Senate Seats

Since we're talking politics so much today and since I have heard the phrase "Senate seat" about a million times in 2009 alone thanks to Rod Blagojevich, I thought I'd take a look to see what the actual Senate "seats" look like. I think it's rad that the chairs of Senators have become so representative of the office of a Senator that it is commonplace in the media to hear about Senatorial "musical chairs," or to hear that Harry Reid is blocking Roland Burris from "being seated." Of course, Harry Reid is not blocking Burris from sitting, he is blocking him from joining the Senate ranks and performing the duties of a Senator. Fun with metonyms, eh Pop?

The Curator of the Senate (so glad they have one) discusses the actual Senate chairs on the Art and History section of the Senate's website. This fascinating little section filled me with joy as I learned the following fun facts:

• The chairs are currently made by the Senate Cabinet Shop and are based on the original design (1819) by Thomas Constantine, which are based on Thomas Hope's Household Furniture and Interior Decoration (1807)
• Which means that Thomas Hope's text was so broadly read that it made it across the pond and into not only popular, but high-end commissions within 12 years. Wow.
• Only three of the original chairs still exist (the fourth survivor was destroyed in Hurricane Katrina).
• Senators are able to purchase their chairs at the end of their term.
  

Even more fascinating than the chairs is the story of the Senate desks. Fun facts about Senate desks include:

• Senators sign the inside drawer of their desks during their term and have done so since the early 20th century. The website allows you to drill down and see the legislative graffiti for yourself. I saw Barack's.
• Senators are allowed to change their seating arrangement at the beginning of each new Congress.
• When one party has an overwhelming number of representatives (physically speaking) the rogue party sits together in the back of their opposition's side. This is called a Cherokee Strip.
• There has been a candy desk in the Senate since 1965. Apparently it is on the back row of the Republican side, on the aisle, next to the most used entrance. The most recent seating chart makes Jim Bunning of KY the last Senate candyman who filled his bottom desk drawer with candy.

Politics + Furniture = My Heaven

Embody

I am biased toward Herman Miller because they pay for my rent and shoes and things. Granted. Also because they took a chance on my very close friends Rohde, Nelson, Eames, Eames, and Noguchi.  But truly, I love Herman Miller because I am a fan of chairs.  All chairs really, but good, comfortable, interesting chairs especially.  

Herman Miller's newest chair-baby is called Embody. Designed by the late Bill Stumpf and Jeff Weber, the unsung hero of the Aeron and designer of the Intersect Portfolio of very useful furniture, the Embody chair is, according to Uncle Hermy, the first chair designed for your body and your mind.  Unlike the Aeron, the Embody chair makes you sit in an ergonomically correct way.  It doesn't allow you to make the mistakes that most people make in an Aeron chair, like sitting on the front of your seat pan or constantly sitting in the ejector seat position like I do.  Nope, Embody asks you to sit back, relax, and breathe!  In fact, the design of the Embody chair allows you to open up your chest cavity while seated and therefore breathe easier and therefore think easier and therefore work easier.  It's H-shaped supports on the back of the chair mimic the spine in appearance and in action conform to your back allowing you to adjust the entire chair to meet your comfort level - we're not just adjusting lumbar anymore. 

And just when you think you've made it as comfortable as it can get, just try to move.  You'll find that you can move more freely and more comfortably in this chair than you can in any ergonomic task chair I've ever sat in.  The back of the chair has a much thinner profile than you're used to, so you can do things, amazing things, like reach behind you and to the side while still maintaining a supportive posture.  I've even heard rumors that the seated position and openness of the chair actually engages your core muscles more than other chairs.  Designed specifically for our generation of knowledge workers who sit for hours and hours in front of a computer screen, Embody creates a new paradigm for workplace design.  We're not just talking basic ergonomics here, this chair is actually good for you.  It truly is a design wonder and is certainly worth a trip to your local Herman Miller NDC (tell 'em Michelle sent you) for a sit, a recline, and a deep breath.  

Coolspotters

I tend to accidentally lose hours on the internet.  I typically do this with Facebook, Wikipedia, and People Magazine (for some reason, I end up looking at very old photos of Katie Holmes).  It all starts so innocently and then 4,000 clicks later I wake up and realize I've just spent two hours doing nothing.  My new addiction/discovery is Coolspotters, an online treasure trove that allows the materialistic and celebrity-obsessed to "spot" their favorite products, brands and fashions used by celebrities and in movies and TV.  I have decided to integrate more design history into the site... surprise surprise.  So, instead of spotting fashion and iPhones I have decided to focus on Eames chairs.  Because that's what I do.  My most recent posting was of Frasier sitting in his Eames Lounge and Ottoman with Eddie.  For me it's just a good excuse to collect photos of people sitting in Eames chairs, but the site could be incredibly useful for those fashionistas out there who, after losing two hours on People Magazine, can finally figure out where Jen Aniston bought that bag.