Jo's Picks

01. ROCK SOLID Candlelight makes every situation more festive, and taper candles feel especially elegant and occasion making. But taper candles in a candelabra? Next level. Especially when the candelabra in question is a monumental concrete rock number that puts all other candelabras to shame. Perfect organic, sculptural goodness. Count me in.

02. FORM AND FUNCTION I’m a sucker for a functional object that’s beautiful to look at… For me, hand-carved wooden spoons and lovingly-made woven brooms transform everyday tasks like stirring and sweeping into considered meditative moments. So it’s no surprise that philosopher, art historian, aesthete, and poet Soetsu Yanagi is speaking my language in his book The Beauty of Everyday Things. His collection of essays celebrates the power and importance of modest, honest, handcrafted (and yes beautiful) objects. I go back to his words again and again.

03. LET’S GLOW Between the two of us, Sam and I have 10 Noguchi light sculptures in our houses (there’s also a massive one hanging over the conference table at the studio, and we’ve put them in countless projects). We can’t quit the delicate, ethereal illuminated works of art. They feel at once timeless and completely modern, managing to inject warmth into minimal spaces and a hit of edge into more traditional environs. It’s safe to say, they are our forever favorite lighting moment.

Sam's Picks

04. IT’S ALL IN THE DETAILS I have a long standing chair addiction. The latest object of my affection is this clean-lined beauty. I love its interlocking shapes. The fully upholstered outer frame is such a chic detail, and the performance fabric ensures my two sweet elementary-school-aged boys won’t destroy it. 

05. WOOD WHISPERER It’s on my bucket list to visit late woodworker, architect, and furniture maker George Nakashima’s home and studios in New Hope, Pennsylvania. Purchased in 1945 (in exchange for labor for the land’s owner), Nakashima embraced traditional Japanese building principals – respect for the natural landscape and use of indigenous materials – as he built innovative, artful structures on the property over time. The buildings are a true wonder. I’m dying to see them in person.

06. QUIET BEAUTY The utter simplicity of Robert Rauschenberg’s Page II, 1974 is endlessly mesmerizing to me. The handmade paper piece feels like such a quiet departure from the artist’s riotous collages and mixed-media pieces. I find myself coming back to the piece every time I’m craving a moment of calm.