Even Ice Cube's feelin' some Charles and Ray

Herman Miller furniture passes the test of time. I know this because I work every day in a 1960's Herman Miller Aluminum Group, Executive Management chair, also known as the Time-Life chair. I also have 6 more at home. It is so cool to learn that rapper, actor, and producer Ice Cube also shares the Herman Miller love.

Dig.

D. J. De Pree - Herman Miller Millwright Story

Beginning fall 2006, BarryBlog was once vibrant and daily, but now rather sleepy and sporadic. But if you look through the archives or Google Search Herman Miller and BarryBlog, chances are you'll find the many times I've spoken of the great company Herman Miller. I've gained a deep appreciation since I first experienced the performance and aesthetic of their wares at a small design firm in East Lansing Michigan, right out of college. The owner of that shop bought only Herman Miller, and I have been hooked since. Then while working as a senior art director in a small Grand Rapids marketing communications consultancy, I had further opportunities to learn about the company. While in Grand Rapids, I spent hours at their refurbished product store which at the time was called REMARK. I so miss that great store.

In the must read "The Design of Herman MIller", by my hands down favorite writer, Ralph Caplan, I learned how D. J. De Pree founded the company based on his Biblical worldview. As I read that, it was easy to compare with the current company who employs me, Tyndale House Publishers. Like D. J., Ken Taylor built a company with people as a priority. Like D. J., Ken realized how important people are to the overall day to day success of the business.

So tonight while I was further researching Herman Miller, I came across this wonderful example of how D. J. approached business, and more specifically, the people who worked for him.

Someday I would love to help grow Herman Miller using my God given skills. Like Tyndale, they are one of the few great companies left.

See for yourself, in D. J. De Pree's own words.

French Provencal Louis XV Lovliness

December 09 UPDATE: After discussing this furniture with Christie's, Wright20, and several other auction houses and furniture dealers, though you can't fault me for trying and spending significant time doing so, you can begin laughing at me. This stuff is of value, but not as valuable as I had thought. The exception being the bedroom stuff, which has generated a great deal of collector and auction house interest. So head into Jubilee this weekend and some of it will be priced.

Jubilee Furniture just got a donation beyond anything they've ever seen. I'm a mid century modern furniture and decorative arts collector, and although French Provencal Louis XV style furniture is like a foreign language to me, it does not take a genius to understand how special this donation really is.

So I spent several hours taking photos (as I have done several times in the past) of this amazing furniture on Saturday afternoon. Love taking photos, I love everyone at Jubilee, and I love furniture (especially Time Life Chairs by Charles Eames for Herman Miller), so this was a great day.

I am currently in the process of communicating with a few choice auction houses for their assistance. If you can help me identify these pieces, I and Jubilee would really appreciate it.

While I was at Jubilee I shot several more pieces from their very stocked showroom. Below are both galleries.

Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer

Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer

Great Flickr Set: Mid-Century Graphic Design of Olivetti

ninonbook has very little in his Flickr stream, but what he lacks in quantity he more than makes up for with the quality of his contribution. His one and only set is a bunch of amazing Olivetti marketing and promotional graphic design efforts smack dab from the mid-20th century. Absolutely inspirational work. I know very little about how he got the work, and know a great deal about the work itself, but since my schedule is a bit upside down, I will pass on explaining the Olivetti design empire, trusting if you are interested you will pursue that further. Google Olivetti and you will quickly learn what a powerhouse this design driven company was. From a previous post of mine (in which a person named Neil McBean ripped off my image), Dieter Rams is quoted as saying this about Olivetti...

Today there is only Apple and to a lesser extent Sony, but not to the same degree as was the case with Olivetti and BRAUN, or Peter Behrens at AEG, or Herman Miller and Charles Eames, Florence Knoll with Saarinen and so on. These kinds of connections are missing today.

I am fortunate to own the Olivetti Lettera 36 and am constantly on the prowl for the Valentine by one of my favorite designers, Ettore Sottsass.

Enjoy nonenbook's Olivetti Set.

A special thanks to Neil McBean. The stated purpose of his blog is to "inspire filmmakers, designers and artists (like me [him]) to develop and produce their own work." Ironically however, he refuses to remove my image that he stole, which he is using to ask the question..."So is Jonathan Ives merely a rip-off artist?" Then he states..."We always build on what came before, and sometimes all that's required is the adaptation of a great design for a new purpose." Then he goes on to state..."When developing storyboards it would be irresponsible not to find out how similar scenes have been shot in earlier films."

Guess McBean doesn't feel it's at all irresponsible to steal. Sweet.

George Nelson Exhibition at Vitra Design Museum

Anyone who reads my blog with any frequency knows I am a Herman Miller and specifically George Nelson admirer. In fact as I watched this video, I felt a real connection with him for the way he thinks, and his passion for the integration of design into all areas of business. He was a lifetime educator in and out of the classroom. He was a leading writer on design. He was also a designer. And an architect. And to me the most value he added to the world at large was his abilities as a thought leader. He was so ahead of his time. I suspect part of what made him successful was Herman Miller's leadership and their desire to have someone of his caliper involved in the decisions of the company. The rest of his success I'm sure can be chalked up to vision, passion, intensity, and a spirit to innovate that I bet was really contagious. Hope you enjoy this video as much as I have.



( via whatwedoissecret )

Neocon and The Big Three

: : : : : : : : : : : : R_E_P_O_S_T : : : : : :: : : : : :

Ugh...Ford, General Motors and Chrysler are kinda IN THE NEWS lately, so for those who never heard my perspective on this, here it is (again).

( Begin original post from June 11, 2008 )

So I'm in Chicago at NEOCON 2008. Everywhere I look, I'm amazed. And it made me think. People are genuinely friendly, knowledgeable, and seemingly happy to see me as I walk into their space. I'm not asked if I'm "looking for something special." I'm not immediately apprised of sale items. I am not even asked for my email. Well in a couple I am.

All that said, "The Big Three" come to mind. Ford, General Motors and Chrysler. But also the Furniture Big Three– Herman Miller, Steelcase and Haworth.

These Big Three couldn't be more different.

I'm reminded of how amazing the contract furniture market is. It is so obvious that the Furniture Three see design as THE product they sell. They are selling experience and story. Unlike Pontiac's Driving Excitement®– the Furniture Three are genuinely excited and passionate about furniture. So much so that talking to them about it is more like going to lunch with a friend than arm wrestling a car salesman would be.

The thought that keeps coming to mind is how amazing it might be if the Auto Big Three would begin to be more like the Furniture Three. As I shared before here. Even though we find ourselves in tough economic times, it is apparent the Furniture Three have not cut back. Yes, there was noticably way less printed brochures and flashy food, but the commitment to design quality seemed to have been taken up a notch. Everywhere I looked, I was blown away by the thinking, the execution, and the delivery of the products they were just then bringing to market. It was an amazing showcase of design ingenuity and commitment to high design.

I realize I have been picking on The Auto Big Three unmercifully here, some of which is unfair generalization, but the point of all this jabber is to point out one thing.

Those who see design as a function and process will lose. Those who see design as core to what they do, how they do it, what they sell, and who they are, will win.

If the automakers saw the world through the lens of design, and by design I don't mean this year's body-style, then I would likely be driving one of their products. Instead, I buy the product that promises me an experience, that I see as relevant, and that I want to see succeed.

NEOCON is amazing. It is a tangible example of why the furniture industry is a leader in so many ways. Design thinking, business strategy and marketing communication, product innovation, environmental impact, sustainability, and so much more. I maintain that the best marketing is simply doing business well, consistently and with integrity, and with the understanding that nobody cares about your marketing as much as you. Herman Miller gets this. As does Steelcase and Haworth. And each of these three companies, although they are part of a struggling economy like everyone else, rise above the rest and are able to ask a premium for their products. A fact that when you attend NEOCON you will begin to understand why this is no big mystery. It's truly a cradle to cradle way of thinking. A renewable enterprise.

Making an Eames DSR Molded Plastic Shell Arm Chair

Eames Molded Plastic Chairs – the "making of" video, featuring the legendary Eames DSR Fiberglass Chair. This chair has been reissued to the exact same specs as the original, but is now being made with a more environmentally safe product called polypropylene.

Without question, this post is yesterday's news. In fact, a large percentage of those on my Newfire syndicated feed list have already pointed to this video. Having said that, this friendly reminder: BarryBlog is about sharing, and yes, that includes with me. Being a HMI fan, I could not face not having this on my blog, if for nothing more than posterity. I did post this video in the past. It really is an amazing video and it provides an even greater appreciation for just how much effort goes into making one of these design beauties. Surprisingly, this is one of Herman Miller's lower cost classics. But as I have said before, any Herman Miller product you buy will likely last as long as you do, or longer.

Mid-Century Jubilee Furniture - Coming Soon

I just completed a new set of images to help my friends at Jubilee Furniture in Carol Stream IL document a bunch of new furniture donations they called me about. You may have heard of them before. These cool new vintage furniture pieces may be available via Apartment Therapy Chicago's classified ads, or via Craigslist, or at the Carol Stream store...I'm not quite sure yet. Suffice it to say there is some SWEET mid-century modern furniture goodness to be had, when they are ready to go. They are still pricing these items. Stay tuned.

Vedder Time-Life and Cassina Le Corbusier LC2

Recently research conducted on one of my Herman Miller Aluminum Group Executive Time-Life chairs uncovered the fact that it was McDonald's Corporation former executive board member B. Blair Vedder, Jr.'s personal Herman Miller office chair. The chair goes by the name Herman Miller Charles Eames Aluminum Group Time Life Executive Work Chair model ES 104 adjustable tilt swivel chair. The chair was formerly in the company's Oakbrook headquarters. I purchased it at a Chicagoland used furniture store. The chair has B. Blair Vedder, Jr.'s chrome nameplate affixed. Vedder was also one of McDonald's close knit group of executives as the COO of McDonald's former agency Needham who developed the slogan "You Deserve A Break Today". It is really rewarding for me and enjoyable to find this type of historic information. I collect for so many reasons. Information like I found on this chair keeps me hunting. Like this weekend when I found an original, likely mid-60's Le Corbusier LC2 chair, camel leather in wonderful original condition, stamped with the architect's name and the serial number 1370. It also has the Cassina Spa manufacturer label (pre-Knoll licensed model), and the Atelier label to boot. More on this in a future post.

Fun.

Interesting To Me: Allsteel Acuity Chair

BarryBlog posts on ideas, issues and objects that are really all over the map. This is a reflection of who I am as a thinker, a designer, a christian, and is how I originally envisioned the blog from day one. I post on things which have caught my attention and which I find interesting and at times important. Things I observe by intention, by happenstance, by referral, or by The Spirit, as a way and a place to file interesting things away for future consideration. And for you too, if you find them interesting. The feedback I get in these regards has always been a high point of the process.

The last few months I've been posting less, but with more frequency regarding my flea market finds and the collection I am curating 50 cents at a time via St. Vincent DePaul, Goodwill and other local flea market haunts. Judging by my stats, this is less interesting to some, though ironically my core reader still remains rather solid. It is always fun to see which posts spike readership, but I never set out to gain a following or to boost readership. In fact my blog can best be summed up by a quote from Samuel Butler from The Way of All Flesh which I discovered in reading my book by Herman Miller called "Notes on Attention" by Ralph Caplan."

Butler says...

"The literacy instinct may be known by man's keeping a small notebook in his waistcoat pocket, onto which he jots down anything that strikes him, or any good thing that he hears said, or a reference he thinks will come in useful to him." (I would add: "Or to you").

One thing I never tire of and always find interesting is contract and residential furniture. Furniture industry insider I am not, but having grown up in Mid-Michigan in a small design boutique that was furnished predominately in Herman Miller, then calling Grand Rapids home for a few years as a communication designer, I have developed a passion for contract furniture. All furniture really. I always seem to find incredible furniture and decorative art finds at garage sale prices, which has only fueled by desire to learn more. Perhaps it's learning I enjoy mostly about furniture, not the finds themselves. Maybe that could be another blog post.

Anyway, what I really appreciate the most about the furniture design industry is the leadership role it has earned in the overall design landscape. Furniture design is approached holistically, and design is considered and relied upon at every level of thinking— from the board room to the retail floor. Those who have followed BarryBlog know the business of design is an issue that's been discussed here frequently.



All that to say, the new Allsteel Acuity chair has caught my attention. In a big way. Mainly because of all it isn't. It sits quietly and expectantly for it's user to draw near. In my estimation, the chair's personality takes on the personality of the user, not visa versa.

In some ways I see the Allsteel Acuity chair more representative of Audi than BMW, if you will. The Acuity does what it says, the Aeron says what it does.

You get the picture. Do understand I am a major Herman Miller fan, but like the Aeron, I see the Allsteel Acuity chair in a really small group of excellent products. Perhaps the reason this chair is so excellent, and has so little, is because of Bruce Fifield at Continuum. According to Allsteel's president Eugene Sung, Bruce is a relative newcomer to chair design. I have always been a relative newcomer to each industry I have designed for, and often find this to be a distinct advantage. Mainly because of so little preconception. But as always, you must have a client who trusts your intuition, instinct and voice. After seeing Continnum's previous work, I can see how this would not have been a stretch for Sung.

In reference to paying attention, and to all that this chair is not, here is a great quote by Ralph Caplan from the same publication On Attention I referenced earlier in this post...

"Pay attention so that people are free to attend to what they care about. Ironically, though, the freest societies invariably create environments that militate against attention. Visual pollution is harmful not just because it is ugly but because it is distractive. And therefore destructive. Like other pollution, it destroys the balance of nature–in this case, human nature. A climate loaded with designs clamoring for your attention is a climate in which you end up paying attention to nothing."

Bravo Eugene and Bruce and team. Thanks for paying attention. It made a connection. With me, anyway. And that's why it's on BarryBlog.

Flickr: Vintage Mid-Century Modern Furniture

Attention anyone who loves furniture in general, especially that with a rich history: I created a new Flickr home for all the vintage furniture images I have scattered throughout my various Flickr sets. The slideshow is here. It's fun and convenient to see everything in one place. Most of the images reflect my taste for mid-century modern, but there's a real mix here.

FontStruct. Create a Font. Or Jack One Up.

FontStruct. A free font-building tool by FontShop that allows you to create a font from scratch using geometrical shapes, arranged in a grid, like tiles or bricks. When you're through, FontStruct generates a production-quality TrueType font you can download and/or share with others—Mac or Windows. Sharing is encouraged. In fact, you can even download other people's "FontStructions" and make your own variations by jacking up what they've already done. There's a great gallery of other people's fonts here. I haven't had time to try yet, but Stewf has. For all you Mid-Century Modern fans, he did a take on Eero Saarinen which he aptly named Eerostyle. I met Stewf (Stephen) here. He administers a bunch of Flickr groups, including my favorite, Mid-Century Modern Interiors Pool. He also edits the FontShop's blog, called Fontfeed, the Type Journal Typographica, as well as his own blog— midcenturymodernist. At midcenturymodernist.com, he made me blush with his review of my post about my Herman Miller Eames Executive Management Time-Life Chair for which I now have 8.

Since you're so kerncerned, why not give it a shot.

More Herman Miller Eames Yumminess

Introducing my newest thrift furniture finds – two fixed height Herman Miller Eames Aluminum Group Soft Pad Management Chairs (pictured above), plus it's big brother, the Soft Pad with swivel and adjustable height (not pictured). I picked them up this weekend. The big brother is my new home office chair, the two fixed height chairs will be on eBay soon. I also bought a Herman Miller Eames Aluminum Group Soft Pad Lounge Chair at a garage sale last year for $10. My crib is starting to look a bit like a Herman Miller showroom. Here's to hoping some day I'll find a classic bent ply lounge chair and ottoman at a garage sale!

All three of these new chairs from this weekend have just 4 legs–the most vintage and desirable configuration that thanks to OSHA in 1990, all changed to 5 leg versions. 4 leg versions are no longer made. Aside from my original Eames Time Life chairs, which will also be on eBay soon, these chairs are second to none. And don't forget my work chair.

I often wonder what the dot-com Aeron chair is like. Though not vintage or classic looking enough for me (like the Aluminum group), I understand it too is an awesome chair.

If you like Herman Miller stuff, I recommend a group I belong to. Check out the Flickr Herman Miller group, moderated by shawnwall. His the ranch series is amazing. You might also enjoy the Eames Flickr group. If you're into Mid-Century Modern interiors, you'll enjoy Stewf's group, Mid-Century Modern Interiors. Stewf owns and operates the great midcenturymodern.com. Stewf did a nice write up on me a month back or so.

Those links should burn a few hours away. Enjoy.

Mid-Century Modern Interior and Objects

Spin through the photos above. They were taken for a variety of reasons. For one, I am using my Canon Digital Rebel 300D more and more, and this was more practice. Secondly, much of these shots are for use as I go to sell this stuff. Not all, but some. And last, these photos are just plain fun to look at, and a big portion of BarryBlog readers respond to posts I have about such things. Plus, and perhaps the most important reason to me, and the reason I started BarryBlog in the first place, is because I'm enthusiastic about craftsmanship, charm, and innovations of the past, and so I share these mostly vintage treasures so you can appreciate them as well.

Design Thinking: Herman Miller. Ralph Caplan.

I'll be posting about this in greater detail soon, but for now, I'm realizing that based on the reality of life as I currently know it, the word "soon" could more reasonably end up meaning "never," so take a sneak peek at these incredible in-house, very limited edition publications. They are from Herman Miller Incorporated, and were produced in conjunction with the great design thinker Ralph Caplan, and designed by the legendary John Massey of Container Corporation of America fame. I so admire John's legacy of work and thinking. I inherited these from a former Creative Director I served with while still in Michigan. As I stated in the comments section of an AIGA post recently...I received these in 1988 and still treasure all four of these publications. They were in-house produced articles on four subject matters. ATTENTION. CONNECTION. TENSION. And OMISSION. All four read "some incomplete thoughts with room for improvement, by Ralph Caplan." They played an important role in the fabric of my overall design thinking at a critical time in my design career, one which now spans some 20 years. I will be photographing the interiors, which of course is the important part, when I can. For now, enjoy the eye candy.

Time Life Chairs: Coming To A Store Near You

Tangible proof I finally coordinated getting these bad boys from the warehouse to my house. Seven in total. A sneak peek into a recent entry into my string of mid-century modern furniture, collectible and decorative arts good fortune. Ladies and Gentlemen, I introduce to you the Herman Miller Aluminum Group Executive Management Mid-Back Work Chair, or Time Life Chair– "BarryBlog Edition." Buy one for yourself at a store near you...coming soon.

Learn more about these chairs at my previous post. Or check out MidCenturyModernist for more. Email for inquires for purchase if you can't wait for them to go live. All proceeds to help fund our adoption in El Salvador.

Mid Century Modern Fashion: Time Life Chair

Grab some goods if you're a Eames nut like me. I threw together a t-shirt design which you can customize to your heart's content. Or send some postage in style. To be frank, these items are crap. But I wanted to experiment with Zazzle, set up a store, work the back end, and see how the process goes. Yes I received my brown long-sleeve T and yes it rocks the house. Hanes Beefy-T to be exact. So now I'm familar with how to do this when we may need this for work, to create a couple one off designs for my wife and I, or when we want to make some extra cash. Whatever. Let me know if you want a shirt. I'll go in to the back end and lower the %. I really marked it up. But hey, all proceeds (zero and counting) go to my wife and my El Salvador adoption fund.

create & buy custom products at Zazzle

Jubilee Furniture: Help Spread The Word

Quiet, sleepy, Carol Stream Illinois (a suburb of Chicago) is home to an amazing vintage, mid-century modern, retro and gently used furniture market so secret, that, well, I finally decided to put my greed aside to help them get the word out. For months now on Saturday's only, Jubilee Furniture Company has opened it's doors at 9 am – the exact time I show up. For months I've had practically unfettered access to all this incredible and ever changing furniture and collectibles. A smorgasbord of vintage and retro items that sell for at or below garage sale prices. I kid you not, I've found Vitra, Steelcase, Herman Miller, Weiland, Knoll, Kimball, d_SCAN, Haworth, AllSteel and a ton of older American and Danish lines there. I blogged about my Steelcase Warren Snodgrass 474419W Encore Series guest chairs that are in the Museum of Modern art a few weeks ago. Each Saturday a new selection awaits at Jubilee.

You see, during the week, Jubilee accepts furniture donations, as the whole concept is to assist individuals and families in need throughout the suburbs through this ministry called Community Outreach. All proceeds from the Jubilee Furniture mart go to this worthwhile cause.

So why do I ask you to help me get the word out when I could continue my cherry picking under the radar, so-to-speak?

Well, each week I've noticed they've not had adequate resources and people to get the word out as they would like. Consequently, the place does an "okay" business, while the vintage gems go largely unnoticed (except for by me of course). Since the market is a ministry, I feel a call to help them. Especially as you consider they are a bunch of spirited, friendly, energetic and hardworking folk, and I know that they would oh-so-appreciate your help in spreading the word.

I spent 45 minutes there recently and took all the photos you see at the beginning of this post with my Canon Rebel 300D.

The yellow, low flourescent lighting at Jubilee is practically non-existent, but this dark, dusty, huge warehouse is what I find so charming. It's not polished; it's not pretty—a distinctive that may in fact be it's charm. While it provides really affordable furniture to a community in need, it's also a diamond in the rough for collectors and dealers.

Let me know what you think about my photos, and if you have any questions just ask. I've volunteered there a couple Saturdays in the past and am tight with the two full time staff members, Dave and Susan. They're located on the corner of North Avenue (64) and Schmale in Carol Stream. Jubilee can be reached at 1-(630)-337-1467. Susan just told me that they are now opening on Fridays, too, from 3pm - 8pm. And always Saturday 9am – 4pm.

I appreciate your help spreading the word. Tell them BarryBlog sent ya'.

Charles Eames: Time Life Chair Yumminess

So I'm finally posting on my newest and most cherished Mid-Century Modern artifact...and collector deal of a lifetime– my Herman Miller Aluminum Group Executive Management Work Chair, or Time Life Chair. Perfectly orange (for my friend Jess) and super soft, super plush high quality leather...the Bentley of the chair world. And the most luxurious chair I have ever sat in. So here it is, along with a few odd ball office shots for context. Let me know if you want one. I have 6 more (albeit not in as pristine condition). I bought them to sell, so let me know if you too would like one. Following is some additional info for anyone intreged and interested in learning more. A NY Times article called Seats of Power. A distant cousin. A recent eBay listing. Another. And another. A recent sale. Architonic coverage. A current listing at $3,300.00. Yet another. Herman Miller's page. Learn more about the chairs history, and download the original Charles Eames designed leaflet from 1960 announcing the chair in PDF form here. See what midcenturymodernist has to say about this.

Eames Lounge Debut: Arlene Francis Show

Charles Eames in 1956, interviewed on the Arlene Francis' Home show—the precursor to what is known today as the Today Show. Eames was given this prime opportunity to describe and debut his Herman Miller Eames Lounge chair to America for the first time. Major furniture history in the making.