot in 2013.

5. Modern homes. Snowy surroundings. Cozy interiors. All in Dwell’s “Winter Wonderland.”

6. This smart concept for a small space (430 feet, to be exact) at Home Designing.

7. The launch of the George Nelson Foundation’s new website, created by Hello Design, at georgenelsonfoundation.org.

8. The home of Danish designer Birgitte Rabens at the Style Files.

9. This pair of ancient Irish stone cottages linked by a modern glass stairway at Home Design Find.

10. The optical-illusion facade on the Academie MWD performance center in Belgium featured at Dezeen.

Every inch of the wall above the desk in the home office of interior designer Laura Clayton Baker contains photos, magazine pages, postcards, and random pieces of artwork. (Photo: Laura Clayton Baker)

The Portland, OR, space of illustrator, teacher, and book author Kate Bingaman-Burt displays an eclectic mix of drawings, art, posters, paper cut-outs, and plants. (Photo: Kate Bingaman-Burt)

Art, books, and neat stacks of papers make up the Venice, CA-based home office of Scott Flora and Jerinne Neils, co-founders of wall graphics company Blik. (Photo: Blik)

The workspace occupied by Brian Haines, Alejandra Abad, Natasha Maria Fernandez-Fountain, and Bruno Torquato — otherwise known as design studio and collaborative One by Four — has walls and windows filled with creativity and color. (Photo: One by Four)

Materials and tools for art, design, and illustration projects take over the work surfaces at Logical Art, a creative design studio in London founded by Yoo-kyung Shin and Hanhsi Chen. (Photo: Logical Art)

Photo of Ray Eames’ desk via eamesoffice.com.

In addition to the Embody chair that occupies him Brooklyn-based home office, typographer Nick Keppol utilizes his Eames Wire Base Low Table as a supporter for books and decor. Another suggestion? It would be also smart as a holder of a printer or fax machine. (Photo: Anthony Nguyen / Apartment Therapy)

This hardworking Eames Wire Base Low Table hunkers down on the floor and supports the efforts of an on-the-go laptop. (Photo: Jan Skacelik / Houzz)

This Eames Wire Base Low Table has been charged with one simple task: display. (Photo: esotericsurvey.blogspot.com)

Grouped in fours, these low tables join forces to create a versatile coffee table that can be adjusted and moved around to meet other needs in the room — or elsewhere. (Photo: desiretoinspire.net)

The LTR makes a simple magazine-and-plant holder combo in the home of stylist Pella Hedeby. (Photo: stilinspiration.se)

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

A singular Eames Wire Base Low Table sneaks under another larger table to add an auxiliary surface (and an extra dose of style) when needed. (Photo: wentworthstudio.com)

Several Eames LTRs line up for a child’s birthday party to celebrate a traditional tea ceremony much like the one Charles and Ray hosted in 1950 (the inspiration for the first design of their low table — see it here). (Photo: uplatecakes.blogspot.com)

The perfect perch for you cat? Explains Flickr user Vincent van der Heijden: “So I wanted a nice sidetable for my Sunday morning nespressos, but in the evenings it has a totally different purpose: it then acts as a daybed for my kitty. The LTR occasional kitty daybed….” (Photo: Vincent van der Heijden / Flickr)

1. The new studio of Don Chadwick, the subject of the latest installment in our “Why Design” series, at donchadwick.com.

2. 10 of the best at the London Design Festival 2012 according to The Guardian.

3. Yves Béhar speaking to Dezeen editor-in-chief Marcus Fairs at the 100% Design event, also in London.

4. This exploration of mid-century modern design at the library at the University of Colorado Boulder.

5. “The Rise of Coworking Office Spaces” from Harvard Business Review.

6. A look inside the always-hip ACE Hotel Portland at Thisispaper.

7. Liking how this home in Sydney, Australia, by CplusC architects spotlights the Eames Elliptical Table (via Habitus Living).

8. The Ochre Barn by Carl Turner Architects in Norfolk, England, at Inhabitat.

9. “50 Designers Shaping the Future,” including our own Executive Creative Director Ben Watson, from Co.Design.

10. Get a glimpse of our limited-edition Eames Wire Base Low Tables in honor of the 100th anniversary of Ray Eames’ birth at Design Milk.

Watch Eames Outtakes: Ray Driving on PBS. See more from American Masters.