New to the Showroom: the Eames Upholstered LCW
Originally designed in 1946, the molded plywood chair established a long and successful relationship between Herman Miller and Charles & Ray Eames. With the formation and release of the Herman Miller Collection last year, Herman Miller has taken an elegant classic and updated it for 2013.
Molded Plywood Lounge Chair w/ Metal Legs, White Ash, Divina Upholstery
The most notable addition to the molded plywood chairs is seen in the upholstered seat and back option. With 6 different wood veneers, 3 leg options and 22 fabric and leather options, this chair is available in over 5000 configurations!
Our showroom floor model is an upholstered Lounge Chair with wood legs. The frame and legs are walnut and the seat and back is upholstered in Divina Melange ’931′.
Walnut - OU
Divina Melange 931 by Kvadrat/Maharam
Now You Really Can Read Playboy for the Articles! (Trust us)
Yeah, yeah…we’ve probably all heard this phrase before to the point that there are even scholarly papers on the phrase (see: “I read Playboy for the articles”: Justifying and Rationalizing Questionable Preferences). But believe us when we say that there have been really great pieces of writing in the “questionable” magazine.
Such as this (lengthy) article from July 1961 titled “Designs for Living” where the first line reads, “Unfettered by dogma, the creators of contemporary American furniture have a flair for combining functionalism with esthetic enjoyment…”
The article itself is about some of our favorite designers here at Vastu, 5 of which are part of the Knoll Classics Sale that is currently underway.
1961 Playboy photo featuring (left to right) - George Nelson, Edward Wormley, Eero Saarinen, Harry Bertoia, Charles Eames and Jens Risom
Click below to read the original Playboy article.
Eames: The Architect and the Painter
What’s better than a documentary about design? How about a documentary about famous designers Ray and Charles Eames?
If that got you a little excited then you’re in luck because First Run Features has released, and is now showing, Eames: The Architect and the Painter.
From First Run Features:
“The husband-and-wife team of Charles and Ray Eames are widely regarded as America’s most important designers. Perhaps best remembered for their mid-century plywood and fiberglass furniture, the Eames Office also created a mind-bending variety of other products, from splints for wounded military during World War II, to photography, interiors, multi-media exhibits, graphics, games, films and toys. But their personal lives and influence on significant events in American life – from the development of modernism, to the rise of the computer age – has been less widely understood. Narrated by James Franco, Eames: The Architect and the Painter is the first film dedicated to these creative geniuses and their work.”
Check out a trailer to the movie.
For those of you living here in DC, the documentary won’t premiere until February 12, 2012 at the National Gallery of Art. A full listing of release dates and cities can be found here.
As Seen On TV!
It was while watching last night’s episode of Glee, that co-owner Eric Kole noticed the Aluminum Dining Table and black Bertoia Side Chairs in a scene with Ms. Corcoran and Puck (played by Idina Menzel and Mark Salling, respectively). This got us to thinking…we actually see a lot of the products we sell and fabrics we offer on TV shows on a fairly regular basis, and we LOVE IT!
Like on the new ABC show Suburgatory, the new folks in town (the Altmans) own a Cyclone Dining Table and Eames Wire Chairs (George Altman, played by Jeremy Sisto, is an architect as was Charles Eames).
Now while we’re not saying you have to come out and immediately buy what you see on these popular TV shows, this can be a fun and entertaining way to see these great pieces in different settings. Stay tuned as we keep an eye out for more TV appearances of Vastu products and fabrics!
Eames Designs
Are you a fan of Charles and Ray Eames? Do you day dream of their furniture designs, architecture or even films? If your answer is “yes”, then you need to check out EamesDesigns.com! Described as a “A Virtual Encyclopedia of all things Eames”, EamesDesigns.com has loads of images, interviews, catalogs, portfolio work and even this fun feature called Eames Spotting.
Eames Wire Base Table
In Eames Spotting, you can view pictures of classic Eames pieces in movies, tv shows, tv commercials, print ads and magazines. For example, the Eames Wire Base Table shows up in this 2005 W Magazine shoot featuring Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt.
Photograph by Steven Klein
Even if you don’t know that much about the Eames’s past work, the site is easy to navigate and full of interesting information and media.
Etsy Find: Eames Small Dot Clutch
Check out this precious Eames Small Dot clutch purse from Etsy seller Upstyle.
From the seller’s product description:
“Chances are if you were drawn to this clutch you know all about Ray and Charles Eames – American designers who’s work exemplifies Mid-Century modern style.
This clutch is made from authentic Eames Small Dot fabric by Maharam featuring an off-white design on a black background. (I completely SPLURGED! on this fabric.)”
Maharam is a favorite upholstery supplier of Vastu’s, and the Small Dot Pattern by Ray & Charles Eames was designed for the Museum of Modern Art’s Competition for Printed Fabrics in 1947.
Designer spotlight: Charles and Ray Eames
Charles Eames (1907-1978) and Ray Eames (1912-1988)
Birthplace: Missouri and California (respectively)
Herman Miller Products: Eames molded plywood chairs, wire chair, molded plastic chairs, chaise, executive chair, lounge chair and ottoman, aluminum chairs, walnut stools, molded plywood coffee table, desk, wire-base table, elliptical table, dining and low table
With a grand sense of adventure, Charles and Ray Eames turned their curiosity and boundless enthusiasm into creations that established them as a truly great husband-and-wife design team. Their unique synergy led to a whole new look in furniture. Lean and modern. Playful and functional. Sleek, sophisticated, and beautifully simple. That was and is the “Eames look.” That look and their relationship with Herman Miller started with molded plywood chairs in the late 1940s and includes the world-renowned Eames lounge chair, now in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Their own concepts evolved over time, not overnight. As Charles noted about the development of the Molded Plywood Chairs, “Yes, it was a flash of inspiration,” he said, “a kind of 30-year flash.” With these two, one thing always seemed to lead to another. Their revolutionary work in molded plywood led to their breakthrough work in molded fiberglass seating. A magazine contest led to their highly innovative “Case Study” house. Their love of photography led to film making, including a huge seven-screen presentation at the Moscow World’s Fair in 1959, in a dome designed by their friend and colleague, Buckminster Fuller. Graphic design led to showroom design, toy collecting to toy inventing. And a wooden plank contraption, rigged up by their friend, director Billy Wilder for taking naps, led to their acclaimed chaise design. A design critic once said that this extraordinary couple “just wanted to make the world a better place.” That they did. They also made it a lot more interesting.
(image and bio via hermanmiller.com)
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