Meet the Past, Present and Future Designers: Chris Hardy.

Meet Chris Hardy, one of the designers we'll be showcasing this week at WantedDesign.

Meet the Past, Present and Future Designers: Jonah Takagi.

Meet Jonah Takagi, one of the designers we'll be showcasing this week at WantedDesign.

Born in Tokyo and raised in New England, Jonah Takagi earned his bachelor’s degree from the Rhode Island School of Design in 2002. He’s spent the last decade designing furniture and playing bass guitar for indie rock bands. Regrettably, being on the road gave him little time to exhibit his furniture. To showcase his growing body of work, he founded Atelier Takagi in 2005. Takagi says of his design approach, “After you create something, you have little to no control over the emotional content that people will attribute to the object, so your best bet is to make it sturdy, make it last and, if you say it is going to do something, make sure it does it well.”

With a nod toward the Memphis movement, Takagi borrowed that American city’s nickname for his Bluff City Pendant. A mix of industrial and refined aesthetics, this pendant features a bulb that is enclosed in a metal cage on the top for ambient lighting and a solid metal shade on the bottom for concentrated downward lighting. Bluff City was nominated for a Dwell magazine Modern World Award in 2011.

Daily Tech Find: Mantis Desk.

We love Apartment Therapy, especially when they covet one of our products. Today's Daily Tech Find by Gregory Han features the new Mantis Desk. Han praises the "exemplary storage options built into the desk" and the "beautiful ash top fit for a fine kitchen." We couldn't have said it better ourselves. Thanks AT!

Happy Record Store Day.

Lap Shelving System

Since 2007, the third Saturday in April has been internationally celebrated as Record Store Day, or RSD, as the cool kids call it. The day's festivities include exclusive vinyl and CD releases, live performances and special appearances at independent record stores. On this day we also remember Storm Thorgerson, the graphic designer who created many of the album covers we continue to covet.

Here's a list of DWR staffers' fave places to score vinyl:

TEXAS

Good Records – Dallas
Cactus Music – Houston

ILLINOIS

Gramaphone Records – Chicago
Permanent Records – Chicago
Logan Hardware – Chicago
Reckless Records – Chicago

Craving culture? Exhibitions to see now.

At MAD in NYC: Grapes by Ai Weiwei. Photo: Bill Orcutt

NEW YORK

Museum of Arts and Design
Against the Grain: Wood in Contemporary Art, Craft and Design

David Zwirner Art Gallery
Richard Serra: Early Work

MASSACHUSETTS

MIT Museum
Hidden Heroes: The Genius of Everyday Things

Highlights from Milan.

Here are a few of our favorite products, exhibitions and displays from this year's Salone del Mobile in Milan.

DWR CEO John Edelman at the Danish Chromatism exhibition.

DANISH CHROMATISM was an exhibition of traditional and modern design from 30 Danish companies, showcased in a colorful collage that challenged the standard (read, static) furniture display. Held at the Triennale di Milano, this impressive show was the work of Signe Byrdal Terenziani and GamFratesi. The participating companies included Carl Hansen & Søn, Fritz Hansen, Gubi, Kvadrat, LEGO, Libratone, Louis Poulsen and others.

The Shell Chair by Hans Wegner for Carl Hansen & Son

Hi ho Hotel Valley Ho!

If you’re going to be anywhere near Arizona, you must soak in the midcentury charm of the Hotel Valley Ho in Scottsdale. This is the place to recharge your love of all things modern and well designed. The pool, spa and swinging lounge beckon to those on vacation, while the comfortable rooms with large work area and plentiful outlets make the business traveler feel at home … or at work … maybe a bit of both.

Built in 1956, the Hotel Valley Ho is one of the few midcentury hotels still standing in Scottsdale. It rose from the desert just five years after Scottsdale was incorporated as a city and it still has the optimistic spirit of a young city of 2,000 residents on the verge of a boom.

Archival photo of the Hotel Valley Ho lobby.

55 years of the brick.

To honor the 55th anniversary of the Lego brick, the Montreal ad agency Brad created a campaign of 55 graphic riddles. Here are a few of our favorites. Can you solve them?

All that glitters in Milan.

Baccarat presents its Highlights Edition 2013 at the Palazzo Morando, Milano.

Nervous Zenith by Louise Campbell for Baccarat

Designer Louise Campbell has created a new version of the iconic Zenith chandelier designed in the 19th century. Campbell maintained the classic Zenith form but added color, asymmetry and a few eccentric twists. Named Nervous Zenith, the push-pull feeling of this design certainly foreshadows the many future dinners to be hosted beneath its crystal branches.

Piana meanders and mingles in Milan.

Leave it to the sociable Piana Chair to make friends easily in Milan. From seeing the sights to becoming a key player in the nighttime party scene, Piana shows us how it's done. All photos by Mark Seelen.

Seeing red (chairs) at SaloneSatellite in Milan.

All photos: Mark Seelen

SaloneSatellite was created in 1998 as a place to showcase the work of promising young designers. Many of the prototypes presented at SaloneSatellite have gone into production and the show has helped launch many careers. We went to meet this year's group of emerging stars, many of whom were excited to check out our Piana Chair. All photos by Mark Seelen.

In Milan on a modern train.

 

The folks at Vitra are celebrating Salone in style with their modern train (click the image above to see it in action). I especially love the rocking RAR in the second-to-last car. Next stop (we wish) the DWR office!

Photos from the Vitra booth at Salone in Milan.

DWR CEO John Edelman with Eames Demetrios in the Vitra booth at Salone. Check out the wall behind them (move over, guys) made of plastic storage bins.

One red chair, many Milan ways.

We were wondering what would happen if a DWR photographer took a red Piana Chair to Milan. All photos by Mark Seelen.

Download the Stua App.

For iPhone or iPad, our partners at Stua have launched a sleek new app. Download the free app through iTunes and let us know what you think.

It takes a village ... and a VW bus.

Photo: Jim Bastardo

The 14-hour days and challenging conditions don't scare our photo crew. Here are a few of the lighter moments from our recent Arizona photoshoot for the March catalog.

Photo: Jim Bastardo

We like to say that "Umbrellas are for cocktails, Tuuci systems are made for shade." In this case, it appears the team is enjoying both.

Modern Meets Art: A DWR Client Story.

DWR helped this artistic powerhouse create her beautiful new space. What do you think? Photo: Matt Licari

Meet Lindsay Cowles – a Southerner, New Yorker and Californian. Yes, all three. Not to mention that she is an incredibly talented abstract and contemporary artist, and a DWR client. Her art can be found in private collections and she works very closely with interior designers to bring her pieces to many different homes.

Her latest project, however, involved a different kind of art – modern furniture.

App Picker picks our app.

"I am not one for trendy fashion or popular designs," writes Dylan Wilby, "but I can appreciate this app for its great selection of furniture and decor. A sharp interface with a sleek design makes for an enjoyable time navigating through this app. If you are a modern design enthusiast, this is your kind of app!"

Read Wilby's full review of the DWR iPad App at apppicker.com.

Mad about Midcentury Modern.

In honor of the Knoll Classics Sale at DWR, we're sharing some of our favorite Knoll Blog posts from the archives.

Originally posted April 2, 2012: The return of Mad Men has us buzzing about midcentury modern decor even more than usual. The AMC series pays incredible attention to recreating 1960s details and the sets don't dissappoint. We've rounded up three of our favorite Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce looks for your Don Draper-worthy home or office.

Photo Credit: Frank Ockenfels 3/AMC

Knoll® Classics Sale begins today.

It’s the Knoll Classics Sale at DWR! For one week only, save 15% and enjoy Free Standard Shipping on iconic works by Saarinen, Mies, Breuer and other modern masters. Orders over $5,000 will also receive a free upgrade to White Glove delivery. These are authentic classics produced by Knoll, most of which are in stock and ready to ship.

 

 

Why Wellesley women live at the library.

The brilliant students at Wellesley College probably don’t need a reason to go to the library, but if they do, I suggest they spend time in the room filled with Womb Chairs. Eero Saarinen designed this chair in 1948, after Florence Knoll challenged him to create a chair that she could curl up in. Florence didn’t go to Wellesley College, but the result of her challenge to Saarinen should earn her an honorary degree.

FYI: The Womb Chair is included in the Knoll Classics Sale beginning February 25.