DWR People: Hanging Around SoHo.

In the “hot” seat this month is Dan, who’s the proprietor of our DWR: Tools for Living store in SoHo.

“One of my favorite items in our store is the Eames Hang-It-All. It was my first employee purchase at DWR and I’m a huge fan of Ray and Charles Eames. Simplicity and functionality – what more can you ask for? Even my young nieces are taken with the Hang-It-All. They love all the bright colors and always make an effort to hang their coats and sweaters on it when they come to visit me. Seeing this, their mom said, ‘you never hang up anything at home. Why here?’ So, as a gift to my sister to help her control the chaos in my nieces’ bedrooms, I purchased one for each of them. Something so simple and functional can keep my nieces’ rooms tidy and my sister sane.”

– Dan M. Studio Proprietor, DWR: Tools for Living in SoHo

Cranbrook comes to DWR.

The Cooper Hewitt, National Design Museum hosted the 10th Annual National Design Awards on October 22, and the DWR E62nd Studio proudly offered our expansive split-level space to the Cranbrook Academy of Art's Alumni Reception to honor their winners and finalists. The illustrious crowd of designers and architects, both famous and soon-to-be famous, nibbled, imbibed and reunited merrily.

Luminaries in attendence included Lorraine Wild (2001 finalist), Neils Diffrient (2002 winner), Lucille Tenazas (2002 winner), Masamichi Udagawa (2003, 2006 finalist and 2008 winner - designer of the new subway trains and Metrocard machines for the MTA), Kathy and Mike McCoy (2005 winners) and Andrew Blauveldt (2009 winner, on behalf of the Walker Art Center), as well as noted inventor and industrial designer Eric Chan.

We had the opportunity to chat with Neils Diffrient who was charming, courtly and laugh out loud hilarious.  After going through the chairs that he designed in the DWR collection, he was game for a photo op, perching in his now iconic Freedom Chair with Headrest sandwiched by me and Reed Kroloff, Director of Cranbrook.

A great time was had by all, and the atmosphere was enhanced by the images of Cranbrook alumni Ray and Charles Eames, Harry Bertoia and Eero Saarinen that adorn our walls. For us design-obsessed DWR employees, it's a daily privilege to be associated with the Academy's amazing legacy. As the New York Times said in 1984, "the effect of Cranbrook and its graduates and faculty on the physical environment of this country has been profound...Cranbrook, surely more than any other institution, has a right to think of itself as synonymous with contemporary American design."

Posted by Jae Hah, Proprietor of DWR East 62nd Street Studio

Can it!

In Danish, the function of opening and closing is called “vipp,” which is also the name of a design company that’s been producing iconic pedal bins since 1939. To celebrate their 70th anniversary, Vipp has partnered with Design Within Reach to hold a charity auction that will benefit DIFFA (Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS). Being auctioned are 35 Vipp bins that have been customized by Ralph Lauren, David Rockwell, Calvin Klein, Nigel Barker, Yoko Ono and others.

While you can’t rub elbows with these celebs at the actual auction (it’s by invitation only) there are two other ways you can participate: Five bins are on eBay, and through October 28, all 35 bins are on display and available for bidding at the DWR: Tools for Living in SoHo. And I don’t want to make your head explode or anything (thus, needing a bin for a beastly task) but the SoHo store also has a new window design by artist Mike Perry.

Of the 35 bins, the award for the farthest-flying Vipp goes to Michael Aram, who sent the bin to his workshop in India to be transformed into a golden pear.

A Vipp Bin in size medium at left, and a Vipp Bin transformed by Michael Aram into a Golden Pear at right. (Pear photo courtesy of Christian Larsen.)

“In the world of mythology,” says Aram, “pears represent bounty and gluttony. What’s more perfect for a receptacle of waste than a golden symbol of excess?” Sporting an oxidized bronze stem (the leaf was lost in transit), the brass body was hand-hammered from the inside to give it the somewhat nubby texture of a real pear. Perhaps, however, it was a bit too realistic, as the bin ended up stuck in Customs when it was deemed a botanical and flagged as a possible restricted item for entry into the U.S. Fortunately, the Homeland Security folks didn’t blow up the suspected Trojan Pear, but I’m guessing that at least one of them jumped when they pressed on the pedal and popped open the top.

From a symbol of gluttony to an example of what’s at stake if we do not curtail our habits, the Vipp bin customized by Nigel Barker is wrapped in a photograph he took when he spent two weeks on the ice in northern Canada.

Nigel Barker, and a Vipp Bin wrapped in his photograph titled “Frozen Cauldron.” (Nigel’s portrait courtesy of Nigel Barker LLC. Photograph of customized bin courtesy of Christian Larsen.)

Barker took this photo in 2007 when he went to investigate the horrors of seal hunting. Since then, there have been significant changes, including strong bans on seal product trade, thanks to the efforts of the Humane Society. The seals, however, are still at risk. A few years ago, the ice melted earlier than usual and hundreds of thousands of baby seals drowned because they were not old enough to swim. The concept behind Barker’s Vipp bin is that it provokes the user to think about the climactic effects of waste before throwing something away. He selected his photo “Frozen Cauldron” because “it’s beautiful, and yet the ice also looks a bit angry, as if Mother Nature has something in store for us.”

David Stark with his Vipp bin transformed into a cactus. (Photo courtesy of Christian Larsen.)

To appease Ma Nature, designer David Stark used a material that is normally seen as trash to create his Cactus bin. Made of simple cardboard, the cactus was hand assembled out of 279 individual and uniquely shaped laser-cut pieces. When asked about his inspiration, Stark said, “it was a trip to Arizona and the various sculptural forms of cacti throughout the landscape, along with my ongoing interest in turning everyday unsung materials (including trash) into extraordinary objects.”

The fact that Stark chose a cactus – a plant covered in sharp thorns – is also interesting. As if to remind people that there can be painful consequences to the items we throw away. Congratulations to all the designers who participated in this special event for DIFFA.

Gwendolyn Horton

P.S. To see a Vipp bin transformed into a xylophone, click here, and to see a video of the Can It! exhibit in SoHo, click on the video below.

Are they or aren’t they?

I spotted what appears to be a row of Eames Molded Plastic Chairs in a Laundromat in Boston’s Beacon Hill neighborhood. What do you think, are they Eames? If you live near Charles Street (and are doing laundry), see if there’s a stamp or anything under the seat. I was going to do that after I went to the Paramount (best breakfast in Beacon Hill) but then I forgot to circle back.

A sweet new look for San Francisco’s Lombard Street.

King Kandy, Lolly and Princess Frostine helped to transform the crooked street into the land of Candyland in celebration of the 60th anniversary of the game. By 10 this morning, the famous section of road had become a color-blocked path for a life-size game, ready to be played by teams of excited children.

The natural landscape of hydrangeas and shrubbery became fields of lollipops and cotton candy (at least to those in the crowd of onlookers who still have an active imagination). While looking on and resisting the urge to pluck and eat a hydrangea, I couldn't help but think about Vertigo – both the sensation one feels as they experience this section of Lombard Street as well as the 1957 Hitchcock film. Jimmy Stewart's character, Scottie, lived only a block away – and this section of Russian Hill often conjures up images and moods of the mid-century film. But today's setting and game couldn't have felt more opposite to the mood of that film, and today's events didn't have any unexpected twists, just the turns.

The teams came running and winding down the hill as their color cards were drawn, from square to square. The yellow team from San Francisco Children's Hospital took the win. Participants celebrated the fun afternoon with plenty of candy and their very own Candyland boardgame to take home, play and enjoy for the next 60 years.

DWR People: She knows upholstery and rugs.

This summer we’re introducing you to some of the folks at Design Within Reach. In the “hot” seat this week is Tiffiny, who’s in charge of upholstery and rugs.

“We partnered with Maharam – a New York-based company that’s been in the textile business for more than 100 years – because they have continued the legacy of many mid-century textiles while also creating the classics of the future. I recently visited their corporate headquarters and got to see the exciting designs to come. I admire their attention to detail and creativity. My favorite is Layers by Hella Jongerius.”

– Tiffiny J. DWR Upholstery and Rugs Dept.

DWR People: He Knows Prefab.

This summer we’re introducing you to some of the folks at Design Within Reach. In the “hot” seat this week is Dow, who’s in charge of contract sales, including our prefab solution called Kithaus.

“Each prefab Kithaus that I’ve sold has been unique in the solution it provided for the client. The end uses have included a meditation room, kids’ playroom, home office and exercise room. I even sold one to a woman who wanted to give her husband a place to enjoy his cigars. She turned a Kithaus into a ‘smoke shack’ for her husband, complete with a flat screen TV.

“What most customers are surprised by is the speed of installation. We’re talking two days. If you want the K4 model with kitchen and bath, that takes only five or six days, which is so much better than having your life disrupted by six months of construction. Most places won’t require a permit for the Kithaus K3, but even in places like Los Angeles, where permit requirements are challenging, we’ve successfully completed Kithaus projects.”

– Dow O. DWR Contract Sales Dept.

DWR People: She Knows Clean Design

Over the next few weeks we’ll introduce you to some of the folks at Design Within Reach. In the “hot” seat this week is Aimee, who’s in charge of DWR: Bath products.

“Our assortment is fundamentally about improving the utility of the bath area, where space is often at a premium. The collections are clean and simple, but packed with functionality. The Block Sink, for example, has extra-deep drawers thanks to the plumbing being positioned in the far back of the cabinet. We looked at bath collections all over the world and these were the ones that delivered the one-time investment, user-friendly bath solutions our customers appreciate.”

- Aimee E. DWR Bath Dept.

DWR People: She Knows Storage.

Over the next few weeks we'll introduce you to some of the folks at Design Within Reach. In the “hot” seat this week is Evyn, who’s in charge of Storage and Workspace products.

“One of DWR’s most unique storage solutions is Cubitec. As a DWR Basic, Cubitec is affordable and highly versatile, giving you options that other shelving systems don’t. We worked closely with the designer, Doron Lachisch, to develop this modular shelving system so that it would be easy to understand and use. We also expanded the line earlier this year to include a choice of two depths, which is something our customers really wanted.

"The fun aspect of Cubitec is that it allows you to be creative with your space. It is multifunctional and you configure its shape and size to fit your needs. With limited closet space, I use Cubitec in my bedroom for extra clothes storage. It’s simple and it works great.”

- Evyn D. DWR Storage and Workspace Dept.

DWR People: Touring the Emeco Factory.

Over the next few weeks we'll introduce you to some of the folks at Design Within Reach. In the “hot” seat this week is Kari, who’s in charge of Classic products.

“I recently toured the Emeco factory in Pennsylvania, where I saw 1006 Navy Chairs being made from start to finish. Sixty-five years of history can be seen everywhere in this facility, like the railroad tracks on the factory floor, recalling a time when trains pulled into the center of the building to pick up chairs for government orders. But it is the people at the Emeco factory that really bring this place to life. There is a sense of heritage, craftsmanship, family, community and dedication at Emeco. They all seem to have a ‘let’s not do it unless we do it right’ attitude, and they inspect each chair as though their life depended on it.

“We just launched the 1006 Navy Chair with a wood seat and I think it is a testament to Emeco’s ability to stay relevant without sacrificing the traditions that have made them a success. They have proven that if you stick to a design that works, and materials that are honest and continue to hone your craft, then you’ve got a product (and a customer) that will last a lifetime.”

- Kari W. DWR Classics Dept.