plane furniture catalog

WEDGEseries

9

PLANEfurniture: types + prototypes

essays by Michael Webb and Michael Boyd

Edward Cella Art + Architecture

April 28 to June 16, 2012

Book design: Ph.D, A Design Office

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Table of Contents

Director’s foreword 19 Edward Cella

Our time and all time 27 Mark Lee

When design is not neccessary 35 Michael Boyd

PLANkseries chart 38

Bravo to life’s reversals 44 Thomas S. Hines

NO COMMENT: notes on PLANEfurniture 49 Michael Boyd

WEDGEseries chart 58

MINIMALISM WITH SOUL 67 Michael Webb

BLOCkseries chart 76

MODERN MANTRA: the building of PLANEfurniture 85 Michael Boyd

RODseries chart 94

Index 106

Acknowledgments 114

Biographies 115

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Edward Cella 19

Director’s Foreword

For almost two decades, I have had an opportunity to observe Michael Boyd, and,

with proper credit, his wife, Gabrielle, assemble a collection of 20th-century

design and design ephemera, and complete a sequence of highly accomplished

restorations of 20th-century modern domestic architecture. Their collection is a

benchmark for individual collectors and institutions alike. Impressively and gener-

ously, Michael shares his expertise though his extensive writing and lectures;

however, less recognized is Michael’s activity and accomplishments as a designer

of furniture, interiors, gardens, and rugs, which are based on his paintings. It is

Michael’s comprehension of 20th-century design that permits him to so thought-

fully restore architectural landmarks with restraint and seeming invisibility. This

same understanding, coupled with his innate talents, enables Michael as a

designer to create domestic objects that inspire yet function effortlessly.

It is for these reasons that I am most distinctly honored to present the debut of

PLANEfurniture at my gallery. Presented with the lingering memory of Pacific

Standard Time’s encyclopedic effort to enhance our appreciation of California

post-war art and design, the exhibition features new chairs and tables by a con-

temporary California-based designer who invites us to look though his eyes and

mind to perceive the enduring vitality of modernism. Boyd’s enormous experi-

ence as both a collector and designer affords us to share in his complete and

erudite command of what constitutes a great chair or table. Having considered

and refined his appreciation to the subtle variances in pitch and seat heights, the

materials and details of construction, and, ultimately, the ineffable feel of the

20th century’s most notable chairs, PLANEfurniture begins as an affirmative and

rational demonstration of good design. It encompasses forms that are intuitive

and simple; practical and affordable; and applicable to a wide range of uses in

the home and office, indoors and out. Our delight comes with the awareness

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Edward Cella 21

that these are treasures of the future, and that we have the opportunity right

now to take one home, to use, and enjoy for years to come—not just long for

one from behind the stanchions of a museum.

I am honored that Gabrielle and Michael Boyd have put their trust in me, and my

gallery, to present the debut of PLANEfurniture. I am thankful for my staff,

Jennifer ko, Paul Nguyen and Mike Rubin, and for their assistance in realizing this

exhibition. Additionally, I express my gratitude to Mick Hodgson for translating

Michael’s vision into this handsome publication and for the notable contributions

to it by Michael Webb, Thomas S. Hines, and Mark Lee. And to Laurel Broughton,

Randall Harrington, and Bill Barminski for their assistance in the presentation of

the collection.

The exhibition of PLANEfurniture comes as the gallery embarks on its sixth year;

moreover, the project is an auspicious and welcome rejoinder to the gallery’s

unique focus on the drawings and projects of architects and designers. Enhancing

and expanding the gallery’s effort to include contemporary design has been

something that I have long contemplated, as the opportunity for good design

happens each and every day. It is a choice we have the chance to make daily.

Taking delight in intimate interaction with a well-designed, functional object

offers rich rewards. I invite you to find in this exhibition something to enhance

your daily experience.

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Philip Guston once commented that when you begin working on a

painting, there are a lot of people in the studio with you—your

teachers, your friends, family, painters from history, critics, and

everyone else in the room with you; one by one they leave, and

eventually, if you are lucky, you leave too. Michael Boyd’s

PLANEfurniture series is born of a creative process not unlike the

one described by Guston. After decades of collecting, studying,

and being immersed in the scholarship of modern furniture,

Michael Boyd is creating furniture of his own. When looking at the

pieces made of rudimentary planes, one could sense and deduce

their historical lineage while remaining wholly original; an originality

that evolved through erudition. If one has to imagine the process

of how their forms came into being in Michael Boyd’s studio, one

could tell that Rietveld was there, Schindler was there, Judd was

there; but one by one, they all left the studio. And all that is left are

the beautiful pieces that are of our time and of all time.

Mark Lee, Johnston/Marklee architects

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When design is not neccessary, I don’t do it. I innovate as a last

resort. I try, as Eva Zeisel has said, to “just get out of the way.” 1 I

have also taken her advice to “never create anything new.”2 Purely

functional is the ambition. There is no need for embellishment or

ego. Military-issue clothing is an inspiration—it has to perform in

the field—as do military campaign chairs, mountain chairs, and

Adirondack chairs. Archetypal classic chairs and objects have

always been here because they serve a utilitarian purpose. They

exist to serve. Creation for its own sake is superfluous. A simple,

clear idea that works for a reason is enough to capture and sustain

interest. I prefer an object to ask me a question rather than tell me

a story. History offers a bigger pool than autobiography. Addition

through subtraction, or what has been called reductionism, is nothing

new—just like the forms. Refinement and calibration is the process

by which simplicity and purity are achieved. The intricacy and nuance

is provided by the lives that are lived in, on, and around the objects.

Michael Boyd

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Many good designers seem to know from the beginning that design

is their mission in life and they pursue it with monastic concentration.

Later, after becoming professional designers, they may continue

this focused existence, but their success also gives them the time

and courage to branch out and explore the world—even the world

of other designers whom they might have previously seen as

“competitors.” They get interested in the history of design and of

the other arts and they become engaged and enlightened citizens

of the world. Michael Boyd has reversed this progression. After a

good liberal education at the University of California, Berkeley,

where his parents taught, his success as a commercial music

composer allowed him to focus on his intense connoisseurship of

the arts, particularly of buildings, books and furniture. Now he

himself has become a designer of all of those, especially of

furniture. His striking new work contains memories of, affinities

with, and homages to such masters as Rietveld, Breuer and

Schindler, but the design voice is his own. Bravo to life’s reversals!

Thomas S. Hines, Urban and Architectural Historian, UCLA

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MICHAEL BOYD 49

NO COMMENT:notes on PLANEfurniture

This title is meant to call to mind what ancient Chinese proverbs refer to as

“silent music,” or voicelessness. As hard as it is to strip oneself away, seeking

invisibility, the process of erasing is elusive. Silent echoes can be audible;

emptiness can sometimes be seen. In the muddle and midst of whatever it is

that a designer is doing, it is often beneficial to let things fall where they may

and not attempt to obstruct, or construct, meaning.

PLANEfurniture may be closer to Chinese furniture than its obvious modern pre-

cursors; not in a literal sense—traditional Chinese chairs or specific dynastic

stylings (or lack thereof)—but in terms of philosophical affinities. Eva Zeisel

says, in design, one has to “just get out of the way.” PLANEfurniture is defined

by the search for the perfect openness that is the state widely sought in ancient

Chinese texts. This notion of perfect openness is one of many concepts from

ancient Chinese poetry, Confucianism, Buddhism, or Daoism upon which

PLANEfurniture is founded.

Emptiness (sunya) is a desired state—in fact the most sublime state at the cen-

ter of many of these ancient ideas. A Chinese poem reads:

“If you want to perfect your poetic expression, Do not reject encounters with calm and emptiness.” 3

The Chinese poets and scholars searched for ideal blandness, or what modern-

ist architect R.M. Schindler refers to as “plainness”—a “difficult and precious

thing to achieve,”4 he says. This effort on behalf of the plain means the artist

or writer is “striving to rid oneself of false allure.” This plainness or simplicity is

thought to be the path to inner cultivation. Echoing the ancient Chinese

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PLANEfurniture: types+prototypes50 MICHAEL BOYD 51

poets, PLANEfurniture is intended to illuminate and

honor the rough and the unadorned. Simplicity and

neutrality are connected to the great. Basic is fine;

banal is not okay. A recurring thought that arises in

Chinese proverbs is,

music—predating John Cage by hundreds, even thou-

sands, of years. There is a saying: “the least fully

rendered sound is the most promising.” This is what tells

us that the best ideas have always been—and will always

be. We are trying to fish them, like salmon, out of the

river of time. The idea of timelessness is always present.

The attractive ideas are

the ones that remain

fresh—not just that are

fresh. Newness for its own

sake is meaningless.

Instead, let us ponder the

quality and durability of an

idea; just as a designer

likes to ruminate on the

durability of a piece of fur-

niture. A Chinese proverb

translates (roughly) “empty

vessel is full—” as in: a

vessel empty of water is

full of air. In Chinese philosophy, modesty is sought

and an opposition is revealed: things that “dazzle

the senses” are inversely related to things that “awaken

the consciousness.” Needless to say, the latter is

regarded as infinitely more venerable. In other words,

the perfect character is without character. Detachment

is the way to serenity and true artistic freedom.

The Chinese verses foretell the thrust of the minimalist

movement in modernism (e.g. used repeatedly, zheng

means “minimum perceptible expression”). There is a

shared language between ancient and modern—and

this dialog is the most fulfilling. There is much men-

tion in Chinese philosophy that inner richness is

superior to outer richness. There are suggestions

that opportunistic design, or design by default, is the

golden path, then and now; and most likely, in the

future. Endless renewal does not come through sub-

jective dispositions and

discourses, but from the

“getting out of

the way” that modernist

Zeisel speaks of, and the

Chinese philosopher

espouses. Design can be

approached from this

age-old perspective—an

approach that could be

described as the search

for design that sorts itself

out. It could be called “No

design” or “Non-design.”

It is less a matter of stren-

uously applying oneself to a design problem in a

given specific direction than of exploiting non-action.

We must see the timeless truth: the fluctuations of

the world can only be soothed by harmony over dis-

cord, truth over contradiction, simplicity over

complexity, and so forth. The individual point-of-view,

then, is finally of little, if not no, interest. The moni-

ker “designer” feels artificial and staged. The

endeavor of design can seem facetious and self-

reflexive in the present day. The hype of the

extraordinary cannot sustain itself. However, the pro-

fundity of the ordinary holds great significance.

“when expression is chaste, meaning is honorable.”

Authenticity (zhen) or true-

ness is the state that is

always being sought, yet

seldom attained.

PLANEfurniture is an

attempt to make objects

and furniture that connect

us to the real. Modernity—

we apply it naturally.

Ancient is still with us. The

notion of the lingering of

leftover tone in music

(yiyin) is frequently men-

tioned in Eastern proverbs

and poems. Reverberation is what is sought—reso-

nance, above all. PLANEfurniture is intended to

express to our basic nature, not our snob appeal.

Plainnness, it is said, “flows free from attempts to

master it and can be neither contained nor gathered.”

This means a designer, at times, cannot control the

design process and must partly witness it—all the

while corralling developments as silently as possible.

When restoring the existing or creating the new, it is

best to tread as lightly as possible. The ancient

Chinese masters have an existential notion of being

“on the verge of being absent.” Balance is crucial. The

center is desired—not the swings and sways, trials

and tribulations of creativity as Western civilization

thinks of it. Autobiography runs out of gas. In the

ancient proverbs and poetry, originality is not the

church it is in Western

art. Anonymous artists

(not just painters, but

also ceramicists, textile

makers, and other utili-

tarian creators) are the

backbone of invention.

Names and dates in the

final analysis are irrele-

vant. The eternal idea is

to steer clear of the

extremes and to silence

and obscure oneself. In

ancient Chinese philoso-

phy, harmony is rooted in

the invisible.

“What is essential?” is the always-echoing question.

Design is about the mystery of the invisible—what you

are not seeing, as well as what you are seeing. The

best design solutions tend to reveal themselves when

the final product is tranquil, not erratic; inevitable, not

arbitrary. The process and the piece should be one if

possible. Design may be the pursuit of inner peace for

the outer world’s needs. With neutrality and plainness

(what moderns and conservationists would call mini-

mum intervention), one is distancing oneself from

individuations. In addition to the lingering or leftover

tone (yiyin) in Chinese poetry, there is the idea of silent

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I do not claim to design. At best, I would say, I bring about (or, I “cheng”). I favor

the primordial “cheng” over the contemporary “ka-ching!” I am biased towards

the unbiased. In the Chinese writings there is talk of the universal value of the

neutral. In bringing things about, one should aim for the uninflected over the

inflected—the universal over the idiosyncratic. In Han dynasty poetry, plainness

rates highest among all attributes. Maybe this is why the modernist Schindler

noted it was so hard to achieve. Throughout the teachings of Buddhism, Daoism,

and other Far Eastern religions, the mastery of the self and the restraint of ego

is the ultimate goal. Like the Chinese poets, it is a struggle to remain empirical

—and avoid subjective excursions. In relation to modern thought and linguistics,

the pay-off in design is when objects are free of intention and intentionality. The

pinnacle of Chinese artistic efforts, in painting as well as in poetry, is to be

“almost nonexistent.” Another Chinese verse translates roughly: “Simplicity and

plainness are the just measure of authenticity.” This is because, as another verse

states, “flavorful intensity and seductiveness wear themselves out. Plainness is

never wearing” (never wears out).

The modern art movement minimalism, born in 1960s America, is presaged by

hundreds (even thousands) of years by Chinese artists and poets. I thought, in

revealing my sources, that I would go all the way back to the beginning—to the

origins of any idea I may have. PLANEfurniture did not occur to me specifically or

individually. It is in this sense that I say: I am not a designer. I am an editor and a

bring-abouter. As it is with traditional Asian calligraphy, I have taken much time to

ponder and prepare and little time to act and execute. In essence:

“The strongest presence is conveyed in the greatest reserve.”

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MICHAEL WEBB 67

MINIMALISM WITH SOUL

“When an object is reduced to its essentials, proportions come alive and simplicity takes on its own resonance and character.”

John Pawson, Minimum

PLANEfurniture is a timeless product for troubled times. The optimism, invention,

and frugality that carried America through the Great Depression, the Second

World War and its aftermath, are embodied in these fresh interpretations of

basic principles. They strip away the superfluous to support and serve their

users, elegantly and economically. Inspired by the pioneers of modern design,

these pieces have good proportions and a simple beauty. Each is composed of a

few elements, cut from a sheet of wood and assembled to achieve an interplay

of shapes and angles.

Charles Eames was once asked if the idea for his molded plywood chairs had

come to him in a flash. “Yes—a thirty-year flash,” he responded. Everything he

had ever done—tinkering with a camera as a boy, struggling as an architect in

the Depression, teaching at Cranbrook, conceiving a new kind of chair, and shap-

ing plywood for military uses—made possible the rapid realization of an enduring

design that did more with less. Boyd would never compare himself to one of the

great originals, but the designs for PLANEfurniture that he sketched and refined

in months were nurtured over many years.

Over the past two decades, he has nourished his love of modernism by restoring

houses of several 20th-century masters, designing interiors, planting gardens,

and building a collection of iconic furniture and artworks. All these passions come

together in his home, which is explored in the book Modernist Paradise: Niemeyer

House, Boyd Collection. The quest for elusive treasures and his skill in deploying

them intensified Boyd’s passion for truth and beauty in design, and inspired him

to make modest contributions of his own. Now, he has embarked on a more

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ambitious project. PLANEfurniture is the expression of an aesthetic philosophy

he describes in his two essays, and the insights he has gained as a connoisseur.

Just as white contains the full spectrum of colors, so is simplicity the distillation

of complexity. That is why the Eames plywood chairs still look fresh, nearly

seventy years after they were first conceived, along with the best designs of

Mies, Breuer, Prouvé, Jacobsen, Aalto, and Saarinen. All these form-givers were

architects who designed furniture for their own buildings, treating both as an

equal challenge. Mies believed it was harder to design a great chair than a great

building, and it’s easy to see why. It must provide comfortable support for the

human body, which comes in a variety of shapes and sizes, without sagging or

toppling; it should be durable, portable, and offer good value. To join the pan-

theon, it needs to have a strong personality and a timeless grace. Each of these

architect-designers achieved those goals, not once but repeatedly.

Other architects, artists and craftsmen treated furniture, and especially the

chair, as a laboratory in which to test ideological principles. Often they created a

one-off and moved on to another task, leaving the object as an undeveloped pro-

totype or as a singular work of art. Some of these historic artifacts have been

reproduced and marketed, often losing the characteristics that made them

unique. The planar chair of Gerrit Rietveld, in natural or painted wood, began life

as a hand-crafted experiment in form. Reissues of the Red/Blue chair, with their

slick finishes and primary colors, preserve the idea but betray the spirit of the

original. R.M. Schindler has been more fortunate. His roughly assembled plywood

furniture and built-ins are cherished by a few collectors and still enrich some of

his houses, but their raw quality has deterred others from reproducing them. At

the opposite extreme, Donald Judd designed a few wood chairs, tables and

stools as useful sculptures and they are still fabricated to the same exacting

standards as his art works.

In contrast to the formal perfection of the first group, the experiments (even the

impeccably finished Judd pieces) provide an opportunity to take good ideas

further and play variations on basic themes. It is here, and in the humble work of

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PLANEfurniture: types+prototypes70 71

anonymous designers, that Boyd has found his inspiration. An earlier generation

of innovators was more concerned with the process than the product; for them,

furniture served as a three-dimensional sketch pad, and the forms led on to

something else. For Boyd, the goal is not to invent, but to tailor and edit. As

Mark Lee observes, there are echoes of favorite designers in PLANEfurniture,

but the four groups each has its own identity. They go back to basics and com-

bine simple shapes in new ways.

The PLANkseries is the most uncompromising. Four flat planes are invisibly

joined to create a chair that is as elemental as a child’s drawing. Each plane is

set at an angle to its neighbor to form a bold X in profile and the illusion of a

ledge jutting from a tilted plank at the front. It is simultaneously a geometric

sculpture that stands apart, and a surprisingly comfortable place to sit. (You are

reminded that a kimono is assembled from a few rectangles of fabric that adjust

to the contours of the user). Stools and side tables complement the chairs.

Every piece is made to order in a wide variety of woods and painted finishes.

Backs can be perforated and tailored cushions added.

None has as powerful an impact as the basic PLANk sidechair made from old-

growth Douglas fir. The boldness of the grain recalls the patterned marbles that

Adolf Loos, a sworn enemy of applied ornament, used to enrich his luxurious

interiors. Like rosewood, old-growth fir is now a protected species, but it can be

scavenged from the closet doors of vintage modern houses, and Boyd is constantly

searching for salvaged sheets. Traces of the paint that concealed it remain as

reminders of its secret life as the wood reveals its natural pattern and tactility

for the first time.

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The WEDGEseries has a softer, more traditional character and may see wider

distribution as a result. Slatted lounge chairs, ottomans and benches are chris-

tened Arrowhead for the profile of their members, and mahogany versions have

a strong affinity to the classic Adirondack patio furniture. The differences are

equally significant. Arrowhead pieces are like a well-tailored jacket of rough

tweed: rugged yet refined, familiar in outline but elegantly detailed and much

more compact than traditional models. A lounge chair has a corded back and

seat, and the holes for the cords are staggered to create a subtle pattern

around the edges. A sidechair appears at first glance to be a sensuous version

of the PLANk chair, until you notice the details: a flared back that is rounded to

conform to the width of the seat, and then flares out below like a well-cut shirt-

waister. And the wedge supports differ in width from front to back, establishing

a rhythm in the profile of the chair.

For the RODseries, Boyd was inspired by a crudely shaped chair of unknown ori-

gin that he found while foraging in Berkeley. The original may have been made in

a backyard workshop by a handyman with a welding torch; the new version takes

the steel rod for a promenade, defining a graceful frame to support the seat and

back. The contrast of black rod and white cords, rounded corners and interlock-

ing planes, gives this piece a surreal quality that marks it off from its peers. It

comes as a sidechair, an ottoman, and a lounge chair that can be flipped to vary

the height of the seat.

The BLOCkseries could be seen as Boyd’s homage to De Stijl in its asymmetrical

geometry and its juxtaposition of planes and square rods defining surfaces and

volumes. Half closed, half open, BLOCk tables come in varying heights, but

employ the same wood elements for each. Unlike the chairs, where the compo-

nents and the outline are pared to a minimum, BLOCk represents a layering of

parts, and an elaboration of the assembly. There is also a coffee table that

accommodates a square of glass on a cruciform base.

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difficult thing to achieve.” 5

The softest green or the brightest red share the plainness that comes from a

focus on the essentials, and the absence of decoration and whimsy. That’s for

the users to supply. Furniture should provide props for the drama of living, not

draw attention to itself.

PLANEfurniture is a reaction to the craving for novelty and the commercial pres-

sure to switch styles as frequently as couturiers change hemlines. Every piece

sings its own song and joins in the chorus. Each shares a sensibility that borders

on the primitive—a word unjustly condemned as pejorative—which can connote

unconscious excellence. Pawson found that quality in the rough glaze of a Raku

tea bowl and the irregular textures of handmade paper, which are products of a

craft tradition. Boyd’s furniture is made by hand, but the shapes are crisp and

the surfaces smooth. The differences between these and machine-made pieces

are as subtle as the stitching on a bespoke suit. This is artistry that conceals

itself and offers a quiet alternative to the mass market, which pretends to offer a

wide choice but has an underlying uniformity. Like the pieces the Shakers

crafted, PLANEfurniture is minimalism with a soul.

Color is another variable. All the pieces can be hand-painted, using a matte

Dutch marine paint in subtle or vibrant tones. That provides an alternative to the

natural grain and further emphasizes the angularity of the chairs and tables. As

Schindler observed,

“an interesting plainness is the most precious and

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MICHAEL BOYD 85

MODERN MANTRA:the building of PLANEfurniture

Modernism is not just a style from or for a particular period, merely emblematic of its own time, but rather remains a fluid and flexible model that offers a boundless wellspring of solutions for all time.

The search is on again for a coherent foundation for design—a foundation that

is as humane as it is rational, as functional as it is beautiful; a foundation that

inspires the creation of truly timeless buildings, furniture, and objects that are

simple, aesthetically pleasing, and philosophically sound. We need not develop a

new system; we can find what we need in the warmth, logic, and adaptability of

modernism. Here is an outline of a modern mantra—six essential components of

modernism that make it work:

RATIONALITYRelying on reason and logic can lead the way to discovery; creation for its own

sake is not the objective. The best modernism does not violate reason or com-

mon sense. Following golden section grids and practical measurement systems

creates frames for living. A levelheaded and evenhanded approach allows for

creativity to contribute to the design process but not to dominate it. Restraint is

rational. Pragmatism just makes sense.

HONESTYHonesty in materials is the best policy; using wood as wood, metal as metal,

stone as stone creates truth for living. The best modernism does not use trickery

or ring false in any way. In hiding nothing, one can see materials for what they

are intrinsically, natural or not: steel, stone, plastic, silk, and so on. Honesty in

joinery and connections is imperative. Structure revealed adds veracity. The

search is for the authentic.

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ADAPTABILITYMaking sympathetic adaptations to suit current needs or different contexts is

paramount; flexible plans for addressing fixed conditions bring about change for

living. The best modernism allows for interpretation and reinterpretation. By

rethinking what constitutes buildable architecture, or comfortable furniture, the

designer can invent through small shifts in details in design DNA—not from

being entirely new necessarily. Sometimes small tweaks and revisions and rede-

scriptions can constitute a valid idea.

UNIVERSALITYWhen modern works, it can work again; seeking timeless and borderless solu-

tions to man’s recurring design problems provides hope for living. The best

modernism is concerned with future as well as present viability, and with a given

design’s capacity to work in various locations and conditions. Global and timeless

design solutions have an enduring allure. An idea that works often works again.

FUNCTIONALITYViolating function is taboo in design; a design’s beauty is defined by its use; nest

building utilizing this principle creates harmony for living. The best modernism

never defies function or usability. Looking at how things need to work, how a

family actually lives, how a person actually sits in a chair, and designing after

this is taken into account, makes the work make sense. Functional is beautiful.

SIMPLICITYThe art of reduction is a thread that weaves through modernism, and in fact has

many antecedents in world art history. Designers since the beginning of time have

been trying to make man’s environments simple, legible, clear, and calm—this cre-

ates space for living. The best modernism strips down lofty ideas to their bare

essence and true nature. Minimalizing or essentializing an archetypal form, like an

Adirondack, mountain, or campaign chair, is a case of gaining from reduction.

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These six concepts offer a starting point for PLANEfurniture. There is nothing

new about modern, or PLANEfurniture for that matter. Some of the pieces in the

PLANEfurniture collection are inspired by or based on modernist masterpieces

(or combinations thereof). Some of the pieces are altered found objects; others

are original works. The collection is curated as much as it is designed. The fin-

ished pieces are meant to be exercises in unexplored possibilities. Some series

are largely theoretical, whereas others are more utilitarian and can be used out-

doors as well as indoors. All pieces in the collection are built to work together.

The idea is to blur the line between what is new and what is renewed.

PLANEfurniture follows the modern template for design, aimed at conflict resolu-

tion and the soothing of stressful complexity and contradiction. Modern is a

philosophical approach based on rationality and reality; it rejects whimsy.

Modern favors the unfussy over the fancy. It represents the direct path. Modern

can also easily incorporate things like idiosyncrasy (as opposed to iron-clad

rules) and coziness (as opposed to overly-restrained). Furniture, interiors, gar-

dens, and buildings can be all of these things. Modern is timeless and

everywhere. Its central tenet of reduction to essence is present in Egyptian

ceramics, traditional Japanese art and architecture, African Dan masks, classical

Indian music, and ancient Chinese philosophy and poetry.

Beneath the most rigid or doctrinaire modernist outlook, humanity comes first—

prioritized over dogma or design orthodoxy. Modern is not always monumental.

Modern ideology of course is founded on rigor, but surprisingly, it can also be

handcrafted, creaky, personal, and life-affirming. Le Corbusier, Mies Van der

Rohe, and other founding fathers (and mothers) of modernism suggest either

explicit or implied golden section measurement systems in their efforts. These

guidelines humanized space and promoted happiness and health. Le Corbusier’s

dramatic declaration that a house was a “machine for living” did not mean robots

were to be the inhabitants. The most important way that modern works, then, is

the way it works for life—for human lives. Certain proportions in furniture and

architecture are pleasing or familiar as human-scale. Bad architecture (which we

are inarguably surrounded by) is a nightmare because, while a bad

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joke dissipates in air, a bad building can outstay its welcome by decades. Bad

furniture, not fully thought through, can be a constant source of strain in a per-

son’s life—a perennial frustration to interact with. It can also completely kill the

circulation in a living space. In this age of far too many choices, far too many

experiences being virtual or distracted, it is reassuring to know that we can still

live with calm and sense if we choose to.

Why modern today? Emperor’s clothes scenarios are all around us. Design art

often celebrates the perversion (and even subversion) of functionalism—embodied

in works where Rietveld chairs are burned as metaphorical inside jokes, and typog-

raphy is actually turned upside down. It’s not that contemporary design is treason,

or there are any truly strict rules to follow. It’s just that, as Donald Judd says,

“If a chair or a building is not functional, if it appears to be only art, it is ridiculous.” 6

The men and women who developed the lasting language of modernism were

fearless and courageous and authentically hopeful, and did not descend into

cynicism and bitter footnotes from the sidelines. Building a better life is more

challenging and satisfying when achieved—mentally and spiritually—than con-

templating the reflections of an ugly time. The part of life that we can control

needs to make sense out of confusion, serenity out of chaos. Contemplating a

quieter time from today’s vantage point seems at odds with mainstream culture,

but it is possible. Home needs to truly be a place of retreat. PLANEfurniture was

conceived as a quiet idea for a noisy time.

In the attempt to achieve serenity and quiet, invisibility becomes nirvana for

designers. The best-case scenario for making furniture or gardens, or restoring

or designing buildings, is if it seems like a designer was never there. Ellsworth

kelly, Donald Judd, and others, have struggled with arbitrary subjectivism, and

tried to keep all signs of the hand and other interventions out of the equation. And

you can really quiet everything down, but it is impossible to completely eliminate

all traces. In architecture and design this silent approach is a perpetually new

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idea. Rebuilding can be preferable to building; redesigning to designing.

PLANEfurniture is engaged with the time-tested and human-tested paradigms of

modern furniture and attempts to filter and distill them. A nearly great anony-

mous design found at a flea market leaves room for improvement. An archetypal

design like a folding military, mountain chair, or Adirondack chair, by its very sim-

plicity, leaves itself open to reinterpretation. PLANEfurniture is intended to

appeal to all who seek universal solutions to age-old design problems. It is ulti-

mately about trying to live modern in a timeless way, reconciling style with logic,

passion with discipline. The themes of modern design are the perfect building

blocks for a fresh tomorrow. In the deluge of endless choices, editing is a viable

option for creation. Building on the innovations of the past can bring us renewal

for the future.

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RODseries RODseries

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106 107IndexPLANEfurniture: types+prototypes

Page 1: PLANkseries Plank chair, model P1201, Corian, 31½ in. x 12¾ in. x 21½ in.

Pages 40/41: PLANkseries photo grid

Page 8: Michael Boyd and Eric Lamers, prototype for WEDGEseries Arrowhead sidechair, 1989, painted wood, 30½ in. x 23½ in. x 34½ in. Page 11: WEDGEseries Arrowhead sidechair, model W1201, mahogany, 30½ in. x 23½ in. x 34½ in.

Page 48: PLANkseries Plank chair, model P1201, wenge, 31½ in. x 12¾ in. x 21½ in.

Page 16: PLANkseries Plank chair, model P1201, wenge (detail)

Page 56: RODseries sidechair, model R1203, powder-coated carbon steel, vinyl yacht cord, 26 in. x 21¼ in. x 26¾ in. Page 57: RODseries Flip Lounge, model R1201, powder-coated carbon steel, vinyl flat cord, 30½ in. x 23½ in. x 34½ in.

Pages 24/25: WEDGEseries Elephant chair, model W1210, mahogany, leather, (frame only) 29¼ in. x 22 in. x 27¼ in.; WEDGEseries Elephant stool, model W1211, mahogany, leather, (frame only) 13¾ in. x 22 in. x 18 in.

Vellum insert (Page 63): BLOCkseries Panel table, component part chart

Page 32: PLANkseries asymmetrical table/stool, model P1215, PLANkseries symmetrical table/stool, model P1214, painted wood, (each) 16½ in. x 14 in. x 14 in.Page 33: Pair of PLANkseries symmetrical table/stools, model P1214, Douglas fir plywood, 16½ in. x 14 in. x 14 in.

Page 72: WEDGEseries Arrowhead lounge chair, model W1209, 26½ in. x 21 in. x 26½ in., RODseries sidechair, model R1203, 26 in. x 21¼ in. x 26¾ in. Page 73: BLOCkseries stool, model B1208, 22 in. x 15 in. x 17 in.

Page 4: WEDGEseries Elephant lounge chair, model W1210, oak, 29¼ in. x 22 in. x 27¼ in.Page 5: WEDGEseries Arrowhead lounge chair, model W1208, mahogany, 26½ in. x 21 in. x 26½ in.

Page 47: RODseries Flip Lounge, model R1201, powder-coated carbon steel, cotton cord, 30½ in. x 23½ in. x 34½ in.

Page 12: PLANEfurniture collection grid Page 52: WEDGEseries Arrowhead corded lounge, sketch, vintage paper, 10 in. x 15 in.Page 53: Rug for Honor Fraser, 2007, wool, by Michael Boyd for Christopher Farr, 123 in. x 96 in.

Page 20: PLANkseries arm chair, model P1213, mahogany, leather, (frame only) 29 in. x 25¼ in. x 26 in.Page 21: Craig Ellwood Steinman House (1956), garden

Pages 60/61: WEDGEseries photo grid

Vellum insert (Page 27): PLANkseries Plank chair, model P1201, sketch, vintage paper, 10 in. x 15 in.

Page 68: Craig Ellwood Steinman House (1956), Living Room (detail)Page 69: Craig Ellwood Steinman House (1956), Den. Rug by Michael Boyd for Christopher Farr, 2008, wool, 108 in. x 66 in.

Page 36: Experimental WEDGEseries sidechair, collage, cardboard, painted paper, 10 in. x 8 in.Page 37: WEDGEseries Arrowhead sidechair, sketch, vintage paper, 10 in. x 15 in.

Pages 76/77: BLOCkseries chart

Page 2: RODseries Flip Lounge, model R1201, powder-coated carbon steel, canvas, cotton cord, 30½ in. x 23½ in. x 34½ in. Page 3: WEDGEseries Arrowhead corded lounge chair, Douglas fir, cotton cord (detail)

Pages 42/43: PLANEfurniture sketches grid

Vellum insert (Page 9): WEDGEseries Arrowhead sidechair, model W1201, component part chart

Pages 50/51: Three Whites, diptych, acrylic on linen, artist’s frame, (each) 30¼ in. x 30¼ in. x 2¾ in.

Page 18: Black and Blue, 1993, encaustic on linen, steel artist’s frame, 14¾ in. x 20¾ in. x 2 in. Page 19: Craig Ellwood Steinman House (1956), Living Room. Rug by Michael Boyd for Christopher Farr, 2008, wool, 192 in. x 114 in.

Pages 58/59: WEDGEseries chart

Page 26: PLANkseries Plank chair, model P1201, redwood, 31½ in. x 15 in. x 21½ in.

Page 66: Orange/White/Black, 1993, oil on wood, artist’s frame, 16¼ in. x 12¼ in.Page 67: BLOCkseries ¾ Panel table, Douglas fir, 22½ in. x 18 in. x 14¼ in.

Page 34: PLANkseries Plank chair, model P1201, Corian, 31½ in. x 12¾ in. x 21½ in.

Page 75: BLOCkseries Panel table, model B1201, painted wood (detail)

Page 6: PLANkseries Plank chair, model P1201, oak, 31½ in. x 15 in. x 21½ in.Page 7: WEDGEseries Scissor chair, model W1203, painted wood, 31 in. x 14¾ in. x 18¾ in.

Vellum insert (Pages 45/46): RODseries sidechair, sketch, vintage paper, 10 in. x 15 in.

Pages 14/15: PLANkseries Plank chair, model P1201: (L–R) oak, mahogany, ipe, 31½ in. x 15 in. x 21½ in.

: RODseries Flip Lounge, model R1201, powder-coated carbon steel, canvas, cotton cord, 30½ in. x 23½ in. x 34½ in.Page 55: PLANkseries Plank chair, model P1201, zebra wood, 31½ in. x 12¾ in. x 21½ in.

Pages 22/23: PLANEfurniture collection grid Page 62: BLOCkseries ½ Panel table, painted wood, 15 in. x 18 in. x 14¼ in. Page 65: Michael Boyd and Daven Joy, prototype table, 1991, painted wood, 30 in. x 18 in. x 14¼ in. This design is in the permanent collection of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art

Page 30: WEDGEseries Big Arrowhead stool, model W1207, (frame only) 15¾ in. x 21 in. x 21½ in. Page 31: Michael Boyd and Andy Hackman, RODseries ottoman, model R1202, 14 in. x 22 in. x 20 in.

Page 70: PLANkseries X table, model P1217, zinc, poplar, 10 in. x 18 in. x 18 in.Page 71: PLANkseries Plank chair, model P1201, Douglas fir plywood, 31½ in. x 12¾ in. x 21½ in.

Page 38 and 39: PLANkseries chart Pages 78/79: BLOCkseries photo grid

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108 PLANEfurniture: types+prototypes

Page 80: PLANkseries Plank chair, model P1201, Douglas Fir, 31½ in. x 15 in. x 21½ in.Page 83: PLANkseries perforated Plank chair, model P1203, painted wood, 31½ in. x 15 in. x 21½ in.

Page 88: White/Black/White, 1991, oil on canvas on plywood, artist’s frame, 48 in. x 8 in. x ¾ in. PLANkseries Plank chair, model P1202, mahogany, 31½ in. x 15 in. x 21½ in. Page 89: Green/Brown/Green, 2010, collage, painted paper, 8½ in. x 11 in.

Pages 96/97: RODseries photo grid

Pages 104/105: RODseries Flip Lounge, model R1201, powder-coated carbon steel, vinyl flat cord, 30½ in. x 23½ in. x 34½ in., RODseries Flip Lounge stool, model R1202, powder-coated carbon steel, vinyl flat cord, 14 in. x 22 in. x 20 in.

Page 109: PLANEfurniture studio (detail)

*All designs by Michael Boyd, 2011, unless otherwise indicated

Page 84: Green/Brown/White, 2006, oil on canvas, artist’s frame, 22 in. x 17¾ in. x 1½ in.Page 85: Rug for Richard Neutra Wirin House (1949), by Michael Boyd for Christopher Farr, 2007, hand knotted wool, 98 in. x 98 in.

Page 92: PLANkseries Plank chair, model P1203, 31½ in. x 15 in. x 21½ in. PLANEfurniture studio (detail)Page 93: Collage, paper, 2010, 10½ in. x 9 in.

Vellum insert (Page 99): WEDGEseries Arrowhead lounge chair, sketch

Vellum insert (Page 81): PLANkseries, Plank chair, model P1201, component part chart

Page 90: Gray/Silver, 1993, aluminum, stainless steel, painted wood, 15 in. x 10 in. x 2 in. Yellow/Orange/Yellow, felt on plywood, 1992, 24 in. x 32½ in. x ¾ in. Gray/Red, 1991, painted wood, 25½ in. x 22¾ in. x ¾ in. Page 91: Plank chair photo grid

Page 98: WEDGEseries Arrowhead lounge chair, model W1204, mahogany, 26½ in. x 21 in. x 26½ in.Page 101: WEDGEseries Arrowhead corded lounge chair, model W1209, Douglas fir, cotton cord, 26½ in. x 21 in. x 26½ in.

Page 86: Pair of BLOCkseries stools, model B1216, in situ at Richard Neutra Wirin House (1949)Page 87: Rug by Michael Boyd for Christopher Farr, in situ at Richard Neutra Wirin House (1949)

Pages 94/95: RODseries chart

Pages 102/103: PLANkseries arm chair stool, model P1214, (frame only) 13¾ in. x 22 in. x 18 in., PLANkseries arm chair, model P1213, (frame only) 29 in. x 25¼ in. x 26 in.

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ARCHITECTURE + LANDSCAPE PROJECTS:

Craig Ellwood Steinman House 1956

John Lautner Chemosphere House 1960

Oscar Niemeyer Strick House 1964

Thornton Ladd House for a Writer 1965

Paul Rudolph Paul Rudolph Townhouse 1975

Richard Neutra Kaufman House 1937

John Lautner Harvey House 1950

RM Schindler McAlmon House 1935

Richard Neutra Wirin House 1949

John Lautner Foster House 1950

EXHIBITIONS:

Sitting on the Edge: Modernist Design from the

Collection of Michael and Gabrielle Boyd

Birth of the Cool: California Art, Design, and Culture

at Midcentury

RM Schindler: the Gingold Commissions

Gunta Stolzl: Bauhaus Weaver

Venus Revisited: the photography of Wingate Paine

Michael Webb writes on modern architecture, design, and travel. He is the author

of 26 books, including Modernist Paradise: Niemeyer House, Boyd Collection

(Rizzoli, New York, 2007), Venice CA: Art + Architecture in a Maverick Community

(Abrams, New York, 2007), Modernism Reborn: Mid-Century American Houses

(Universe Books, 2001), and George Nelson: Compact Design Portfolio (Chronicle

Books, San Francisco, 2003). Raised in London, he now lives in Los Angeles in a

classic Richard Neutra apartment that Charles and Ray Eames called home in

the 1940s. He has written extensively for Architectural Digest, AD (France), The

New York Times, Town & Country, A+U, Domus, and Culture + Travel.

Michael Boyd is a designer, writer, and collector of vintage modern design. He is

the principal of BoydDesign, a firm with an emphasis on furniture, interior, and

garden design; it is also a consultancy for the restoration and preservation of

modernist architecture, and for collecting modern design. His most notable

restorations include the Craig Ellwood Steinman House (1956) in Malibu, Paul

Rudolph Townhouse (1975) in New York City, and the Oscar Niemeyer Strick

House (1964) in Santa Monica, where he lives with his wife and two sons.

BiographiesAcknowledgments

For Gabrielle.

Special thanks to Maria and Harry Hopper.

Many thanks to the PLANEfurniture team; Laurel Broughton, Eric Lamers,

Gerardo Serrrano, Felipe Sanchez, Andy Hackman, Andrew Gray,

Robert Sanchez, and Alfredo Serrano

Additional thanks to Edward Cella, Michael Webb, Mick Hodgson, Sheryl Farber,

Harold Budd, William Stout, Mark Lee, Patrick Parrish, Aaron Betsky, Simon Andrews,

Melanie Andrews, Christopher Farr, Matthew Bourne, Joe Rainsford, Dagny Corcoran,

Adrienne Fish, ken Erwin, Greg Cerio, Jennifer ko, Diana Benedikt, Daren Joy,

Thom Faulders, Lorraine Wild, Greg Wooten, Scott Frances, Terence Woodgate,

Steve Freihon, Sam Frost, Stephen Boyd, Anna Ranieri, kelly Lynch, Mitch Glaser,

Benedikt Taschen, Lauren Taschen, Albert Baril, Holly Baril, Claudia Sender,

Mark Sender, Henry Urbach, Joe Rosa, Ronnie Perez, Thomas S. Hines, Mayer Rus,

Martha Peck, David Vawter, Jay Novak, Frank Novak, Catherine DeBeyrie,

Stephane DeBeyrie, Claire Joseph, Sharon Johnston, Chan Luu, Phillipe Garner,

Robert Clydesdale, Peter Superti, Jeff Schaper, Hans Eckardt, Larry Schaeffer,

Wendy kaplan, Eames Demetrios, Tony Manzella, Mark McDonald, Justin Hoffman,

Randall Harrington, Bill Barminski, Sam Boyd, Henry Boyd, Roger Corman,

Julie Corman, Mark Hennessy, Zelda Boyd, Liz Armstrong, Ann Philbin,

Dwayne Resnick, Mark Haddawy, Mark Grotjahn, Jennifer Guidi, Dick Friedan,

Lorca Cohen, kathryn Ireland, Tierney Gearon, Honor Fraser, Mark Seliger,

Daven Joy, Chris Houston, Terence Riley, Paola Antonelli, Mike Boloyan, Dave Shaw,

Jon Rubin, Nora Boyd, Nick Boyd, Peter Jefferson, Susan Anson, Joan Sopher,

Sam kaufman, Mario DeLopez, Lynn Pickwell, Jim Jonassen, and James Zemaitis.

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PLANEfurniture: types + prototypes

Copyright © 2012 Edward Cella Art + Architecture and BoydDesign

Published in 2012 by Edward Cella Art + Architecture in Los Angeles, 6018 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles,

CA 90036 and in conjunction with the exhibition PLANEfurniture: types + prototypes, on view from

April 28 to June 16, 2012.

All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any

means, electronic or mechanical, without prior permission in writing from the publisher.

ISBN 13 978-0-9800962-3-1

Printed in an Edition of 1,000 copies

Copy Editor: Sheryl Farber

Book Design: Michael Hodgson, Ph.D, A Design Office

Photography: Sam Frost

Additional Photography: Hans Eckardt pages 17, 86, 87; Richard Powers pages 68, 69

Typeface: News Gothic

Printing: Shapco Printing, Minneapolis, MN

Footnotes:

1, 2 P. 35. William L. Hamilton, “Eva Zeisel, Ceramic Artist and Designer, Dies at 105”. New York Times,

December 30, 20113 P. 49. Many of the quotes are taken from In Praise of Blandness: Proceeding from Chinese Thought and

Aesthetics, by Francois Jullien, translated by Paula M. Varsano (Zone Books, New York, 2008)4 P. 49, 5 P. 74. Rudolph M. Schindler, “About Furniture” Los Angeles Times, April 18, 1926; reprinted in

The Furniture of R.M. Schindler, ed. Marla C. Burns (University Art Museum, UCSB, 1997)6 P. 90. Donald Judd: Furniture Retrospective, (Museum Boymans-Van Beuningen, Rotterdam, 1993)

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