Design Notes From RWA Office Solutions
|
The Story of Eames Furniture |
|
A forthcoming book promoted on the Amazon.com website "The Story of Eames Furniture" promises to be a "benchmark reference" on the work and office behind design team Charles and Ray Eames written by Marilyn and John Neuhart, who claim to have both "worked at the Eames Office in various capacities since the 1950s."
The description of the authors on Amazon.com goes on to say: "They have looked after the house of Charles and Ray Eames since the designers deaths and have supervised the Eames Archive. More familiar with the material and protagonists than almost any other, Marilyn Neuhart has spent the last 15 years compiling the stories, images, and recollections featured in this book."
The two-volume, 800-page book, which is expected to be published Sept. 1, has more than 2,500 images and sells on Amazon.com for a discounted $127.37, a 37 percent savings from its $199 list price.
But there are several serious flaws with the description of the author published on Amazon, according to Eames Demetrios, the grandson of the late designers. First, Marilyn Neuhart never worked for the Eames Office, he said. Second, Demetrios said she never looked after the house of Charles and Ray Eames. And finally, she does not have the official Eames Archive, a million items of which are housed in the Library of Congress. She does have some archival items, which the Eames heirs are suing to get back after Neuhart tried to auction them off in April.
"I was so surprised by the claims in the Amazon biography," Demetrios said, noting that if the publisher, Die Gestalten Verlag in Germany, didn't vet the author's biography he is worried about what inaccuracies might show up in the book, though he said he has not seen a copy of the publication and can't comment on its specific contents.
Contacted at her home in Hermosa Beach, Calif., Neuhart admitted she did not work at the Eames Office "on a full-time basis." Her husband, John Neuhart worked there from 1957-1961 according to documentation in another book by the Neuharts about the Eameses: "Eames Design," published in 1989. Demetrios said that is the last time the family of Charles and Ray Eames have had "positive, collaborative action" with the Neuharts.
"No, I didn't look after the house," Marilyn Neuhart said. "I'm not a housekeeper. They've got it wrong. The archive is our own archive."
She wouldn't talk further about the book or the lawsuit filed against her to get back the archival items, citing advice from her attorney and a non-disclosure promise to her publisher.
"After Ray died (in 1988), my mother inherited the Eames house and we been taking care of it ever since," Demetrios said, noting that a few years ago, the house, located in Pacific Palisades, Calf., was passed on to the Eames Foundation. "John and Marilyn Neuhart were not involved in taking care of the Eames house."
An e-mail request for clarification of the claims made on the Amazon book pre-sale page to the German publisher was not returned.
The lawsuit over the archival items is expected to be resolved in the next several weeks, Marilyn Neuhart said. The Eames Office and Lucia Eames, as trustee of the Ray Eames trust, filed a lawsuit preventing John and Marilyn Neuhart and the Wright Auction House from selling the two auction lots in question. A day later, Wright agreed to withdraw the two lots from the auction, which included source materials for the Eames Design book.
"The Eames design legacy represents one of America's greatest design heritages. Charles and Ray Eames have been identified as the most significant designers of the twentieth century. The Eames Family is committed to communicating, preserving, and extending the work of the Eameses through their continuation of the Eames Office that Charles and Ray founded and which remains the entity that authorizes the ongoing authentic manufacture of the Eames Designs. Such work is essential to extending their legacy and sharing their vision with a new generation," said the the family in a press release in April.
Demetrios said he hoped the items on the Amazon website would be corrected, though he is concerned that the lack of editing on the biography might be a harbinger for more factual problems with the book. "It is unfair to all the people at the Eames Office and Library of Congress who have taken care of these very things," he said. "If they couldn't fact check something as simple as the biography, it doesn't bode well for the book. I know a lot of people have worked hard (protecting the Eames home and archive). Taking care of the Eames house takes a lot of work and the ones in the trenches are the Eames family and foundation. They (the Neuharts) haven't been involved in that."
Demetrios said the family is not trying to control who writes about Charles and Ray Eames or what they write about them. "There are basically just two things we are focused on controlling: what people make in our family's name and the long term security of the Eames House," he said.
Regardless of who takes credit for doing what, the connectivity to the entire body of work of the Eames Office is from Charles and Ray Eames, Demetrios said, "no matter how many other wonderful people worked there." Most people from that era (1941-1979) have good feelings about their work at the office, he said. There are some people who don't. "When I saw (the web page) for this biography, it was just frustrating because it just wasn't accurate."
|
|
|
Herman Miller Awarded Multiple IDEA Gold, Silver, and Bronze |
|
Congratulations to Herman Miller's Ardea light has earned both Gold and Silver honors from the International Design Excellence Awards (IDEA), while the Twist LED task light earned dual Bronze awards. Both products and their respective awards across multiple categories secured a place for Herman Miller among the top corporate winners for 2010 and also for the past five years, with 8 awards in total during the period.
2010 marks the 30th year of the annual design competition, which recognizes design excellence in products, ecodesign, research, strategy, packaging, concepts and interactive design. The IDEA awards are sponsored by the Industrial Designers Society of America and held in collaboration with the Henry Ford Museum and media sponsor Fast Company Magazine. Herman Miller's Ardea and Twist lights were selected among 1900 product entries from 29 countries.
Designed by Yves Behar and fuseproject, Ardea took top honors in the Ecodesign and Home Living categories. Its elegant design, inspired by the long, slender, and flexible necks of great herons, is also highly functional: Users can infinitely direct illumination. Juror Mieko Kusano of Sonos, Inc., summarizes Ardea's impression on jurors: "Organic form inspired by nature and design to have minimal impact on nature through high efficiency lighting and green design."
Also designed by fuseproject, the Twist LED task light won recognition both in the Ecodesign and Office & Productivity categories. The Twist LED light consumes up to half the energy of other undershelf lights, while its energy-efficient, eco-friendly design is matched by its simple aesthetics and easy-to-control illumination.
Both lights are part of Herman Miller's Thrive Portfolio, its collection of research-based, ergonomic products.
|
|
People Spend as much Time in Office Chairs as in Bed |
|
Chair makers should be happy about this survey released Wednesday by Staples. The store says the results are providing a wake-up call about how much time people *really* spend in their office chair each day. Using the company's @StaplesTweets Twitter handle, Staples conducted an online survey about perceptions around office chairs. Nearly half of the respondents (45 percent) in the 2010 Staples Office Chair Survey report spending six or more hours in their office chairs each day, rivaling the amount of time respondents report sleeping.
In addition, the survey found that most office chair users (65 percent) are relatively dissatisfied with their current chair, and three-out-of-four respondents admitted to having "office-chair envy" and covet a coworker's chair. The largest number of respondents (47 percent) answered that a higher title in a company tends to result in a more luxurious chair. Respondents ranked President Obama, Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Oprah and Ellen DeGeneres among those whose office chairs they would most like to sit for a day.
Staples says the survey underscores the fundamental importance of an office chair - the piece of furniture in which many people spend the most time sitting in.
For more information about office chairs please visit our website at www.rwaofficesolutions.com or call us at 408-377-3500 for a free consultation.
Additional results of the 2010 Staples Office Chair Survey include:
- Nearly 57 percent have heard of their colleagues secretly switching to get a better office chair
- Nearly 71 percent do not have chairs with adjustable lower back support
- More than 40 percent would spin in circles immediately if given a new office chair
- More than 65 percent did not choose their office chair, while more than 70 percent put in at least some effort in researching and testing their mattress
- Nearly 86 percent say comfort is the most important feature of an office chair
- More than 31 percent think a new office chair would be equivalent to a day off
|
|
Herman Miller Reintroduces Storage Solutions by George Nelson |
|
Herman Miller, Inc. is proud to announce the first in a series of product reintroductions from its collection of modular storage solutions designed by George Nelson, a prolific designer and architect. A select group of items from the Nelson Basic Cabinet Series and a metal leg option for the Platform Bench will be available for preview in the company's exhibit space at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair at New York City's Javits Convention Center, May 15-18, 2010.
George Nelson was Herman Miller's Director of Design from 1945-1972. After taking the role, he kept his independent design practice and deftly carried on the company's course of producing contemporary furniture made from minimal materials appropriate to the emerging modern lifestyle.
Shortly before Nelson arrived at Herman Miller, he designed the Platform Bench for his office in New York City. Its intent was to provide a place for his materials and short-term guest seating; however, in 1946, it also became a base for the Basic Cabinet Series.
Available from the company until 1958, the Basic Cabinet Series was designed to be a modular system of simple case goods intended for the home or office. Today, the series includes four chest-cabinet combinations available in two handsome veneer options, including walnut and rift-cut oak. The items can be used with the Platform Bench or standalone separately, in pairs or in groups of any number to fit multiple room applications.
"Nelson and his associate Ernest Farmer created a modular storage solution that could adapt to a variety of configurations and locations, including living, dining, sleeping, or office spaces," says Gregg Vander Kooi, product manager, Herman Miller. "They believed that properly designed modern furniture should be able to function anywhere."
The Platform Bench, together with the select items from the Basic Cabinet Series, can be used for a variety of functions, including a low table, a seating solution, or a base for deep or shallow chests and cabinets that ultimately can be positioned against a wall or used as a room divider. It is available in three sizes, including 48, 60, and 72 inches, with a maple finish and ebonized legs or chrome plated metal legs.
Adds VanderKooi, "These designs are just as relevant today as they were more than 60 years ago. They serve equally well in multiple settings efficiently, comfortably and attractively."
The Basic Cabinet Series and the metal leg option for the Platform Bench will be available beginning in the Fall of 2010 from Herman Miller's authorized retailers. An expanded offer from Nelson's Herman Miller collection also will be introduced in the Fall of 2010 and Spring 2011.
|
|
Paoli Refreshes Chicago Showroom For NeoCon 2010 |
|
Paoli has engaged the Chicago office of HOK to refresh their showroom and plan to debut at NeoCon in Chicago's Merchandise Mart. Paoli's 8,000 square foot showroom is located in Space 380 of the Mart's Third Floor.
"The focal point of the refresh will be new finishes, wall coverings and lighting in the showroom's reception area, establishing an exciting, updated, sophisticated tone as guests enter the space and experience the product display areas beyond," said Lauren Brightwell, Senior Associate and Senior Project Manager at HOK. Other members of the HOK project team are Tom Polucci, Group Vice President and Design Director, and Alyssa Simons, Project Designer.
HOK's involvement extends to the furniture layout and materials specifications for the casegoods and seating on display.
For more information about NeoCon 2010 please visit the NeoCon website
|
|
|
|
|
<< Start < Prev 1 2 3 4 5 Next > End >>
|
|
Page 1 of 5 |
|
Financing Available!
- Learn more and apply
- Flexible payment plans & terms
- Easy two page application
|
