Ice Cube Celebrates The Eames
January 26, 2012 at 1:51 pm | Posted in architecture, events, film, furniture | Leave a commentTags: charles and ray eames, eames, ice cube, pacific standard time
This video was doing the rounds back in December but I still want to share it with you. Created to promote the Eames exhibitions and events in the Pacific Standard Time Cultural Festival.
Interestingly before his rap career Ice Cube studied architectural drafting. In the video he describes the Los Angeles he knows and gives props to Charles and Ray Eames.
Love the line: “They was doing mashups before mashups even existed.” – Ice Cube
via archdaily
Related Post:
Eames Lounge Chair – Moving with the times
May 23, 2010 at 6:47 pm | Posted in furniture | Leave a commentTags: eames, lounge, vitra
Vitra recently presented new products at the Milan Furniture Fair including a new variation of the Eames Lounge Chair.
“Since the lounge chair went into production more than 50 years ago, the average height of the human body has increased by up to 10cm, depending on region. To continue providing the best possible comfort, Vitra has adapted the Lounge Chair’s dimensions, working in close cooperation with the Eames Office and the Eames family to do so.” Vitra Magazine
For further reading on the Eames Lounge Chair click here.
B is for Bertoia
April 14, 2010 at 11:33 pm | Posted in furniture | 1 CommentTags: bertoia, chair, diamond, metal
This is the second post in a series of 26 on modern design icons (inspired by the Alphabet of Design Classics Poster by Blue Ant Studios.)
Bertoia Diamond Lounge (1950)
Harry Bertoia’s 1950 experiment with bending metal rods into practical art produced a revered collection of seating, including the exquisite Large Diamond chair. Innovative, comfortable and strikingly handsome, the chair’s delicate appearance belies its strength and durability. In Bertoia’s own words, “If you look at these chairs, they are mainly made of air, like sculpture. Space passes through them.”
Harry Bertoia (1915-1978) was born in Italy and while visiting his brother in America, chose to stay and enrolled at Cass Technical High School where he studied art and design and learned to make handmade jewellery. In 1937 he received a scholarship to Cranbrook Academy 
of Art where he met Charles and Ray Eames for the first time. In 1950, after working with Eames’ for a number of years he moved to Pennsylvania, to establish a studio, and to work with Hans and Florence Knoll. (Florence was also a Cranbrook Academy of Art graduate). He designed five wire pieces that became known as the Bertoia Collection for Knoll.
They were also produced with varying degrees of upholstery over the steel wire grid-work as shown below.
For more information on Harry Bertoia and the Diamond Lounge visit the Knoll website here.
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Alphabet of Design Classics – Blue Ant Studio
September 9, 2009 at 10:10 pm | Posted in furniture, graphic design, objects | Leave a commentTags: alphabet poster, design classics
It’s never too early to get a little tacker into design!
Designed by Joel Pirela of Blue Ant Studio, the ‘Alphabet of Design Classics’ poster has many of my favourite designers and furniture pieces including Alvar Aalto’s Savoy Vase, the Eames DAX plastic armchair and the Egg Chair by Arne Jacobsen. The colours look cool and I really love the detail of the silhouettes.
I’m sure it was originally designed with a child’s bedroom wall in mind but seriously, I think it would look just as good on my wall.
The Alphabet of Design Classics poster is available to order online at the Blue Ant Studio website here.
Möbius Chair – Frans Schrofer
August 12, 2009 at 11:01 pm | Posted in furniture | 1 CommentTags: curved laminated ply, furniture, mobius chair
When I saw this chair I was blown away by how much the designer had pushed the boundaries of laminated ply curving. The chair was named Möbius for its resemblance of a continuous and twisted ribbon of wood.
Designed by Dutch designer Frans Schrofer of Studio Schrofer, the Möbius Chair was conceived for a competition conducted by Fritz Becker, a German manufacturer of formed wood products.
Not only was it a finalist in the competition, the Möbius was also selected to be among 25 other designs to be prototyped and displayed during the Interzum 2009 exhibition.
For more information and photos visit the Contemporist blog here.
Visit the Studio Schrofer website at www.studioschrofer.com
A Gathering Of Elephants
March 23, 2009 at 10:34 pm | Posted in film, furniture, objects | Leave a commentTags: a gathering of elephants, charles and ray eames, eames plywood elephant
Photo: Eames Demetrios
The Eames Plywood Elephant was a children’s toy conceived in 1945 by Charles and Ray Eames but was never put into formal production. In 2007, the 100th anniversary of Charles’ birth, the Vitra Design Museum in association with the Eames Office put the toy into production in a limited edition.
To further commemorate the 100th anniversary and the elephant’s release, director of the Eames Office (and Charles Eames’ grandson) Eames Demetrios created “A Gathering of Elephants,” a stop-motion animated film, featuring the little elephants roaming LA.
Visit the Eames Office at www.eamesgallery.com
To view a related entry on The Eames Lounge and Ottoman click here.
Sexitecture
March 7, 2009 at 1:15 am | Posted in books, furniture, photography | Leave a commentTags: furniture, photography, sexitecture
Since I hadn’t posted much for a while I thought I’d do two posts in two days. (I’m feeling guilty!)
While doing a search for mid-century modern furniture a little while back I came across this photographic book by Jed Darland titled Sexitecture. Released in 2004, the limited edition book contains 50 black and white photographs of the female body and various pieces of designer furniture. The book is published in a frame-lid box so all the photographs can be individually mounted or framed.
“SEXITECTURE: The female body graced by architecturally inspired furniture will raise awareness of the importance of design as it relates to human scale, and remind readers to be conscious of their surroundings, where they live, where they work, and most importantly, where they sit.” JED DARLAND
The limited edition of 10,000 copies is now sold out but I have seen copies listed for sale on www.amazon.com
Sexitecture also has a new project in the works: “SEXITECTURE: The Vitruvian Man.”
Check out the Sexitecture website for more information here
or the Sexitecture Myspace page here
The Aeron Chair
The Ball Chair
2008 Aeron Hockey Winners
February 6, 2009 at 8:07 pm | Posted in events, furniture | Leave a commentTags: aeron hockey, furniture
Last year I was lucky enough to participate in the Aeron Hockey tournament at the Living Edge showroom – an event held during Designers’ Saturday 2008. As winners, each of us in the team won a Herman Miller Aeron Taskchair worth about $1600 each. I have to say – my days at work are now very comfortable!
Below is a video that I recently put together to give you a bit of an idea of what the game is all about (click the high quality button once its going – it looks way better). The soundtrack I used is a song called ISHC Theme Song by The International Superheroes of Hardcore (a.k.a New Found Glory)
For more info on the Aeron chair check out www.livingedge.com.au
The Eames Lounge and Ottoman (1956)
November 11, 2008 at 2:59 am | Posted in furniture | Leave a commentTags: charles and ray eames, eames, eames lounge, furniture, mid century modern
Ok so I’ll start with something easy. This is one of my favourite pieces of furniture: The Eames Lounge and Ottoman.
What I love about this chair is its mix of comfort with technology and craftsmanship which is best summed up in Charles Eames’ description of the chair as a “warm, receptive look of a well-used first baseman’s mitt.”
Designed by husband and wife design team; Charles and Ray Eames, the Eames Lounge and Ottoman were first released in 1956. They are crafted from seven-ply veneer shells with leather upholstery and the back braces and base are die-cast aluminium painted black.
Charles and Ray appeared on the Arlene Francis “Home” show with the lounge chair the week it was released. Here is a clip from that episode: (Watch right to the end to see a cool short time lapse movie of the chair’s construction.)
Prices start from around $3,500US so it isn’t usually a staple item of most people’s lounge rooms.
One day I will hopefully own one. Sigh… one day.
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