The creative duo Charles Eames (1907-1978) and Ray Kaiser Eames (1912-1988) transformed the visual character of America. Though best known for their furniture, the husband and wife team were also forerunners in architecture, textile design, photography, and film. The Eameses' work defined a new, multifunctional modernity, exemplary for its integration of craft and design, as well as for the use of modern materials, notably plywood and plastics.
The Eames Lounge Chair Wood, designed with molded plywood technology, became a defining furniture piece of the 20th century, while the couple's contribution to the Case Study Houses project not only made inventive use of industrial materials but also developed an adaptable floor plan of multipurpose spaces which would become a hallmark of postwar modern architecture.

From the couple's earliest furniture experiments to their seminal short film Powers of Ten, this book covers all the aspects of the illustrious Eames repertoire and its revolutionary impact on middle-class American living.

Poised at the start of the 21st century, we can see clearly that the previous century was marked by momentous changes in the field of design. Aesthetics entered into everyday life with often staggering results. Our homes and workplaces turned into veritable galleries of style and innovation.

From furniture to graphics, it's all here--the work of artists who have shaped and re-created the modern world with a dizzying variety of materials. From the organic to the geometric, from Art Deco, through to Pop and High-Tech, this book contains all the great names--Harry Bertoia, De Stijl, Dieter Rams, Philippe Starck, Charles and Ray Eames, to name only a very few.

This essential book is a comprehensive journey through the shapes and colors, forms and functions of design history in the 20th century. An A-Z of designers and design schools, which builds into a complete picture of contemporary living. Lavishly illustrated, this is design in the fullest sense.

The most compelling collection ever of the world's most innovative, stylish, and influential chairs

Throughout history, the chair has presented designers the world over with infinite opportunities to experiment with new methods and materials within the set parameters of an object that is primarily there to serve a practical purpose. Chair: 500 Designs that Matter celebrates the humble chair as never before, from early examples to today's cutting-edge creations. It invites you to sit back and be taken on a journey through the creative imaginations of hundreds of internationally renowned designers.

From armchairs and chaises lounges to cabinets and nightstands, the period between the late 1930s and early 1970s was one of the most productive, inventive, and exciting eras for objects and furniture in the home. Following 1945, when postwar optimism combined with new manufacturing methods and material techniques, there was an explosion of design innovation and demand for goods.

The appetite for mid-century modern remains as strong as ever, both for classic designs--many still in production since they were launched--and for rare, hard-to-find pieces from lesser-known designers. While numerous books surveying mid-century modern style have appeared over the years, this volume is specifically for the increasing collector's market in mid-century modern design, focusing on each piece of furniture as an object of formal invention, manufacturing intelligence, and material innovation.

Overflowing with vibrant color photography, Mid-Century Modern Furniture profiles hundreds of pieces and is a perfect reference in design libraries, studios, andthe homes of private collectors--or as an object of design in its own right. Each item of furniture is presented in detail: illuminated with vibrant illustrations and profiled via in-depth descriptive texts by design writer Dominic Bradbury. The book's substantial reference section includes essays on materials and a directory of designers. Work by a host of influential talents is profiled throughout, alongside lesser-known pieces by Piet Hein, Bruno Mathsson, Lina Bo Bardi, and Alexander Girard.

House Romantic is a vibrant and extremely personal view of creating homes that are meaningful and reflect who we are. Filled with practical tips and specific instructions, the book offers a new sort of home education that shows us how we can surround ourselves with fewer products and more items that hold true significance, creating deeply personal connections in the spaces where we live, work, and love.

Packed with photographs of Harris's home in Charleston, South Carolina, along with archival photos from the homes she grew up in, alongside lush color palettes and textiles, this beautifully photographed interior design book also features 17 homes of fellow creatives and designers in the United States, the UK, and Europe.

Bringing in words of advice and gorgeous interiors from the people who inspire her, Harris explores the many different ways of embracing romanticism in interior design.

House Romantic: Curating Memorable Interiors for a Meaningful Life explores what makes a personal and meaningful home, revealing how designers and creatives authentically style their spaces, drawing inspiration from the important moments and people in their lives.

This practical and display-ready coffee table book features a foreword by Anna Spiro and includes inspiring color photographs and illustrations.

A concise introduction to the opulent modernism of a long-neglected design pioneer

Neglected for most of her career, Eileen Gray (1878-1976) is now regarded as one of the most important furniture designers and architects of the early 20th century and the most influential woman in those fields. Her work inspired both modernism and Art Deco. Gray was to stand alone throughout her career, first as a lacquer artist, then a furniture designer and finally as an architect; at a time when other leading designers were almost all male and mostly members of one movement or another--whether a loose grouping like De Stijl in the Netherlands--she remained staunchly independent. Gray's design style was as distinctive as her way of working, and she developed an opulent, luxuriant take on the geometric forms and industrially produced materials used by the International Style designers (Le Corbusier, Charlotte Perriand and Mies van der Rohe).
This affordable volume presents the works for which she remains revered today.

An affordable, concise survey on the influential modernist designer's interiors, buildings, furniture and more, from a sawtooth ski resort to sculptural chaises longues

From the onset of her career, Charlotte Perriand was a maverick who believed in good design as a force for the betterment of society. Many young designers would be devastated by a rejection from Le Corbusier's studio, but when the great architect told her they had no use for a female furniture designer, Perriand only became more determined to prove her mettle as an artist. Under Le Corbusier, and long after she left his studio, Perriand's contributions to both furniture design and architecture demonstrated a unique attention to the organic artistry of nature as well as the egalitarian possibilities of the machine age. Her leftwing populist politics motivated much of her work, from modular furniture systems to major architectural projects.

This monograph explores Perriand's most famous interiors, original furniture and architectural projects, as well as her never-before-seen sketchbooks, shedding new light on her creative process and place in design history.

Charlotte Perriand (1903-99) experienced the first breakthrough in her career with Le Bar sous le toit, a 1927 interior design piece that predicted the elegant minimalism and utilitarian nature of her future work. Although today she is perhaps best known for her early chaise longue designs, Perriand also created the plans for a number of major buildings across Europe and contributed interior designs to Le Corbusier's Unit d'habitation. She worked in places as diverse as Tokyo, Rio de Janeiro and London in her pursuit of accessible design.

Lost Danish Treasure tells the tale of two stories: 1) the history of Finn Juhl's iconic Chieftain Chair and a long-forgotten painting that preceded it, and 2) the individual connections to this design by a small group of collector researchers. Although starting in different eras and timelines, the two accounts start to intertwine over the course of the book, with the research efforts of today helping to unravel the mysteries of the past. As each chapter unfolds, more and more clues are revealed that slowly weave the storylines closer together--until the summer of 2021, when both accounts collided after Lot 242 popped up in an auction house in Chicago. The result of the subsequent analysis sheds new light about the origins and identity of the very first Chieftain Chair.

The book features case studies on pioneering, contemporary and historical designers and includes an illustrated directory of materials and manufacturing processes.

'There have been many books about Herman Miller, its ethos, designers, and furniture, but none as comprehensive as this.' - Interior Design

The acclaimed chronicle of the rich history of this innovative furniture company, from its founding in the early twentieth century to today

For more than 100 years, Michigan-based Herman Miller has played a central role in the evolution of modern and contemporary design, producing timeless classics while creating a culture that has had a remarkable impact on the development of the design world. Herman Miller is known as much for its pioneering designs and international influence as for its emphasis on environment and community service.

In this far reaching survey, new and archival photography illustrates the evolution of Herman Miller's furniture designs over the course of the century. Featuring the stories and creations of legendary designers including Ray and Charles Eames, George Nelson, and Alexander Girard, and through its thousands of illustrations, this book tells the Herman Miller story as never before, documenting its defining moments and key leaders, and making Herman Miller: A Way of Living an indispensable volume for the bookshelves of design-lovers around the globe.

An affordable overview of the great French modernist's essential inventions

This volume compiles iconic furniture pieces by Charlotte Perriand (1903-99). The French designer's career began in 1927, when she was just 24, and presented her steel and aluminum bar, Bar under the roof, at the Salon d'Automne--prompting Le Corbusier to hire her as a furniture designer. Perriand produced works with Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret that remain canonical today. In 1940, she was invited to Japan to be the official advisor on industrial design for the Ministry of Trade and Industry; she recommended that the Japanese turn their efforts to creating products for export to the West. Unable to return to Paris because of naval blockades, she stayed in Vietnam for four years, where she learned about weaving, woodwork, rattan and other natural products. This experience prompted her to use materials such as bamboo and cane to create affordable mass-produced furniture--featured here along with other classic works.

Natural Elegance showcases the award-winning interiors of WRJ Design, headquartered in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and led by Rush Jenkins and Klaus Baer. The firm's homes are set against the backdrop of dramatic Western landscapes from the Rockies to the Pacific.

Their interiors are infused with a unique elegance--one versed in the beauty of the wilderness combined with sophisticated contemporary design. Juxtaposing a warm palette with rugged elements, they create homes that have a deep connection to the natural world just outside the windows.

Illustrated with photographs by the masterly William Abranowicz, the book features more than a dozen gloriously sited houses decorated in WRJ's signature rustic yet refined style and over 250 color photographs.

The Danish architect Arne Jacobsen (1902-1971) is renowned both within and outside Denmark's borders. Celebrated for his iconic chairs, Jacobsen was also an avid photographer and painter who was involved in the art world, where he found inspiration and new methods for developing architecture. This is the most comprehensive account of Jacobsen to date, diving into previously unknown aspects of his life and work. It uncovers how art played a seminal role in both his professional and personal life, placing him in the midst of the European postwar avant-garde art scene. Shedding new light on aspects of his creative life, the book challenges previous ideas about Jacobsen as a modernist iconoclast, positioning him instead as a creative innovator who worked closely with materials in transforming existing aesthetics. It also investigates how Jacobsen played a crucial role in defining Danish and Nordic welfare aesthetics. Beautifully designed, the book features famous and lesser-known works by Jacobsen, including chairs, textile designs, watercolour drawings, light fixtures, and architecture models, along with hundreds of previously unseen private photographs of Jacobsen and his many designs.

The first monograph on the work of the designer of the iconic 40/4 chair

The American industrial designer and inventor David Rowland is best known for his signature 40/4 chair. Released in 1964, it is so named because it is possible to stack forty chairs in just four feet - an unprecedented achievement that established an entirely new category of versatile seating.

Rowland's wife Erwin and writer Laura Schenone reveal the inspiring story of how he brought his ground-breaking design to market. Initially, it was rejected by all the major furniture brands, including Herman Miller and Knoll, but Rowland persevered, and ultimately, the 40/4 chair became one of the most successful chairs ever produced, winning numerous accolades and selling over 8 million by the early 21st century. Today it is found in the permanent collections of museums worldwide, and gracing public and private spaces of every type - from cathedrals to cultural centres, corporate and municipal buildings, to places of worship, schools, healthcare, hospitality and homes.

This fascinating biography of David Rowland and his 40/4 chair, featuring more than 250 photographs and documents (many never seen before), tells the compelling story of his design practice and a singular chair, whose design, through the determination of its designer, became the commercially successful and influential classic that it is. The first monograph on American designer, David Rowland: 40/4 Chair, is published to mark the 60th anniversary of this timeless design and includes the wide range of Rowland's work before and after the development of his masterpiece.

David Rowland was a pioneering Mid-Century designer. Born in 1924 in Hollywood, California, he studied at the Cranbrook Academy of Art in Michigan. His elegant, perfectly engineered 40/4 chair is one of the most significant and masterful designs of the 20th century.

Craft your own classic Windsor chair with the instruction and guidance of master woodworker, Mike Dunbar. Following its original release, this cherished guide cemented Dunbar's authority as a master craftsman and an astute teacher--inspiring thousands to create eye-catching Windsor chairs that will last for generations.

In the thirty years since the release of the first edition, the author's technique, skill, and teaching insights have grown along with the improvements in tools and materials. These evolutions are incorporated into the new edition and give you everything you need to create a masterpiece of your own.

With diagrams, step-by-step instruction, and extensive photographs, this book is the next best thing to attending one of Mike Dunbar's famed classes. You will learn how to make each aspect of the chair, and the updated edition contains instruction on tool sharpening, making milk paint, and fixing common woodshop mistakes. An all-inclusive guide for your next project

For more expert woodworking guidance, be sure to get Mike's other books, Federal Furniture and Easy Woodworking Projects, both published by Echo Point Books.

The design gallery's latest triennial celebration of US-made objects that straddle art, design and craft

R & Company's landmark triennial exhibition and accompanying publication, Objects: USA, returns in 2024, featuring 55 makers from across the United States whose works blur the traditionally understood boundaries of art, design and craft. The exhibition's curators and the book's authors, Angelik Vizcarrondo-Laboy and Kellie Riggs, have organized these works into archetypes that engage with makers' intentions and driving interests rather than categories related to medium, proposing a new conceptual framework for understanding 21st-century objecthood. The book includes a preface by R & Company principals Evan Snyderman and Zesty Meyers, an introduction by curator Glenn Adamson, an essay by the authors and richly illustrated profiles for each of the featured artists.
Artists include: Venancio Aragon, Richard Chavez, Jason McDonald, Ryan Decker, Wally Dion, Nik Gelormino, Joyce Lin, Linda Lopez, Luam Melake, Anina Major, Kim Mupangilaï, Jordan Nassar, Jolie Ngo, Cammie Staros, Matthew Szösz, Norman Teague, Lonnie Vigil, Mallory Weston.

Midcentury masterpieces from the inventors of the Eames chair

Best known for their contributions to architecture, furniture design, industrial design, film and photography, Charles and Ray Eames remain among the most renowned American designers of the 20th century. The couple married in 1941 and moved to California, where they pursued their furniture design in molded plywood. During the war they were commissioned by the US Navy to produce molded plywood splints, stretchers and experimental glider shells. In 1946, Evans Products began producing the Eames' molded plywood furniture. Their iconic molded plywood chair was called the chair of the century by the influential architectural critic Esther McCoy. In 1949, the Eameses designed and built their own home in Pacific Palisades, their design and imaginative use of materials making this house a mecca for architects and designers internationally. Today it is considered one of the most important postwar residences in the world.
This volume introduces key works by the couple from across their career.

Cuban-born, Mexico-based designer Clara Porset is renowned for her mid-century modern furniture and interior design and for her collaborations with architects such as Luis Barragán and Mario Pani. She was also an accomplished critic and writer. Living Design collects Porset's essays, reviews, and lectures to highlight her role as an influential thinker, educator, and practitioner. This volume insightfully contextualizes the politics that shaped Porset's design principles, charts the influence of the Bauhaus and Black Mountain College on her work, and reveals the period's fusion of local adaptations and modernist principles that made Mexico a major center of modernist design.

At a time when many practitioners believed that design could only be modernized by replacing hand craftsmanship with mechanization, Porset valued both approaches for their distinctive qualities and urged others to do the same. Through her writings, she encouraged efforts to catalyze local design communities during a period of rapid technological and social change. With essays by historian Randal Sheppard and design curator and scholar Ana Elena Mallet, an introduction by volume editors Zoë Ryan and Valentina Sarmiento Cruz, and explanatory notes on the people and publishing forums in Porset's circle, Living Design makes available works never before published in English, and with only limited circulation in the Spanish language, in order to recover an important and neglected voice in global modernism.