Monday, October 03, 2016
Kinfolk #21: Introducing the Home Issue
Kinfolk Issue Twenty-One: Within the pages of the fall edition of Kinfolk, the home becomes more than the sum of its walls and floors, chairs and wallpaper—more than a collection of objects. We delve deeply into the very nature of home, exploring what’s hidden, unseen, mysterious and sensual asking, “What have we forgotten, or overlooked, in the rituals of our daily lives?” In turn, the home and everything it contains are not merely ends in themselves, but the complex elements of each person’s evolving and deeply personal narrative—the foundations of a well-lived life.
Monday, September 26, 2016
News: Designers still at risk under new UK copyright law, warns intellectual property lawyer
Recent changes to UK copyright law might not give furniture designers the protections they expect.
The changes – which extend copyright for industrial design from 25 years after an item is first marketed to 70 years from the death of the creator – were considered a win for UK designers and brands whose products were replicated.
To qualify, designers will need to prove their product is "a work of artistic craftsmanship", a criteria for which there is no statutory definition. It is up to courts to decide individual cases based on past precedent.
This means pieces like the widely copied DSW Plastic Chair by Charles and Ray Eames – advocates for democratic, affordable design – might not be protected from copying.
The UK government has repealed section 52 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. This brings the country – once derided as "a Trojan Horse for the importation of copies into Europe" – into line with the rest of the EU, which has longer-lasting copyright protections.
While the future of the laws may be uncertain following June's Brexit vote, for the time being UK copyright protections for industrial design have been broadened.
Section 52 previously exempted industrially manufactured pieces from the protections afforded to artistic works. Now designers are not explicitly exempt but instead need to prove their work actually is "artistic".
Where there is a real prospect the design would qualify as a work of artistic craftsmanship.
In addition, in light of the relevance of what may have been in the mind of the designer when they created the design, it would be prudent for designers and businesses to prepare such statements now for future use in the fight against copyists.
Read all at dezeen.com
The Eames DWS chair by Charles and Ray Eames (1950) is one of the most widely copied furniture designs.
The changes – which extend copyright for industrial design from 25 years after an item is first marketed to 70 years from the death of the creator – were considered a win for UK designers and brands whose products were replicated.
To qualify, designers will need to prove their product is "a work of artistic craftsmanship", a criteria for which there is no statutory definition. It is up to courts to decide individual cases based on past precedent.
This means pieces like the widely copied DSW Plastic Chair by Charles and Ray Eames – advocates for democratic, affordable design – might not be protected from copying.
The UK government has repealed section 52 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. This brings the country – once derided as "a Trojan Horse for the importation of copies into Europe" – into line with the rest of the EU, which has longer-lasting copyright protections.
While the future of the laws may be uncertain following June's Brexit vote, for the time being UK copyright protections for industrial design have been broadened.
Section 52 previously exempted industrially manufactured pieces from the protections afforded to artistic works. Now designers are not explicitly exempt but instead need to prove their work actually is "artistic".
Where there is a real prospect the design would qualify as a work of artistic craftsmanship.
In addition, in light of the relevance of what may have been in the mind of the designer when they created the design, it would be prudent for designers and businesses to prepare such statements now for future use in the fight against copyists.
Read all at dezeen.com
Monday, September 19, 2016
A maker of miniature midcentury furniture talks all things tiny
Chicago-based designer Michael Yurkovic combines two of Curbed’s favorite things: Midcentury modern furniture, and tiny things. Yurkovic handcrafts 1/12-scale replicas of iconic designs like Charles and Ray Eames’ shell chair and Eero Saarinen’s tulip chair—as well as staged room boxes—that are so detailed and faithful to the original that it’s hard to believe, at least when seen in photographs, that they’re miniature.
Yurkovic, like many children, got his start building model airplanes and cars with his father. This led him to a career in industrial design, where he worked on consumer electronic products like telephones, then a stint in toy consultancy, both of which required a lot of model-making.
Then about two and a half years ago, after having dabbled in midcentury modern furniture restoring and further developing his hand skills, he walked into his first miniature show and noticed that there was an incredible void in the market for midcentury modern design. Everything was Victorian or otherwise traditional. “I didn't quite know exactly how I would do it, but I knew I could,” Yurkovic recalled. “So I walked out of that show and dove straight into miniature, just full time midcentury modeling.”
Curbed.com spokes to Yurkovic about his design process, why he thinks people are gaga for everything tiny (and midcentury modern), and how it all might fit within the context of the tiny house movement.
Why were you drawn to midcentury modern design?
I naturally gravitated towards the midcentury modern era because I thought it was all so exciting. There was new technology and new materials and processes, and just a whole new optimistic culture was going on then, bringing a whole fresh perspective to what furniture, as well as other things, could be. The furniture also really made it's way into pop culture in a big way. I like the clean lines, the purity of form. And because it's non decorative and so minimal, usually, the real devil is in the details. There's not all this spare ornamentation, so you can see how an arm is attached to a side of a chair, or the exact curvature of a molded shell. All those things were really carefully considered and that really appealed to me, and I think really challenged designers at the time /.../.
Read all at: curbed.com
Yurkovic, like many children, got his start building model airplanes and cars with his father. This led him to a career in industrial design, where he worked on consumer electronic products like telephones, then a stint in toy consultancy, both of which required a lot of model-making.
Then about two and a half years ago, after having dabbled in midcentury modern furniture restoring and further developing his hand skills, he walked into his first miniature show and noticed that there was an incredible void in the market for midcentury modern design. Everything was Victorian or otherwise traditional. “I didn't quite know exactly how I would do it, but I knew I could,” Yurkovic recalled. “So I walked out of that show and dove straight into miniature, just full time midcentury modeling.”
Curbed.com spokes to Yurkovic about his design process, why he thinks people are gaga for everything tiny (and midcentury modern), and how it all might fit within the context of the tiny house movement.
Why were you drawn to midcentury modern design?
I naturally gravitated towards the midcentury modern era because I thought it was all so exciting. There was new technology and new materials and processes, and just a whole new optimistic culture was going on then, bringing a whole fresh perspective to what furniture, as well as other things, could be. The furniture also really made it's way into pop culture in a big way. I like the clean lines, the purity of form. And because it's non decorative and so minimal, usually, the real devil is in the details. There's not all this spare ornamentation, so you can see how an arm is attached to a side of a chair, or the exact curvature of a molded shell. All those things were really carefully considered and that really appealed to me, and I think really challenged designers at the time /.../.
Read all at: curbed.com
Thanks curbed.com for sharing.
Monday, September 12, 2016
San Francisco International Airport hosts new exhibition "A Modern Approach: Mid-Century Design"
"A Modern Approach: Mid-Century Design" is an exhibition located in the International Terminal Main Hall Departures Lobby, San Francisco International Airport. The exhibition is accessible to all airport visitors from August 27, 2016 to April 9, 2017.
This exhibit presents a sampling of modern design from the 1930s to the 1960s through examples of mid-century studio art, graphic design, and manufactured goods.
The online version of the exhibition is viewable at: www.flysfo.com/museum/exhibitions/modern-approach-mid-century-design.
Mid-twentieth-century modern design balanced expression with efficiency and utility. Geared towards everyday living, modern design redefined housewares, furniture, and decorative arts. The form of each object followed its function, with innovative construction methods finished in natural tones and bold colors. Working in the spirit of their time, mid-century designers created items that lent style and comfort to the necessities of modern life. By the early 1950s, the most distinctive American furniture and decorative arts expressed a refined modern design, celebrated by "Arts & Architecture" magazine and in museum exhibitions.
Mid-century designers announced the modern era through the clear and concise use of new materials such as plastic, aluminum, and molded plywood. Charles and Ray Eames implemented the brilliance of good design on the greatest scale, with more than two million of their fiberglass chairs sold through Herman Miller by 1966. On the other end of the spectrum, art and design converged in unique artisan and craft items to personalize modern interiors. Overall, mid-century designers introduced a multitude of new products for modern living, and their best designs stood effortlessly on their own or harmoniously within a group.
Source www.flysfo.com with thanks.
Mid-century designers announced the modern era through the clear and concise use of new materials such as plastic, aluminum, and molded plywood. Charles and Ray Eames implemented the brilliance of good design on the greatest scale, with more than two million of their fiberglass chairs sold through Herman Miller by 1966. On the other end of the spectrum, art and design converged in unique artisan and craft items to personalize modern interiors. Overall, mid-century designers introduced a multitude of new products for modern living, and their best designs stood effortlessly on their own or harmoniously within a group.
Source www.flysfo.com with thanks.
Monday, September 05, 2016
Blast from the past: a look inside Polaroid’s SX-70 instant film camera
In 1972, Polaroid shared with the world its latest creation — the Polaroid SX–70 instant film camera. Designed by Polaroid co-founder and inventor Edwin Land, the SX–70 at that time received quite the introduction with a wonderfully produced video created by none other than Charles and Ray Eames.
At roughly eleven minutes long, the film breaks down every detail of the camera, using footage and animated graphics to show how the iconic single lens reflex Land camera was meant to be used.
Unlike the vague teaser videos we’re used to seeing nowadays for products, this commissioned video breaks down everything the SX–70 is capable of and does so with impressive video production values that echoes the mid-century aesthetic associated with Charles and Ray.
From the simple steps it takes to open the camera to the ingenious design that enabled it to collapse down into the size of a few deck of cards, the video manages to simplify the impressive engineering feats that made instant images possible.
The film was originally shown at a Polaroid stockholders meeting and later used as a marketing tool. It was the first of four films Charles and Ray Eames made in collaboration with Polaroid and it went on to win a Bronze Plaque at the Columbus International Film Festival in 1975.
As brilliant as the film is, it now only serves as a sad reminder of what once was. Once on the bleeding edge of photographic technology, Polaroid has now been turned into little more than a name and logo that anyone can slap on a product if they’re willing to shell out enough money in hopes of making a little profit off a brand name that has long since left its glory days behind.
Source www.digitaltrends.com/ with thanks.
At roughly eleven minutes long, the film breaks down every detail of the camera, using footage and animated graphics to show how the iconic single lens reflex Land camera was meant to be used.
Unlike the vague teaser videos we’re used to seeing nowadays for products, this commissioned video breaks down everything the SX–70 is capable of and does so with impressive video production values that echoes the mid-century aesthetic associated with Charles and Ray.
From the simple steps it takes to open the camera to the ingenious design that enabled it to collapse down into the size of a few deck of cards, the video manages to simplify the impressive engineering feats that made instant images possible.
The film was originally shown at a Polaroid stockholders meeting and later used as a marketing tool. It was the first of four films Charles and Ray Eames made in collaboration with Polaroid and it went on to win a Bronze Plaque at the Columbus International Film Festival in 1975.
As brilliant as the film is, it now only serves as a sad reminder of what once was. Once on the bleeding edge of photographic technology, Polaroid has now been turned into little more than a name and logo that anyone can slap on a product if they’re willing to shell out enough money in hopes of making a little profit off a brand name that has long since left its glory days behind.
Source www.digitaltrends.com/ with thanks.
Monday, August 22, 2016
Eamesiana on the Beach
Happy holidays to everybody: eamesiana will return on September 5. Stay Tuned !
(Andrea + Raffaela)
(Andrea + Raffaela)
Monday, August 15, 2016
Fake Replicas of Eames' Chairs Banned Under New Copyright Ruling in U.K.
A change to copyright law means that fake versions of classic design icons such as Ray and Charles Eames’ chairs will stop being sold from January 2017 onwards.
The repeal of section 52 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 came into effect last 28 July, and means that iconic design products will now be protected for 70 years after a designer dies.
This includes products such Charles and Ray Eames’ chairs.
The ruling states that no replica products can be sold after 28 January 2017, which will mark six months after it was put in place. Additionally, no new replica products can be manufactured between now and January, unless the company gains rights from the original copyright holder.
To be granted this right, 3D designs must qualify as “works of artistic craftsmanship”, according to the Intellectual Property Office – this means they have required special training and skill to make, they are seen as a “piece of art”, and the designer purposefully intended to create a work of art.
For any designs created after the year 1988, designers are also protected by registered and unregistered design rights, says Dids Macdonald, founder at Anti-Copying in Design (ACID) and communications chairman at The Furniture Makers’ Company.
Designers can fall back on registered design rights if they choose to register their designs, and unregistered design rights if they don’t. Registered rights last for 25 years, and unregistered rights last for 15 years after production.
Macdonald advises: “Designers should register their designs as a priority, and if they’re relying on unregistered rights, then they should keep signed and dated records.”
ACID has a database, where people can send their designs for free. The organisation will note the time and date the work was submitted with a unique number, so that designers have evidence of when a design was first created.
“Become intellectual property-savvy and understand the rights that protect you,” Macdonald says. “Design rights are still valid in Europe and the UK until Brexit comes into force.”
The repeal of section 52 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 came into effect last 28 July, and means that iconic design products will now be protected for 70 years after a designer dies.
This includes products such Charles and Ray Eames’ chairs.
The ruling states that no replica products can be sold after 28 January 2017, which will mark six months after it was put in place. Additionally, no new replica products can be manufactured between now and January, unless the company gains rights from the original copyright holder.
To be granted this right, 3D designs must qualify as “works of artistic craftsmanship”, according to the Intellectual Property Office – this means they have required special training and skill to make, they are seen as a “piece of art”, and the designer purposefully intended to create a work of art.
For any designs created after the year 1988, designers are also protected by registered and unregistered design rights, says Dids Macdonald, founder at Anti-Copying in Design (ACID) and communications chairman at The Furniture Makers’ Company.
Designers can fall back on registered design rights if they choose to register their designs, and unregistered design rights if they don’t. Registered rights last for 25 years, and unregistered rights last for 15 years after production.
Macdonald advises: “Designers should register their designs as a priority, and if they’re relying on unregistered rights, then they should keep signed and dated records.”
ACID has a database, where people can send their designs for free. The organisation will note the time and date the work was submitted with a unique number, so that designers have evidence of when a design was first created.
“Become intellectual property-savvy and understand the rights that protect you,” Macdonald says. “Design rights are still valid in Europe and the UK until Brexit comes into force.”
Read all at: www.designweek.co.uk/
Thursday, August 11, 2016
Vote for Eamesiana !
Great news dear friends!
Voting for #IBA16 (International Blog Amara Award 2016) is now open!
Personalised voting page is now live: http://www.
To be shortlisted and invited to the awards night, Eamesiana needs to gain the top 5 amount of votes within its category.
Our best advice would be to get share happy with all of your friends, family, colleagues and avid readers of our blog to help us gain the most votes!
Voting will close on 9th September so encourage votes up until this date.
Thanks to everybody!
Raffaela + Andrea
Voting for #IBA16 (International Blog Amara Award 2016) is now open!
Personalised voting page is now live: http://www.
To be shortlisted and invited to the awards night, Eamesiana needs to gain the top 5 amount of votes within its category.
Our best advice would be to get share happy with all of your friends, family, colleagues and avid readers of our blog to help us gain the most votes!
Voting will close on 9th September so encourage votes up until this date.
Thanks to everybody!
Raffaela + Andrea
Monday, August 08, 2016
Monday, August 01, 2016
New Book Soon Available: "100 Midcentury Chairs: And Their Stories", by Lucy Ryder Richardson
This is a stylish and informative guide to the best of Midcentury Modern chair design. These are the top 100 most interesting, most controversial, or simply most beautiful chairs from the period spanning 1930-1970. Compiled by Lucy Ryder Richardson and Petra Curtis, the expert curators behind Modern Shows, this is a stylish and informative guide to the best of Modern chair design. Get to know the designers of the Modern era, and find out about the controversies, drama, gossip and intrigue that accompanied these fascinating figures. Featuring a range of international designers, including Robin Day, Charles and Ray Eames, Ernest Race, Arne Jacobsen , Pierre Paulin, Finn Juhl, Harry Bertoia, Eero Saarinen and Norman Cherner. There is also an exploration into materials, manufacturing processes and lots of information about the manufacturers that brought chair designs to the masses, such as Knoll, Herman Miller, Fritz Hansen. Packed full of design details, historical facts, quotes and anecdotes - you can even find out the position in which the designers intended you to sit in their chairs. With a 'chair timeline', showcasing the very best of European, Scandinavian, Japanese and American design, this is the perfect book for collectors, enthusiasts and design junkies alike.
Buy at: www.amazon.co.uk/ (from september 8, 2016)
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