furniturefever

[furniturefever]

Architecture, Fashion, Furniture, and More: Virgil Abloh Made His Mark

As I mentioned in my third blog post “Fashion or furniture? Rei Kawakubo,” I have made my living for the past 4 years by reselling high end clothing online. Fashion has always been a major interest of mine, so I am always trying to stay up to date with the latest developments. Last Saturday the 28th of November, the fashion and art community had a devastating loss with the passing of Virgil Abloh. Virgil Abloh known most for his clothing designs, was a man of many monumental achievements. His parents, a painter and seamstress, immigrated from Ghana and Virgil was born in Rockford, Illinois. He attended a catholic high school until he graduated in 1998. He then went on to the University of Wisconsin-Madison to earn his Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering in 2002. After that, in 2006 he earned his Master of Architecture from Illinois Institute of Technology. Although his degrees were in engineering and architecture, Rem Koolhaas got Virgil interested in fashion while he was working towards his masters. This led Virgil to start designing t-shirts and truly pursuing fashion. In 2009 he got an internship at Fendi in the same class as Kanye West. The two of them became close and worked closely with other friends on several creative projects the following years. In 2012, Virgil launched Pyrex Vision, his first clothing company with a youth focus that was truly the cornerstone to his revolutionary career. He shut the brand down after only a year, as it was only meant to be an artistic experiment. The experiment was a proof of concept which led to the founding of Off-White in 2013. Off-White, focused on high-end streetwear looks, was Virgil’s first fashion house.

The brand saw massive growth in the following years which led to Virgil’s first furniture venture in 2016. The debut collection under the Off-White label was titled “Grey Area,” which ties back to Virgil’s description of Off-White as “The gray area between black and white.” With this collection, one could see the clear influence of architectural studies with his use of simple iron grid panels and slabs of marble. The iron grid construction leaves large gaps of space which create interesting silhouettes. For example, the chair and couch seats almost look to be floating. Also, the emptiness in each piece of furniture gives off the idea of it only being a prototype or a work in progress. This idea of constantly building and workshopping is one that can be seen present in all of Abloh’s work. The square grid pattern was complemented with large rectangular leather cushions and marble tabletops. The simple designs and stacking give off the idea of the furniture being building blocks that were snapped together. In the first collection the Iron grid pieces we’re all white or black however, in 2017 Virgil released a “Gradient Furniture” collection. The pieces included tables and desks with legs and bases made of the same iron grid material however these had colorful gradient patterns across them. The grid with gradient effect is very interesting to look at, again because of the emptiness the grid leaves behind. In 2018 not only did Virgil become the artistic director of Louis Vuitton’s menswear line making him the first person of color to be given the type of position at a major classic fashion house, but he also began a collaboration with Swedish furniture company, IKEA. His IKEA collection titled “Markerad” or “Clear-Cut” in English, released the next year and contained contemporary designed practical furniture. The collection also included décor items like rugs, blankets, clocks, and mirrors which sold out instantly along with the furniture. Although, furniture was not his main focus, Virgil Abloh deserves to be honored in this blog as an extremely influential designer whose work across many different mediums has influenced an entire generation and many more to come.

#furniture #modernfurniture #off-white #virgil abloh #ikea #chair #table #contemporary design #ripvirgilabloh

[furniturefever]

Writer Makes Food Inspired Furniture | George Nelson

While on winter break in 2019, I took a road trip vacation down to Miami Beach, Florida with my girlfriend. We stayed with my sister who lives there and explored the city for five days. My girlfriend, Juliet, and I went to art museums, took a boat tour, relaxed at the beach, and shopped all around. While looking around at some antique shops we stumbled upon a vintage high-end home décor store. In there the first thing that caught both mine and Juliet’s attention was a funky couch. I remember saying it looked like something that would be on the set of iCarly, a show we both love. Fast forward to the next year on Juliet’s birthday, we stumble upon the same “bubble wrap looking” couch. This time we were at another vintage home décor store that’s down the street from where my parents live. Now in present day, I have discovered the bubbly couch that I have encountered twice is in fact the “Nelson Marshmallow Couch”

George Nelson was born in 1908 in Hartford, Connecticut where his parents owned a drug store. He attended Hartford Public High School and graduated in 1924. After that, George was off to Yale University and found himself in architecture school. His talent for the subject was recognized before he even graduated when he was featured in architecture magazines and offered a position in his final year. He took the position as a drafter for Adams and Prentice. Nelson graduated in 1928 with his degree in architecture but did not stop there. He continued to study, this time for a fine arts degree which he received in 1931. The following year, he won the Rome Prize which gave him the opportunity to study architecture in Rome for two years. In Rome Nelson began interviewing a number of people and even met Frances Hollister, whom he married. He then stayed in Rome for a few years, but eventually returned to the United States to peruse writing which he successfully did for nearly ten years.

In 1945 Herman Miller furniture company was looking for something fresh and found this in George Nelson. Although Nelson had worked with furniture in college, he had no experience designing it. However, when the Chairmen of Herman Miller D. J. Depree read Nelson’s Tomorrow’s House, he selected George to be the Director of Design for the company. Depree wanted Nelson for his ideas on how to create innovative useful furniture. Nelson took the position in 1947 and did not leave until 1972. Over those years he contributed to many of the most iconic pieces of furniture from the past century. The pair of furniture designers I wrote about in my first post, Ray and Charles Eames, along with other groundbreaking designers all worked under the supervision of George Nelson at Herman Miller. After he left Herman Miller in 1947 George decided to open his own design studio in New York City. He went on to incorporate the business and brought together the top designers of his era. Together they were a massively successful design team that worked with most the Fortune 500 companies.

Learning how George was originally a writer, but then was selected for a furniture company position is amazing. If that never happened those Marshmallow Couches may have never existed. The marshmallow couch is truly iconic with its 18 individual round cushions. The couch cushions could be monochromatic or multicolored which can add a whole other dimension to the piece. What stands out to me other than the wild design, is the simplicity. Not to downplay the abnormality as a couch design, but it is basically a bunch of matching circles. That’s Nelson’s genius at work, taking a simple design and making it into an innovative object.

I found out you can order a Marshmallow Couch and a Coconut Chair, another great Nelson piece today off the Herman Miller website, so now I’ll be saving up!

#furniture #modernfurniture #georgenelson #marshmallow #coconut #chair #couch #design

[furniturefever]

Fashion or Furniture? Rei Kawakubo

Comme des Garçons was one of the first high end fashion brands I fell in love with. For the past five years I have been making my living reselling clothing and CDG (Comme des Garçons) has always been a brand I’ve carried. This is why I am excited this week to talk about Rei Kawakubo, the designer who founded Comme des Garçons. Rei was born in Japan and was never formally trained as a fashion designer. She did however attend the same college her father taught at, Keio University. There, she graduated with a degree in “The history of aesthetics.” The degree included studying Asian and western art, which is clearly evident in the designs of her clothing. After college, she worked at a textile company doing advertisement, then went on to be a freelance stylist. With 2 years of styling under her belt, she had the confidence and connections to start her own clothing label in 1969 called Comme des Garçons or “like the boys” in French. Although the name has “boys” in it,Comme des Garçons only made women’s clothing until 1978. She built a huge following in japan and opened over 100 shops. Then in 1981, she debuted her collection in Paris which gave her international recognition. This led to store opening in the United States and other places around the world. Finally tying all this into furniture, in 1983 Rei started making furniture. She was known to denounce the label of “fashion designer”, likely because she sees herself as a creative and doesn’t want to be put in a box. Rightfully so, she designed some amazing furniture as well as stores.

Most of Rei Kawakubo’s furniture was never mass produced and therefore is extremely rare. The pieces that have been documented are much like sculptures. Therefore, the chairs are likely the most comfortable or pleasing to use but use probably was not the first thing on Rei’s mind when designing the furniture that she did. The pieces of furniture much like her pieces of clothing are more about emotion and felling than function and utility. I particularly liked her chairs. They have very simple forms, but it is the simplicity that makes you think. They all also seem to have raw futurist look because of the mostly full metal constructions. All these qualities remind me of CDG so much.

There is one chair in particular that to many may not even register as a chair, with is drooping chains as a back. This is the designer’s style truly showing. She takes the concept of a chair and makes a sculpture of a chair. It gives duality to her work. Someone may buy the chair and treat it as an art piece, while someone else may buy it and use it like regular furniture.

#funiture #fashion #cdg #comme des garçons #rei kawakubo

[furniturefever]

Modern Modular Furniture

To continue my research on furniture designers, today I am looking into the work of Pierre Paulin. His work first caught my attention when I saw one of my favorite music artists, Frank Ocean, post a picture relaxing on his “dune sofa.” This particular couch was designed in 1970 and featured the ability to be arranged in multiple different configurations due to its modular design. However, the customization is only part of the sofa’s beauty, it’s flowing curves and gigantic size remind me of a calm moving wave. To me, there’s nothing more relaxing than watching some slow-moving waves reach the shoreline. For this reason, the dune sofa looks like the perfect place to relax after a long day. Looking at some of Pierre Paulin’s other work it’s clear smooth curves and flowing lines are important to the designer.

To provide some background, Pierre Paulin was born on July 9th, 1927, in France with his French father and German-speaking Swiss mother. His Uncle designed vehicles and also was an inventor. This creativity was also clearly in Pierre’s blood. He trying to become a ceramist after he didn’t pass his Baccalauréat and then also trying to become a stone Carver. Unfortunately, his aspirations to become a sculptor and did when he injured his right arm in a fight. After this he decided to attend École Camondo, A private school in Paris for product design and interior architecture. After school he became very interested in both Scandinavian and Japanese design. These styles can be seen blended together in Paulin’s work. In around 1958, Paulin decided to join the Dutch manufacturing company Artifort. It was at this company that Paulin would gain worldwide attention for his furniture. It started in 1960 when Artifort released the “Mushroom chair” designed by Pierre. In his own words: “It represented the first full expression of [his] abilities.” After this, Pierre Paulin continued to capture people’s attention with his new age furniture. He constructed his work with foams, rubbers, and a light metallic frame to create pieces that had elegant curves and we’re still comfortable. He enjoyed dressing his rounder designs with bold colored upholstery which gives the pieces a fun and funky look. The chair design of Pierre’s that stood out to me most was his tongue chair, also produced by Artifort. At first glance it looks like just an oval shape that’s bent into a squiggle, but it’s this simplicity that makes the design so beautiful. This work from 1967 shows that all a chair needs to be is a few calculated curves that will hug the body. It’s lack of legs give the chair a lightweight look and a free sprawling feel. Another design that caught my attention was the Tapis-Siège. This unique piece of furniture combines A couch with a lounge area and storage. Around the base it has multiple shelves or storage compartments for your typical coffee table items like books. Above is a very similar design to the “Dune sofa”, with its triangular cushioned panels and the ability to customize the set up. The corners of this square furniture piece can be raised so that one can lay back. Additionally, the triangular cushion pattern allows one to add a table on top that secures into the seams. After discovering this design today, I almost like it more than the “Dune sofa”. It’s much smaller in size which makes it more practical on top of the fact that it has built in storage and the capability to add a table. However, the decision is still tough because if I had the room in the funds, they “Dune sofa” for me still probably takes the cake.

#furniture #interior #interiordesign #modernfurniture #vintagefurniture

[furniturefever]

Designer Research 1: Eames

Furniture is something I am becoming more and more interested in as I grow older. In this blog I plan to talk about designers that have caught my attention, why they stand out, and how they found their way within the industry. In high school I became obsessed with ceramics because of their ability to be both beautiful and functional. Furniture possesses these same qualities as well. Every chair we sit in or table we sit at, whether we think about it or not, was meticulously designed by someone. I hope to one day create my own functional art piece in the form of a piece of furniture.

In order to learn how I may accomplish this, I figured I’d start by researching one of the most iconic American designer couples. Charles and Ray Eames married in 1941 and together they created groundbreaking works in the architecture, furniture, industrial design, and manufacturing fields. Before they met, Charles Ames had an interest in engineering and architecture as a kid and attended Washington University in St. Louis when he got older. He ended up being thrown out of the University because of his support of Frank Loyd Wright, another influential American architect, who at the time was facing backlash in the media for his personal matters. After this, Charles started working at an architectural office. He worked there for about three years, but in 1930 he decided to start his own architectural office where he began to expand his creative abilities beyond just architecture. Ray Kaiser Eames had an interest in painting and got her start by working with Hans Hoffman in New York. She later went to compete in the Museum of Modern Art‘s organic furniture competition where she worked alongside Charles Eames and Eero Saarinen. Through this competition she began to learn how to create complex shapes by molding plywood. The chair that they created for the competition in 1941 was called simply “Organic Chair” and it was awarded first place in seating. The chair was regarded as a design breakthrough because of its molded seat made from strong yet lightweight plywood. This simple piece of furniture was groundbreaking at the time because it’s ability to be mass produced. Prior to this, practically all chairs were made with expensive springs, heavy upholstery, and padding. The “Organic Chair” is still iconic and being produced to this day.

I think what makes the Eames work stick out to me and to so many others, is its ornate simplicity. By creating furniture in this style, the Eames produced products that are timeless. There’s so much furniture that gets thrown out every day purely because it is no longer in style or now perceived as ugly. Therefore, the fact that Eames pieces are still so desirable and original pieces go for thousands of dollars, truly shows how great of designers this couple were. But as stated earlier, they did a lot more than just furniture design. They also excelled in architecture, graphic design, toys, textiles, art, and film. They were even hired by the US Navy to create splints, stretchers, seats, and a few airplane parts. This kind of mastery in design and aesthetic is something any creative person like myself can admire. My biggest take away after researching the work of Charles and Ray Eames, is that even a basic form can be massively influential if done properly. Furthermore, Eames reminded me that beautiful art does not have to be complex or flashy. There are countless pieces of furniture today based off the work of Charles and Ray although many may not even know it.