Gerdeblog | Archives: 2011 July

Wednesday, Jul 27th, 2011

Monday Morning Inspiration: Woodworker, George Nakashima

Image via Harry N. Abrams

During our Monday morning studio meeting, our Senior Designer in Design Implementation, Steve Johnson, provided breakfast (mmmm…chocolate milk) and a brief presentation on the life and work of woodworker, George Nakashima.

Image via nakashimawoodworker.com

Nakashima was a Japanese-American architect turned studio furniture maker and was considered a seminal woodworker and leader in the 20th century American Craft Movement. We viewed a slide presentation showing examples of Nakashima’s beautiful work, which is legendary for its use of the natural forms of the tree. His furniture is organic in shape, using plain sawn boards with rough natural edges, inherent figured grain and incorporate his signature butterfly joinery adding support to natural cracks and crevices in the wood.

We’ve been seeing a lot of raw wood elements used in modern furniture and fixture designs today. The whole studio was intrigued to discover the roots of the trend.

We also had a chance to see a copy of the book, Nature Form & Spirit—The Life and Legacy of George Nakashima, authored by his daughter, Mira Nakashima, (hardcover, Harry N. Abrams, 2003), who continues the tradition of making beautiful lines of wood furniture at the George Nakashima Studio.

Tags: Chuties, George Nakashima, INSPIRATION, woodworking

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Thursday, Jul 14th, 2011

From the Desk of Joanna Felder

1. Shopping bags from various retail destinations. Most notably, one from Edition, Banana Republic’s accessories-only store that was reported on in The Gist.
2. A plethora of speaker badges from various industry events including GlobalShop, Vision Expo and NRF’s BIG Show.
3. A photo of grapes at the peak of their perfection—a touch of home for this Northern California native.
4. Connectivity—a bag of wires, cables and gadgets for this brand guru on the go (she notes with a sigh that her e-gadget bag is now bigger than her makeup tote).
5. A little light reading—PSFK’s Future of Retail. It’s a must read for anyone in our industry.

And here’s a little about the lady behind this desk… Read more…

Tags: Chuties, Desk

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Friday, Jul 08th, 2011

A note from the editors: “Inspiration boards” give a glimpse at the inner landscape of a creative person’s brain. Boards can convey a concept, a design direction, ideas for a kitchen remodel, or in our case, a personal narrative. Each month we feature one of the creative spirits at Chute Gerdeman.

There is nothing like long summer days to electrify the senses after a cold, wet spring. The sun’s rays are bright and dense. Activities move outdoors. And, above all else, cooking and dining goes alfresco. Pairing the perfect crisp, flavorful beverage to go with these summer meals is a must. I’m talking about beer (surprised?).