Calling all Eames eagles, Noguchi nightingales and Saarinen songbirds. Are you a DWR Twitter Insider? For the next 12 weeks, @DWR_Tweets will be giving away a weekly $100 DWR Gift Card to a randomly selected follower. Follow our twitter stream for a chance to win, along with a daily dose of design news and visual inspiration. It's our way of saying thanks and giving back to our social fans. Now that's something to tweet about!
Although the task of getting organized can seem daunting, the key is to equip your space with the proper tools for the job. Luckily for you, our storage systems are like Swiss Army knives; customizable, modular and ready to tackle even the messiest of situations.
Doron Lachisch’s Cubitec Shelving combines the exceptional strength and stability of injection-molded polypropylene with simple, modular design. In addition to being superbly strong and lightweight, optional Doors and Backs can transform the system into a concealed cabinet, letting you decide what you want to display or hide. Also, depending on your needs and the configurations of your space, Cubitec can be attached vertically or horizontally.
Photo: Mark Veltman for The New York Times
The LC2 Two-Seat Sofa appears in today's New York Times, in an article about how furniture keeps getting bigger. "Furniture has been bulking up for several years now," writes Steven Kurutz, "partly to match the scale of all the cavernous 'great rooms' that became must-haves in new homes (and perhaps also to match expanding waistlines)." He compares the size of the LC2 Sofa (left) to that of a contemporary armchair (right) to show how the pieces today "dwarf the furniture of an earlier era." Le Corbusier Group designed the LC series in 1928 as a modernist response to the traditional club chair, referring to the LC2 and LC3 as "cushion baskets."
What do you think about the size of furniture on the market today -- is bigger better?
Dear DWR Customers,
What an amazing year! We could not have done it without you, and we greatly appreciate your support over the last 12 months.
Everything we do is with you in mind, and we are always striving to give you the best experience possible.
You’ll be receiving our January catalog soon, and I hope that you will be as excited to read it as we were to write it. (If you’re not on our catalog list, you can sign up here.)
Thank you for your passion for great design and for appreciating our hard work. We look forward to sharing more with you this year.
I hope people are as nice to you in 2012 as you were to us in 2011.
Thank you again.
Photo used with permission, courtesy of Richard Schulman schulmanphotography.com
We mourn the loss of Eva Zeisel today. This inspiring ceramicist, artist, designer and friend will be missed by all of us at Design Within Reach.
Eva Zeisel was continually intrigued by what she called her "playful search for beauty." A person of delightfully defiant spirit, the designer was just beginning her career when she declared war on the fashionable avant-garde. "I didn't accept the purism of modern design," she said. "In my definition, if it gave beauty to the eye, it was beauty."
Update: Thank you so much for all of your imaginative entries. We have chosen five winner who will be contacted shortly.
There are countless ways to use Neutra House Numbers. From building a kid’s height chart, to bringing logic to your kitchen drawer handles, to numbering the steps in a staircase … these sleek digits inspire many creative ideas. (Neutra Numbers are also available in Aluminum.)
Got a creative idea to share? Tell us how you’d use Neutra Numbers and you could win a set for your house (or for anywhere you want to use them).
Industrial designer Joe Doucet goes shopping for fire pits, described by the New York Times as "those vessels, often made of ceramic or iron and fueled by wood or gas, that lovers of the outdoors set up in chilly weather for heat and light and charm." When he sees our Cast Iron Fire Bowl, he says "it strikes the perfect balance -- the reductive design can fit into a modern environment, but the cast iron adds historical significance, so it can sit in environments that aren't so contemporary." He also liked its portability and the optional stainless grill top. "It becomes multifunctional," he says. "In urban environments, where space is at a premium, you want things to do more than one thing if possible." Photo by Fred R. Conrad/The New York Times
It was with great sadness that we learned of the loss of Andrew Geller, who died on December 25. An American architect, Geller is perhaps best known for the beach houses he designed in the 1950s and 60s, many of which were in the Hamptons. On May 5, 1957, the New York Times featured a story about the A-frame house he designed for Elizabeth Reese in Sagaponack, New York, and Geller’s fresh approach to this style of architecture was met with international acclaim. For 35 years, Geller worked at the international design firm Raymond Loewy & Associates, where he designed the “Typical American House” shown at the American Exhibition in Moscow. The house was the cause of the famous Kitchen Debate between Vice President Richard Nixon and Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev on July 24, 1959. A year later, the model home led to the creation of Leisurama Homes, a line of summer houses that could be purchased at Macy’s. Geller’s work can be seen in many books, including Weekend Utopia: Modern Living in the Hamptons by Alastair Gordon.
Our thoughts are with his family. This modernist architect will be missed.
Photo used with permission, courtesy of Richard Schulman photography. schulmanphotography.com
Furnish your room with our need for elbow room. Every DWR Studio is having a Floor Sample Sale. Shop early for the best selection. We also have great deals on dwr.com, the DWR Online Outlet, and the DWR Outlet in Secaucus. Find a Studio near you. Looking for something specific? Call your local Studio or our Connecticut sales team at 1.800.944.2233.
“The modernists were nestled all snug in their beds, while visions of furniture danced in their heads…” Begin your long winter’s nap with this soothing video from our partners at Stua. Happy holidays.
STUA CHRISTMAS from JAVIER GUERRERO on Vimeo.
Here are just a few exhibitions to see around the country. Do you have suggestions to add to this list? Drop us a comment and we'll post it. Shown: Ocean Park #79, 1975. Oil on canvas. ©The Estate of Richard Diebenkorn. Image courtesy The Estate of Richard Diebenkorn
NEW YORK
MoMA: 194X-9/11: American Architects and the City (ends Jan. 2)
Dec. 26 hours: 9:30am – 5:30pm
LOS ANGELES
LACMA: California Design, 1930-1965: Living in a Modern Way
Dec. 26 hours: Noon – 8pm
SAN FRANCISCO
SFMoMA: Richard Serra Drawing (ends Jan 16)
Dec. 26 hours: 11am – 5:45pm
FORT WORTH
Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth: Richard Diebenkorn: The Ocean Park Series (ends Jan 15)
Dec. 26 (closed). Dec. 27 hours: 10am – 5pm
CHICAGO
The Art Institute: Architecture for Urbanism: Selections from the Bertrand Goldberg Archive (ends Jan 2)
Dec 26 hours: 10:30am – 5pm
Join Paul Goldberger, the architecture critic for The New Yorker, as he tours the Philip Johnson Glass House in New Canaan, Connecticut. Goldberger is the author of several books, including Why Architecture Matters (Yale University Press, 2009).
Conversations in Context: Paul Goldberger from The Philip Johnson Glass House on Vimeo.
Our 3D space-planning tool has even more furniture than before. Choose from dozens of renderings of DWR furniture that you can mix, match and move (no heavy lifting) until you find the perfect arrangement. For inspiration, browse the Gallery of Furnished Rooms.
Join professor Greg Lynn and his 14 graduate students as they look into the future in collaboration with the leaders of Walt Disney Imagineering. The UCLA Architecture and Urban Design Master of Architecture II program, also known as Suprastudio, is a yearlong studio course designed to promote critical practice by emphasizing applied research.
Suprastudio Greg Lynn from UCLA Architecture & Urban De on Vimeo.
Job: Managing Editor.
Favorite Holiday Song: Jingle Bells by Bing Crosby and The Andrews Sisters.
Best Winter Treat: Red and Green Jelly Wreaths – I think about them all year.
Wish List: Oh! It’s hard to pick just one! Right now there are three items on my wish list. (And lucky for me, they coordinate!)
I would like to thank Diane von Furstenberg for encouraging Suki Cheema to design textiles inspired by his travels. They’re a visual treat, and his City Wall Throw is an effortlessly stylish accent for any room.
2. Uten.Silo I
I love the story behind this product. It was inspired by a multi-pocketed fabric storage system and intended to be easily mass-produced in plastic. Unfortunately, because of the oil embargo in the mid-70s, plastics became too costly to produce, and it fell out of production – until it was reissued by Vitra Design Museum in 2002.
The Dots are a quirky way to hang coats, dog leashes, bags, just about anything. But it’s because of the designers’ humorous quote that they made my wish list: "Being a very social set of hooks, the Dots love to welcome other Dots to join them on the wall. The only thing the Dots demand from you is that you uncover them every now and then to admire their shape and material."
Job: V.P. of Marketing + Creative.
Favorite Holiday Song: There is no such thing as a good holiday song.
Best Winter Treat: Black Squirrel - maple syrup, Bourbon, bitters, orange and Heering (Danish cherry liquor).
Wish List: The Eames® Aluminum Lounge and Ottoman in black powder coat and black leather - black on black. What more do you need to say. The coolest chair.
Job: Northeast Area Manager
Favorite Holiday Song: An old Johnny Cash Christmas record I found in a vintage store in Kewaskum, Wisconsin while I was visiting my husband's family one year. I'm not sure what the title is because the cover was in tatters when I found it. That's my soundtrack of choice during the holidays (especially while housecleaning).
Best Holiday Treat: "Dduk Guk," a Korean soup made of savory rice cakes and stuffed dumplings in beef broth traditionally consumed on the morning of New Year's Day. My mom only makes it once a year, and although it can be ordered at Korean restaurants anytime, her version is obviously the most delicious.
Wish List: The Grasshopper Floor Lamp designed by Greta Grossman is on my wish list, in Blue Grey. It reminds me of a louche, worldly woman. Or a dandy silent film star with jazz hands. Or, The Thinker. It has so much personality that it trips off a reel of delightfully anthropomorphic images in my mind every time I look at it. And the understated, perfect color. I want all the walls in my house to be that color; Benjamin Moore doesn't quite have it down. It's the new neutral.
Today marks the 99th birthday of artist, designer, filmmaker and innovator Ray Eames – and she's had quite a year. With last month's premiere of documentary film Eames: The Architect and the Painter, the Eameses have been enjoying a renewed presence in the cultural spotlight. Ray's fashion sense was recently chronicled on the New York Times' fashion blog, and this Monday, December 19, PBS will premiere the much-talked about Eames documentary as part of its American Masters series.
For more information on the film and to check local listings, visit pbs.org.
This weekend: Incredibly fabulous NJ DWR Outlet Sale. Our partners at Herman Miller have agreed to let us sell the 340 products that they just showed at Art Basel | Miami. This includes new products, and new finishes on classic products. You'll find an Eames® LCW in white ash; Nelson Swag Leg Chairs with white legs; a new Tuxedo Sofa (below) by BassamFellows that's to die for... there are many wonderful finds. Take 20% off the lowest marked price during this Two-Day Sale. There are also great buys on Photo Samples, Customer Returns and Gift Items. Mark your calendar and catch the FREE SHUTTLE from NYC. Find details at dwr.com/outlet.
Eames Lounge Chair debut in 1956 on NBC from The O on Vimeo.
To celebrate the last day of our Herman Miller Sale, we're rewatching this vintage NBC clip of Charles and Ray Eames introducing their now-iconic design to the world. Save 15% on the Eames® LCW, Eames® Lounge Chair and other great items through midnight tonight! Sale ends December 12.
