Kids Design from Charles and Ray Eames

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Irwin Weiner ASID - Once upon a time, there was a king and queen and they ruled the Land of Design. His name was Charles and hers was Ray (really Bernice Alexandra), and Charles and Ray Eames made the land beautiful with their artistic design and imaginative use of new materials.

Of course this is not a fairy tale, but Charles and Ray Eames had a profound effect on design and had a great marriage in more ways than one - Ray's art background and Charles training as an architect blended beautifully in many products. Little known is their Colouring Toy, a nifty art and coloring set that wedding their mid-century sensibilities for bold line, pattern, and shape. Watch this quick video and you'll see how the rulers of design - they even showed off new chairs to the masses on the Today Show, and who's doing that in furniture making these days! - conquered little tykes, too.

While we're dwelling on the kiddies, here are some Eames children's furniture and accessories that endure. Click on each photo for more information.

 

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Future of Architecture

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Irwin Weiner ASID - Ignore the fact that our featured video is a video advert for Hewlett-Packard; we love the cinematography and the vision of what's happening today in the professional design world. The video's message underscores what's happening at an increasing rate with architecture and interior design: more collaboration with teams and clients all over the world, and a demand for a mobile office reliant on simple, efficient technology to transmit drawings and sketches, plans, and feedback in real time. My goal this year is to migrate from paper to tablet-based technology. My drawing skills will be much better utilized if I were to use a tablet-based drawing program on a client's job site, make my sketches right there - or sketch on top of an architect's blueprints - in front of my client and their vendors, then email copies right away to everyone. It's time to embrace technology for its mobility, freedom, and efficiency. 

Here are some of the architects and firms represented in this video; looks like they're doing fantastic, imaginative work (an example is in the above photo showing a housing project from Span in Vienna):

Field Lines Architecture, New York

BIG - Bjarke Ingels Group, Copenhagen

Span Architecture & Design, Vienna 

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Iconic House: Il Girasole

Irwin Weiner ASID - Let's celebrate all the innovation that has gone into residential architecture! It's astounding how, back in the 1930s, architects Angelo Invernizzi and Ettore Fagiuoli created a house with a mechanism that kept the house moving so that it always faced the sun. Called Il Girasole, The Sunflower, it functions beautifully and takes advantage of breathtaking natural views outside of Verona. While not all historic homes around the world are available for public tours, it's often possible to contact local museums to see if there are institutional tours of these homes and soak up the essence of beautiful design. This award-winning video is a good tour substitute.

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