Design Within Reach/ January Catalog

Cover Photographed by Jim Bastardo

Photography: Jim Bastardo

Photography: Jim Bastardo

Photography: Jim Bastardo

Photography: Jim Bastardo

Photography: Jim Bastardo

Photography: Jim Bastardo

Photography: Jim Bastardo

Photography: Jim Bastardo

Photography: Jim Bastardo

For the latest January Design Within Reach Catalog that has just come out, Studio Marcus Hay travelled through New York State and Connecticut to photograph over 8 amazing locations in 2 weeks. 

With a large cargo van packed to the brim everyday, We constantly packed and unpacked each location with different schemes to give each location a distinct feel. Thanks to my great team at Studio MH, Mykl Cummins, Molly Hartman and our International German Intern Linda Lezius who all did an incredible job negotiating directions, traffic, elevators, endless boxes and packing amongst the many tasks that were required to complete. 

Included is Artwork that is featured in the pages of the Catalog and many artists such as James Gulliver Hancock, Rob Nadeau, Eric Blum and Claus Prokop helped me out this time, thank you so much! 

The January Catalog was once again photographed by the ever talented Jim Bastardo

The Catalog has a late Winter/Early Spring feel, We shot in a Tribeca Loft,  a Hudson Modernist Weekender, a Connecticut Estate, a Brooklyn Brownstone, a Hampton's Mansion and Cabin amongst the many locations and it was great to get to hang out in some of these areas where we would often fill in the nights as a team bowling or sampling local cuisine, It is a great team to work with and we all at Studio MH love working on these jobs, My favorite part being, I can see all the new finishes and fabrications applied to these Design Classic's ahead of time. 

Hope you enjoy seeing and are inspired by our new batch of images for DWR. 

Design Within Reach/ Holiday Catalog

Photography: Jim Bastardo

Photography: Jim Bastardo

Photography: Jim Bastardo

Photography: Jim Bastardo

Photography: Jim Bastardo

Photography: Jim Bastardo

Photography: Jim Bastardo

Photography: Jim Bastardo

Photography: Jim Bastardo

Photography: Jim Bastardo

Photography: Jim Bastardo

An exciting new chapter for Studio Marcus Hay, as we team up with the ultimate U.S based Design Store, Design Within Reach. Working with a company we have admired for so long is indeed a wonderful opportunity and is embraced with much enthusiasm, how could you not enjoy working with such amazing design, all pieces designed by major players in the 20^th and 21^st centuries. The silhouettes are proven icons of design and it feels like such an honor to be able to work with them to create inspiring and aspirational interior schemes.  

Rob Forbes founded Design With Reach in 1998; their mantra is that they make authentic modern design accessible. "Within reach" means things not found elsewhere. It means in stock. DWR has evolved into a destination for its exclusive collection of modern furniture and accessories to complement the iconic mid-century classics it has offered for years. They are a national business with 44 stores all over the country and one even in Toronto, Canada.

We shot this catalog in Upstate NY in Armonk, in an amazing 1950’s home called The Goddard/Mandolene residence. Designed by Arthur Witthoefft in 1957. The Creative team, headed up by Michael Sainato asked me to create story lines within each shot. It is a way I always like to work, to create a narrative I feel is important so that the viewer/ consumer of each image can relate on some level to what is happening in the shot. We wanted the feeling of controlled chaos around the holiday season, As if the homeowners in this location might be setting up for the holiday period. We had the wrapping station in the study/ office, The trimming of the tree party in the living room, The setting up of the dining table in the dining room, The getting dressed for a party in the bedroom, Bringing shopping bags filled with potential presents in the entrance way. Even on the Cover we liked the idea of unloading the car, Instead of a tree on the roof, We had a red egg chair. We came up with many other scenarios also that are featured also.

Part of the job is to source Artwork to be featured in the pages and many artists such as Chris Wynter, James Gulliver Hancock and Cathy Diamond helped me out, thank you so much! Also a big hug to Andrea Greco, my very dedicated main Assistant on this job and Studio MH regular who did an amazing job. 

The catalog was Photographed by the wonderful and super talented Jim Bastardo, It was our first time working with Jim and we really enjoyed the experience, Holidays are upon us, I hope you all enjoy this season and Here’s to an amazing year in 2013 and many more DWR Catalogs.     

Inspiring Icons/ Alexander Girard

Alexander Girard

The interior scheme he produced for the Saarinen designed Miller House in Indianapolis, USA

An example of Girard's fabrics being applied to the Eames chair and pillow designed for a Girard project 

Left: Todd Oldman and Keira Coffee's book on Alexander Girard,
The cover evoking one of Girard's textile designs: Right

Products are still available bearing Girard's design's at DWR and Vitra

Girard's Corporate Identity/ Branding for Braniff Airways

More examples of Girard's graphics

More examples of Girard's graphics

Alexander Girard later in life

Left: The chair designed by Charles Eames especially for the project as seen in picture
Right: Le Fonda de Sol Restaurant in The Time Life Building, NYC

Left: The menu for Le Fonda de Sol, Right: The interior looking towards the kitchen

Motifs, Chairs and Menu all designed for Le Fonda de Sol Restaurant in The Time Life Building, NYC

His wife Susan and Alexander Girard in 1958 in The Herman Miller Showroom in San Francisco

Some examples of furniture Girard designed and collaborations with Charles Eames and George Nelson using fabric he designed for Maharm

Alexander Girard (May 24, 1907 – 1993) affectionately known as "Sandro", was an architect and a textile designer born in NYC to an American mother from Boston and a French-Italian father. He was raised in Florence, Italy. A graduate of the Royal School of Architecture in Rome, Girard refined his skills in both Florence and New York.

One of my biggest design hero's Alexander Girard's work was so prolific that I can't possibly demonstrate it here in one blog post, but I have tried to give you an overview of his world, One that has heavily inspired many including myself. Alexander Girard worked with some of the best in the industry working with fellow contemporaries such as Ray & Charles Eames, George Nelson, Eero Saarinen to name but a few. He worked for many years for Herman Miller  Starting in 1952, He headed up the Fabric & Textile division.


While at Herman Miller, Girard created more than 300 textile designs, including wallpaper, drapery, and upholstery fabrics. His most significant influences were motifs from Mexico and Central and South America, but he borrowed liberally from the traditions of more than 100 countries visited during a lifetime of collecting folk art. 


Here are couple of his major projects:
La Fonda del Sol Restaurant
Girard's designs for La Fonda del Sol Restaurant in New York's Time-Life Building were among his most memorable work. He created the complete environment for the restaurant-from the Southwestern-style fabrics and intricate tile work to the decorative china, evocative menus, and iconic brass sun that informed the entire design. I know the space exactly where the restaurant was as I worked for a period in The Time Life Building, I always wished it was still there. 


Brandiff Airlines
Girard also developed a furniture collection for Herman Miller in 1967 building on his designs for Braniff Airlines' lounge and office furniture which featured a low sight line and interior/exterior shell separate from the seat cushion to maximize varied upholstery.The Brandiff Project gave Girard the opportunity to work with textiles, color, and graphics on a grand scale, redesigning everything from the sugar packets to the ticket counters to the color of the planes themselves. He used colors like light and dark blue, beige, ochre, orange, turquoise, and muted yellow to make the planes recognizable from the ground. Italian couturier fashion designer Emilio Pucci designed attendant uniforms.


He also worked with other companies such as Georg Jensen, John Deere and Maharam 


Alexander Girard’s playful patterns, graphics and bright colors are an inspiration to me, His whole application of them to so many areas of design are just astounding. The fact that he was able to wear so many caps and produce such a huge body of work in one lifetime makes me hope that in my career I can achieve even a slice of that.