Smart Furniture Blog
Charles Eames was invited in 1971 to give the Charles Eliot Norton Lectures at Harvard University. He chose for his subject an unusual, but wholly natural object: The banana leaf. At the time, the banana leaf was the most common object to eat food off of in southern India, a natural dish. He noted that most designers would take such a phenomenon and make…
Charles Eames was the driving force behind the Eames’, and before he met his wife Ray, he worked very successfully for many years. It was he who founded the architectural office in 1930, and he who set the tone for the earthy, radical designs that would make them famous. Born in St. Louis in 1907, Charles showed an interest in architecture and engineering, pursuits…
The design of the Eames Aluminum Group Chair is elegant, timeless, sophisticated: fine. The husband and wife team of Charles and Ray Eames designed these chairs to their own incredibly high standards: organic inspiration, modern material, and a graceful product that opens up a world of juxtapositional ideas. The Eames Aluminum Group Chair fits with offices, homes, desks. It’s hip and retro, stylized and…
Herman Miller has a long-standing belief in making the world around you, including your individual space and the natural environment, a better place to “work, heal, learn, and live.” Based on this fundamental corporate value, the company has been designing and manufacturing Herman Miller furniture since 1923. Headquartered in Zeeland, Michigan, Herman Miller strives to not only improve the current generation’s “human experience,” but…
Herman Miller didn’t invent the science of ergonomics, but they did revolutionize it. From their illustrious collection of body-friendly office seating to productivity increasing accessories, Herman Miller has fundamentally changed the way that people work in an office. The beginnings of ergonomics date back all the way to the mid 1850s, as scientists began studying the ways that the human body interacts with its…
Since the great exodus of the 1990s, North Carolina, the once furniture capital of the world, looks more like a showroom than industrial giant. Younger Furniture never got the outsourcing memo, and while other brands were moving production to China and Indonesia, Younger kept building great sofas in their High Point manufacturing facility. American-made quality is still around, and as long as Younger has…
As the daughter of Michael Younger, the founder of Younger Furniture, Meredith Spell has seen the company grow over the last 30 years. She was kind enough to talk to us about what makes Younger tick, why they’re awesome, and what they’re doing to remain a quality American company. Thanks so much for taking the time to answer these questions! I’ll start out with…
Most office workers spend more time looking at their computer monitor than anything else during the workday. A monitor arm ensures that the most integral tool to a worker’s day is contributing to a healthy lifestyle. When sitting at your desk, it’s important to understand how your monitor should be positioned in an ideal situation. Here are the three things you should look out…
Collision spaces are work areas where people get together to brainstorm and collaborate, replacing the outdated conference rooms of yesteryear. Designers have radically shifted how offices should look, and new furniture options make working together better than ever. Some of the biggest, fastest growing, and most innovative companies in the world like Google and Facebook are re-thinking how an office should look. One of…
Herman Miller offers more than just classic designs from world famous designers such as Charles and Ray Eames, George Nelson, and Isamu Noguchi. Herman Miller researches ergonomics and office space efficiency to make office life more comfortable, and productive. Pilot, a graphic design company based out of Boston, Massachusetts, recently renovated their work space with Herman Miller furniture as a way to further support…