DWR: Kitchen Debuts.

On January 21, a hardy group of design editors, writers, architects and developers in New York braved the cold to attend the official launch of DWR: Kitchen, now available to order through the DWR SoHo Studio. To celebrate that the kitchen system is made in the U.S., the crowd munched on deviled eggs, BLTs, and mini cheeseburgers. Glasses were raised to the hardware-free fronts that give the kitchen its clean and timeless look, and more than one guest asked Nilus de Matran, the designer of DWR: Kitchen, how he approached the project. His response? "It was interesting working with a company known for furniture. For DWR my idea was to also think of the kitchen as furniture, so that the kitchen flows into the dining room, living room or other areas of the house." Much was made of the ability to reconfigure the modular units as needs change, or to move an entire kitchen from home to home ("It's perfect," as one guest quipped, "for commitment-phobes!").

Remembering Betty.

The toy we know so well was co-invented and named by a woman most of us are less familiar with. Her name was Betty James and she passed away in November at the age of 90. Her partner in creating this toy was her husband Richard, who had the original idea when he saw a torsion spring fall off a table and flip over. The first 400 Slinkys the couple made sold out in 90 minutes at Gimbles department store just before Christmas 1945. The price: $1 each. Fifteen years later, Ms. James’ husband left her and their six children. It was then that Ms. James took over the toy company they’d started, and she ran the business until 1998. Ms. James believed that she had an obligation provide a good toy for children whose families can't afford expensive toys, which is why the Slinky has remained affordable for 63 years.

Product Placement.

Ever wondered how your favorite well-designed object came to be? Get an inside look at the creative and logistical processes of product design from and for Japan at Product Placement in New York on September 10. Along with five product designers including Masamichi Udagawa of Antenna Design (winner of the 2008 National Design Award for product design), Kari Woldum, design buyer for DWR: Tools for Living, will be speaking about Craft Design Technology and Fog Linen (pictured above), two of the Japanese lines in DWR's collection.

Stampede for Eames.

The stamps are here! Today is Charles Eames’ birthday (he would have been 101), which is why the Postal Service chose June 17, 2008 to release 16 42-cent stamps honoring Charles and Ray Eames. The stamps include images of the husband-and-wife team and their furniture, as well as their textiles, House of Cards and images from their films. Order your stamps from the Postal Service.

Design First Aid.

We’re long-time fans of Harry Allen & Associates – his collaboration with Areaware, the Reality line, has been one of our favorite collections of accessories.  Now he’s partnered with Johnson & Johnson to recreate the iconic First Aid Kit.  Its sleek, minimalist design and color-way is a must-have for any modern home, especially those like the ones below, full of children prone to scrapes and bruises. Via Soho’s Carie Scott.

Stamp of approval.

David Baccus, the Proprietor of our San Jose Studio, uncovered some exciting news for all Eamesaholics while perusing Eames Demetrios’ Flickr page the other day. Yes, the Eameses will be commemorated with 16 stamps published by the United States Postal Service. Designs include the LCW, the Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman and the House of Cards. It may also be the only time you can get an Eames La Chaise for 41 cents.

Archimede goes freestyle.

Niketown’s Visual Director found inspiration in DWR’s Archimede Laptop Caddy as the ideal method to display the 2007 collection Doernbecher Freestyle 4 shoes at six Niketown stores across the country. Custom graphics were applied to each caddy to describe the inspiration behind each patient’s design. Each year since 2004, a Nike shoe designer has teamed with a patient who has been treated for serious illness at Doernbecher Children’s Hospital in Portland, OR. Through each of the six patient/designer partnerships, a unique pair of original “freestyle” sneakers is designed and produced. Thus far, more than $500,000 has been raised for the children's hospital. Shoes can be viewed and purchased at Niketown stores in Portland, OR, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Chicago and New York City. Learn more about the program and the designers and purchase sneakers on Nike’s website here.

Posted by Janell Anderson

DWR Q&A: Sandy Chilewich.

During the month of August DWR is celebrating women in design.  Sandy Chilewich is one of our favorites. Her company, Chilewich, is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year.  Sandy recently chatted with me about her brand, her new designs and the female designers she most admires.

We’ve launched your new woodgrain lines and they’re really beautiful.  How did they come about and what is different about this manufacturing process?
Woodgrain was more of an experiment to see how far we could push the envelope weaving with unique and challenging vinyl yarns. I wanted to see if we could create the shading and dimension of a woodgrain with a simple jacquard.

Are there other natural patterns that you’d like to replicate using manmade materials?
Yes, the success of the woodgrain from both a design perspective and from the great response we have had, has led to much experimentation. Not just wood, but it’s a secret.

When we met you spoke about a few collaborations you’re currently involved in. Can you share with our readers these stories?
I am working with Luisa Cevese, an Italian designer, who is known for her proprietary process of encasing textile remnants in polyurethane. It is absolutely gorgeous. She is now incorporating some of our “waste,” the selvage (the irregular edges that are cut off) from our spun vinyl products. Her process, which requires heat, melts our material in different degrees and it looks very different than the other materials she has used. She will be making table mats and bags. I am also intrigued with introducing wire into our products and have been working with a British designer who is an expert in weaving with metal. This is already very challenging but still promising.


Design Within Reach is celebrating women designers in the month of August and you’re definitely one of our favorites.  What women designers have inspired you in the past?
My all time favorite female designer is Lucienne Day, who I imagine will forever continue to inspire me. She just has it all —  such a tremendous graphic range and not a “one note” designer who’s imagery or some version of it is repeated over and over. She was constantly exploring, but her work is unified by a consistent personal aesthetic.

Design Within Reach customers may only be familiar with our floor coverings, but Chilewich also makes an extensive collection of bags and table top items.  What products came first and are there new categories you intend to launch?
In 1997 when I launched the Raybowls™ they were my first foray into the home accessories market and, happily, they met with success. They had a simple and inventive mechanism for making fabric concave, with covers made from stretch netting usually found in lingerie. In a quest to source other suitable fabrics to incorporate into the Raybowl, I discovered woven vinyl. It didn’t work for the bowls, but where others saw an industrial material, I saw placemats, flooring, bags and more. The durability of the yarn, its tremendous design versatility and the fact that it is washable continues to inspire me.

Your products are all made in the United States. Do you do this intentionally?
It is great to be manufacturing in the States for many reasons. Most important is the ability to hop on a plane to do some R&D or solve a problem at the mills. Working on my home turf and speaking the same language (however I am not sure if our southern suppliers would say we speak the same language) just makes the design process, sampling, lead times, etc., easier. It is also very gratifying that I am supporting American production.

Chilewich’s color palette is very sophisticated. Have you or will you ever experiment with floor coverings or table tops in brighter colors?
I don’t know why people assume that bright colors are less sophisticated. It’s the particular tone which is decided upon from an infinite number of possibilities as well as the relationship to the other colors surrounding it. That determines sophistication. It’s true that I have focused on grays and browns in the past but this fall you will see indigo and next spring lemon and coral. I think they are thoughtful colors, which is for me what makes things sophisticated. It takes hours and hours of work to attain a color and palette that satisfies one’s imagination.

You’ve designed jewelry, launched a hosiery brand and now Chilewich.  Any plans to venture into uncharted professional/design territories?
We are launching window treatments with the Shade Store shortly. This is our first licensing arrangement. I will be introducing napkins next season - my first venture with natural fibers, which is funny. There is much on the horizon that I am contemplating, but it takes a lot just to keep up with the growth of the business that I am in now.

Sunday in the park with Robert Royston.

When my wife and I bought our Eichler home six years ago, we never knew it would lead us to a game of petanque at the home of the world-renowned landscape architect Robert Royston. This past Sunday it all came to be. After discovering the original plans for our garden in our kitchen cabinets, my wife Iris tracked them down to the offices of Royston, Hanamoto, Alley and Abey. Robert Royston, along with Thomas Church and Garrett Eckbo, was one of the most influential landscape architects in America during the ’50s and ’60s (see the September 2007 issue of Dwell magazine for more on these legends). As it turns out, RHAA is still a functioning landscape architecture and urban planning firm with headquarters in Mill Valley, California, and, along with senior partner J.C. Miller, we have been working with them to restore our garden back to its original glory. During this time we’ve had the great pleasure of meeting Robert Royston on a number of occasions, who is still practicing landscape design at the young age of 80+ years. Still full of life and sharp as a tack, he plays a mean game of petanque and certainly gave our team a run for it’s money.

Learn more about Robert Royston in the recently released book, Modern Public Gardens: Robert Royston and the Suburban Park.

Posted by Micheal Sainato, DWR Art Director.

Celebrating the acrylic maestro.

Charles Hollis Jones’ revolutionary use of acrylic has brought him to the attention of some of the 20th century’s most important architects and designers – including Paul Laszlo, John Lautner, Arthur Elrod, Hal Broderick, Stephen Chase and John Woolf. His list of clients includes a host of Hollywood celebrities: Lucille Ball, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr., Sly Stallone, Tom Ford and countless others. The Los Angeles Times refers to Hollis Jones’ as a “pioneer in acrylic design”. On July 19th, the Beverly Boulevard Studio hosted a one-night retrospective of CHJ’s work. Two hundred of Charles’ die-hard fans were in effect. The admiration for this man and his work is undeniable. A few of the items on display included Charles’ Twisted Four Poster Acrylic Bed (designed for Dean Martin), the Wisteria Chair (named by Tennessee Williams)  and the well known Sling Chair. People lined up to have Charles sign his recently published book, Charles Hollis Jones, and his “100 Chairs” poster. The evening ended with the crowd singing Happy Birthday to Mr. Jones and everyone noshing on cake from Sweet Lady Jane.

Numerous pieces of Hollis Jones’ designs will be available this October through the Wright Auction House.

Posted by Susie Cordes,Proprietor-DWR Beverly Blvd.