Herman Miller

         Herman Miller is one of the world’s leading furniture companies and commonly known among designers.  The company first started in 1906 under the name “Michigan Star Furniture Co.” In 1909 became “Michigan Furniture Co.”. DJ Dupree started gaining interest in the company and was made the president of Michigan Furniture Co at the age of 32.  It wasn’t until 1923 that Dupree wanted to become the owner.  Unfortunately he did not have the funds buy out the company so he asked his father-in-law for money.  Dupree’s father-in-law agreed and gave him the money.  Due to his kind gesture Dupree renamed the company after him, Herman Miller.

        In the beginning, Herman Miller produced mainly wood furniture.  Gilbert Rohde was one of the designers hired by the company whose main goal was to create modern furniture and place them in every home.  Another designer that worked for the company went by the name of George Nelson.  Nelson created the Herman Miller logo, marshmallow sofa, and coconut chair.

Ray and Charles Eames were another set of designers who worked for Herman Miller and happen to be husband and wife.  Charles was an architect while Ray was focused more on design and film making.  Together they produced movies, videos, fabrics, and more.  Charles was asked to design a leg splint for soldiers during World War II.   He created the splint from bent wood and realized the strength and durability of it.  This inspired him to create a furniture line based off the leg splint design.  Other popular designs included a rocking chair and leather chaise lounge.     
        Other designers included Alexander Girard who was a fabric designer that worked for Herman Miller.  Robert Propst developed a system called action office. His main goal was to provide a creative office environment within the company.  Bill Stumpf designed the Aeron chair in 1994.  He wanted it to suite the needs of the person sitting. It was the first all-mesh chair that became very popular.  Herman Miller continues to create unique and quality furniture designs and has become one of the most popular furniture companies in the world.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYoKjoTMYSg

Peer Review

Tiziri- I like how Tiziri incorporated the pictures within the information, it was easier to see what she was describing rather than trying to imagine it.  I also like how she gave more bits of historical facts about France during this time.

Stephanie- Stephanie did an excellent job with her pictures.  They accurately exemplify what Art Deco is all about.  Her blog was easy to follow and she covered the main characteristics that make up the Art Deco style. 

Art Deco

Art Deco began in France in the 20's.  During this time there was high tension between Functionalists and Decorators.  The Functionalists focused on mass production, the common person, urban feel, and social good.  Decorators on the other hand included more labor intensive craftsmanship, decorated for the elite market, and they were not concerned with social theory.  Art Deco included many sharp angles, cubist form, and the use of aluminum and black lacquer.  Art Deco came to the US and other European countries after WWII.  The war sparked inspiration for many designers.  New styles and designs emerged such as skyscraper furniture, along with strong decoration, rich materials, glass, and leather.  In addition other essences of Art Deco are chevron, zig zag, folding screens, and large mirrors. This time period was influenced by Art Nouveau and introduced many designers such as Michael Roux Spitz, Jean Dunand, Maurice Dufrene, Jean Michael Frank, Jaques Emile Ruhlmann, and Eileen Gray.  Art Deco was introduced to the US through the French Ocean Liner and brought a new and glamorous style to America.

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Present

Extra Credit: http://videos.hgtv.com/video/art-deco-style-0156888

Peer Reviews

Micah- Micah gave a nice overview of the International Style.  She presented excellent examples that really captured this design type.  Overall, I think she did a great job depicting the information.

Happy- Happy's blog was very informative and easy to follow.  I like how she had the information listed and bulleted.  It was straight and to the point.  She covered all the main points without the blog becoming too extensive.

The Emergence of Modernism: International Style

The international style began in 1920 and lasted until 1930.  There were 3 main principles that went along with an international style design, which included expression of volume rather than mass, emphasis on balance rather than symmetry, and finally, expulsion of applied ornamentation.  Some other attributes were transparency of buildings and the use of curtain walls, along with accepting mass production and technique.  Many of the designs during this time were functional and geometric.  In addition, rather than the exterior walls supporting the buildings, there came about a change, which included the columns of the structure supporting the building.  The construction during this time was an honest expression of the structure.  Some of the preferred materials used in this type of design were glass, steel and concrete.  Some of the main influences of this style were Walter Gropius, Le Corbusier, Mies van der Rohe, and Frank Lloyd Wright.  Walter Gropius started his own practice in 1911.  His style consisted mostly of unornamented interiors along with a functional and industrial feel.  Gropius was the most influential because he founded the Bauhaus in 1919.  It was an education center which studied all the arts.  There was an important relationship between emerging modernism and fine arts, architecture and design, town planning, advertising, and stage design.  It was at the Bauhaus were students would learn and create things.  2 of the teachers that taught there were Marcel Breuer, who was a Hungarian modernist architect and furniture designer, and Wassily Kandinsky who was the founder of abstract art.
Another influential person of this time was Mies van der Rohe who was a German architect and was known for his use of rich materials, such as marble, textures, and colors.  He coined the terms "less is more" and "God is in the details".  Finally he was the head of the Architecture program at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago and created the Farnsworth house which can be found in Plano, Illinois.

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Present

Extra Credit:  The Bauhaus building by Walter Gropius, world heritage
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VRuaRFMR30