Robert Lewis

I was in LA last week, and spent some time with lighting designer, Robert Lewis.                                     

                                                                     

Robert and I go way back. He lived in NY for many years and we shared a studio for a short time. In 2001 we worked together on a lighting project for Ikea (for which I designed the Kila lamp). He is thriving in LA, working on a variety of projects. I brought Tanja Solci, a friend in from Milano, with me to visit Robert's home/studio in West Hollywood. She took all of these pictures. 

Robert works in many mediums, and makes much of what he designs. I have always admired his work with Mica. One of his Mica boxes hangs in my living room in Bedford, but he takes Mica to a whole new level with this soccer ball shape ...

... and this asymetrical construction.

His home and workspace are a feast for the eyes.

He says his work is "not pretty," but I find it beautiful on many levels. He promised me this raw little bulb construction.

His web site is being developed as we speak, look for it in a few weeks at: www.robertlewisstudio.com

My Design Life: What can I Say It's a Gift

See Harry's interview with Lisa Roberts of "My Design Life" tonight on Ovation at 8pm!

Also Seen at the Corning Museum of Glass

Waffle making went great last week, and I had time to wander around the Corning Museum of Glass. They have a very impressive collection. Some of the highlights were Frantisek Vizner's minimal forms - they almost look like plastic.

Robert Rauschenberg's glass tire - very REALITY. Apparently he dreamt about it. 

Karen Lamont's dress. Karen made a slumped tray for my Living Systems furniture line back in the early nineties when she worked at Urban Glass in Brooklyn. She has gone on to have an amazing career making these hauntingly beautiful life-size glass installations.

Finally, a crave item for me is this Tom Patti glass block. I'm not sure how they are made, or why he makes them, or why they are so expensive (of course the Museum pieces are not for sale, but I have seen others at Heller Gallery in NYC), but to me they are amazing. So much energy and life contained in a block of glass.

Project Waffles 4

Yesterday we made glass waffles:

The process was pretty simple by glass-making standards. In fact, it worked so well, that it was sort of anti-climactic. We cracked a few of the "molds" - someone commented on how waffle irons were just not made to withstand 2000 degrees - and we had some sticking problems this morning. When the mold gets too hot the glass sticks, but these are all issues that can be worked out in production. The waffle maker that worked best in the end was a cheap, modern two-part model.  Some of the vintage models had more interesting patterns, but everyone agreed that the grid pattern was the most recognizably waffle-y.

The result was beautiful. Here are the pieces we made yesterday:

I certainly did not need such a talented team of glassblowers to bang these glass waffles out. Special thanks must be made to Eric Meek and his team of very professional glassblowers, and to Rob Cassetti and Steve Gibbs for inviting me up to Corning in the first place.

Project Waffle 3

I Arrived Corning, NY yesterday morning by way of the Corning corporate jet!                           

                                                                                                                               

Most of my waffle irons have arrived. I went to check out the glassblowing stage where we will be making waffles tomorrow:

I did some sampling with master glassblower, Eric Meek, with whom I am working on this project. We have to wait a day to see the results, but we basically proved that one can cast glass in waffle irons.

I then roamed around the Corning Glass complex.  The complex houses Corning Inc., Steuben Glass, and The Corning Museum of Glass, which has an amazing collection of historic glass objects. The Museum is thriving - tourists poured in all day. Corning has invested in some amazing architecture over the years. This is the main building designed by Harrison and Abramowitz in 1954. It is an all glass, modernist gem: 

The industrial Steuben Building, attached to the Museum, features a huge Robertson Ventilator on the top. 

The original Museum building was designed Gunnar Birkerts, an Eero Saarinen disciple. This building also features a glass facade and a reflective baffle that diffuses the light entering the galleries.

I then wandered into town for lunch, bought a large vintage Griswold waffle iron at an antique store, and wandered into the Pure Design store where to my surprise I found a bunch of REALITY products!

Color Report: Reflective Pigs

This season we have gone hog wild with the colors on our Bank in the Form of a Pig:

                                                                                                  

It all started with a Christmas-ball red limited edition by Toby Wong as few years back, but it has been hard to stop. This week at the New York International Gift Show, Areaware had this colorful group of colored chrome piggy banks on display. The combination of our standard chrome and gold pigs with and an array of Limited Edition colors made a big impression. Not sure how we will follow this one up.

Project Waffles 2

I'm busy buying waffle irons for my glass waffle making session at the Corning Museum of Glass.                                                                                                                                        

                                                                             

As with most of my REALITY projects the research and hunt of the master has proven very interesting. These projects are less about design and more about collecting. My concept is to use cast iron waffle makers to make glass waffles. I think they will make useful trivets and coasters and maybe even nice components for lighting, etc. I anticipate the waffle pattern in glass will be beautiful and refract light in addition to referencing the beloved waffle. Of course, I brought the project up with my mother this weekend and she assured me she would not buy glass waffles, which to me is the sign of a good idea!

I got online and started to look at "cast iron waffle makers" and it turns out it is a very active category on ebay. To cast glass one needs cast iron molds with no coating, no new-fangled aluminum with teflon, and just my luck there are some very active vintage-waffle-iron collectors out there. I also realized that there are many different waffle patterns too. The first one I bought was this one, it is new, but it is cast iron and has a classic waffle pattern.

The next one I saw was this one, and I wish I had gotten it. Interestingly it went for about $50 and was promptly re-posted for about $450 as a "Pilgrims Waffle Iron," or something like that. It has a very nice radial pattern that I think would look great in glass:

Then I bought this one with holes in the shape of hearts and diamonds. I'm not so sure about it, it lacks a strong graphic pattern, but one never knows what it will look like in glass:

And then I got this one. OK, I'm obsessed, but the more patterns we have on hand, the more interesting the project will be, and I think production will go pretty fast:

Don't tell Shirley, my office manager, how many of these I bought! This one got away, maybe for the best. It has a very desirable Heart/Star pattern which I'm sure is adorable at breakfast, but it might have just been too cute in glass.

Then I got these two miniature irons for a song, I think they might make some nice coasters:

And finally, last night I found this one, a very nice graphic pattern:

I'm done buying for now. All are on their way to Corning for our big day of glassblowing on Thursday morning, the 18th. (I hope they make it in time.) Full report to follow next week. And again, if you are in the Corning area on Thursday, 8:30-11:30 am we will be making glass waffles!

Prototypes 4 Sale

Prototypes and first production pieces by Harry Allen and Brunno Jahara for sale:

Eclipse 1: $300
Also available in white.
By Harry Allen

Eclipse 3: $400
By Harry Allen 

Neorustica Mini Closet: $3,830
By Brunno Jahara

Neorustica Side Table: $1,200
By Brunno Jahara

LOT Coffee Table: $5,000
By Harry Allen 

All of this furniture was on display at our show Black River Fever last May during Design week. Now we must clear out the showroom, so make an offer! Contact: office@harryallendesign.com.

PROJECT WAFFLES

On August 18 I will work with the Corning Museum of Glass glassblowing team on a new project.                                                                                                                                                                       

I do not normally blog about ongoing design projects, but since this one if self-instigated, based on a fun premise, and involves some skillful glassmakers, I thought it might be fun to share. If you are in Corning area on August 18th, 8:30 -11:30 am, you are welcome to come watch. We will be making glass waffles!

REALITY is my line of goods that are cast from existing objects; most of the products are made by Areaware, but recently because of my work with Steuben and Glasslab, I have been thinking about how to make REALITY products out of glass. It is difficult to give glass a truly realistic form. There is a very labor-intesive process called Sag casting, which is how I made my Sticks and Stones decanter set for Steuben. The other way is to make a metal mold - which is very expensive. The difficulty forced a search for a pre-made mold, anything made of steel that could be used to give a realistic form, and lead me to the waffle iron. It was just there for the taking - a waffle iron is basically a two part mold.

I have a love of waffles that goes back to my childhood. It was the breakfast that my Dad made, I love their texture and taste, and it is associations like this that make for good REALITY products; they are more about ideas and less about just being pretty. Ultimately, however, they need to function too, and it seems to me that a glass waffle will make a very useful trivet. In addition, I am hopeful that glass waffles will look amazing, like a reflector, or cut glass. So I brought the idea to my friends at the Corning Museum of Glass and they invited me up for a waffle making session as part of their Hot Glass Show on August 18th. 

Making a REALITY product is not traditional product design, and it is never a sure thing, it is more about finding the right thing to cast and coaxing it to be a new product. Making glass waffles trivets will be a fun experiment, and you can follow the process here. Look forward to a few more postings before the big day, and of course a full report on the glass fabrication  - maybe even a movie or two. 

Core 77 Best Product Design

 

Harry was part of the team that judged Products/Equipment for Core 77 Awards. They named the Load Carrier for Labour (as seen in images above) as the winner.

The designer was inspired to create a comfortable device that would help workers transport goods on foot. The most common way for workers to carry loads in India are either on the head, back, or by pushing/pulling. Vikrahm created a clever device that would be a solution for all three methods!

Read more about the project on Core77.

Color Report: GREY BUG

I spotted this fantastic vintage VW Bug on the Bronx River Parkway last week - it was primer grey.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

I know, I know, no photographing while driving, especially in the Bronx, but I had to capture it for this color report. The bug was almost entirely grey, including some of the original chrome details. I say spray all the chrome grey.

Maybe this car is headed for restoration, or maybe this guy took his auto paint repair into his own hands. I've seen more than one spray-painted matte black car in NYC, and I love the concept. In this age of the super-sleek finish, a matte car is a breath of fresh air. 

In addition to the color, I just like the whole notion of extending the life of our consumer goods. Of hacking them, and re-thinking them and extending their life rather than sending them to the trash heap. 

Of course this is my blind interpretation, no interviews were conducted while driving. The guy behind the wheel might have a very different tale to tell, but he looked pretty happy in his grey bug.

Gilbert Lesser

My friend Tim, in Ptown, had an Equus poster on his wall. Reminded of Gilbert Lesser, it's creator, I went to Strand and bought this book on his work:

                                                                                                                                                           

In the late 80s, I was introduced to Mr. Lesser, before I even had a design degree. He was a friend of my friend Henry Baker, and Henry arranged for an informational interview. Lesser was heading up the promotional department at Life magazine, and I think I still have a Life tote bag he gave me in a drawer somewhere. 

I have always admired his clear bold vision. He went for the jugular; distilled his subjects down to the essential and present it boldly. He died too young, in 1990, at the age of 55.

The book is from a show of his work at the Louvre that concentrated on his theater posters. It was a pleasure to reacquaint myself with his amazing graphics - like the Equus poster (I think I need one for my "collection"), the Elephant Man poster (which I saw with David Bowie in 1980), and the logo and invitations he designed for Studio 54. His work embodies 1970/80s New York, yet looks so fresh today. 

Hand Hooks in SoFo

Our Hand Hooks featured in Swedish magazine, SoFo!

CONVERY TAPE-SCAPES

If you are in Provincetown, MA on Friday evening (7/29), check out my friend Tim Convery's new work from 7-10pm at Foc'sle, 437 Commercial Street.

Tim is a graphic visionary, and last weekend he gave me a preview of his new work. The poster-sized artworks are rifts on travel posters. They are constructed of colored duct tape and employ traditional 2D design mediums (now lost to the computer) like acetate overlays and hand cut graphics. They reminded me of Matisse, but upon closer inspection they are even more gridded out than Swiss-school posters. 

Back in the 90s, Tim and I worked at Prescriptives cosmetics together. He has an amazing sense of style and beauty, and I learned alot from him. One of my criteria as I design is often, "what would Tim think of this?" It is a high bar.

His new body of work is smart and compelling. I loved them so much that I bought one. I hope to bring some of this work to the Harry Allen Design Showroom in the fall.

Home Decor Trends

Our LOT Dining Chair and Banana Bowl were recently featured in Homedec. Homedec is a quarterly magazine published in Malaysia. 

The Prince and the Pig

I'm so happy when my products are adopted into good homes. This little gold pig won the lottery: New York Social Diary 

Core 77 Design Awards Results

I was a juror for the Core 77 Design Awards in the Products and Equipment category. The results will be broadcast live today at 4pm EST a Core77 Design Awards.

Color Report

I love this image for a few reasons.

1) It demonstrates how well our platinum grey kitchen sets off other colors.

2) I believe in design dialogues and I love when two inanimate things in my life start communicating. Our rosé was definitely talking with our snapdragons this evening.

3) In order to really appreciate a color you need to dance around it. On first glance these snapdragons are orange, but when you get into it they are yellow, orange, and light pink. The wine's subtle blush color and transparency compliments the flowers beautifully. Sometimes it is nice to experience a color in all of its variations.

Thomas Dybdahl

I thought everyone knew about Thomas Dybdahl, the young Norwegian singer-songwriter. I raced to get tickets when John's brother called from Norway and told us he would be performing at the Mercury Lounge, but they were still selling tickets at the door.

It turned out to be one of those amazing NY shows where you feel very special. The Mercury lounge wasn't crowded and the music was incredible. The show only lasted an hour, but it only cost $15 and he played many of my favorite songs. Only a couple of new songs were thrown in to whet the appetite.

I love the performing arts for their temporal quality. Design is often very static, but every time music is played it is different and the audience reacts anew. Having only ever heard Dybdahl's recorded songs, the live performance took on a new life. I was surprised by the human interpretation, and I heard lyrics I had never heard before. 

Concerts like this make me realize how different design is from the other arts. I'd love to design things that engage the user like music. To design a chair that stirred emotions, that made people sway, weep, and appreciate life in all of its complexity. Many designers have tried, but it always seems sort of forced. Design as an art form has its limitations and maybe it is best to keep it simple, to restrain ourselves, to be content accommodating others. All I know is that when I put on Dybdahl, he goes beautifully with everything. He even when well with the beer stained floors at the Mercury lounge.

However, there is one more interesting design fact about Thomas Dybdahl. A couple of years ago Philippe Stark, fell in love with his music and offered to art direct the album Science. It wasn't my favorite album musically, but it had a very nice cover. 

Culture Breakfast

I saw 3 unique shows this morning with Kurosaki-san - Alexander McQueen, even more amazing the second time around - the Richard Sera drawings at the Met, the antithesis of McQueen, but no less incredible - and Stephen Burkes' "Are You A Hybrid?" at MAD - a very contemporary commentary on the new world order of design, a great edit. My mind is still processing it all.

Kurosaki in NYC

Teruo Kurosaki is a friend of mine from Japan. I always refer to him as a design impresario, which he is. For years he owned a store in Japan called Ideé - they produced my Daylight lamp and were one of the original distributors of my REALITY series. 

Last night we had dinner at Momofuku with his nephew, Coby, designer Stephen Burkes, and Coby's girlfriend, Carrie. 

Kurosaki has been a mentor and supporter to many product designers. These days he is less involved in design, and more involved in design culture. He is working on the branding and design direction for some big developments in Tokyo and Hong Kong. It was nice to meet his family, and good to see Stephen, who in addition to being one of NYC's finest designers has a show up at the MAD that he curated called "Are you a hybrid?"

Big Green & Big Red

John has been lusting after one of these for a while now, but this weekend he took the plunge. The Big Green Egg is the Rolls Royce of outdoor grills. 

Admittedly it is a yuppie grill fantasy, and from an aesthetic point of view it is sort of funny looking, but its beauty is in its function, and in John's hands it will be well used. We've already had smoked ribs (Fri), and smoked chicken (amazing on Sat eve) and some grilled steak tonight. Based on a traditional asian Kamado, the BGE is ceramic inside and out, like a little kiln for your food. It smokes beautifully, and the ventilator on the top allows for efficient cooking at accurate temperatures.

And nothing goes better with some BGE cooked steaks than a robust bottle of Meerlust Rubicon from the Stellenbosch region of South Africa. We visited the winery a couple of years ago and just found it at our local liquor store. Yum, and such a classy label.

Color Report

It's a roadside weed, but what a beauty.

The pale blue violet  flowers of wild Chicory (Cichorium intybus) line the roads near my home in Bedford NY at this point in the summer. It is a color sure to induce nostalgia.

When I was kid, we called this plant Flax. I only just now learned via a web search that it is in fact Chicory. This explains the murky results I got from an attempt to make linen. Somewhere I learned that linen was made from Flax plants. Further research revealed the manufacturing process that involves soaking the dried stems in water. Apparently if Flax plants are used, the process dissolves the pithy part of the plant and leaves the linen fibers. If one uses Chicory it just makes a smelly bucket of goo.

My childhood disaster notwithstanding, it is a color I would love to use on an interior project at some point. I see it paired with dark woods like Walnut, or a dark steely gray.

McGenius

Alexander McQueen @ the Met blew my mind.