november/december 2016
PO WERS OF 10. Even though Americans cling fast to inches and feet, it is rare to find a top-12 list of anything. Ten has been the number
used to assemble things since our Homo sapien ancestors realized they had 10 fingers. Ten turns up everywhere, in the Bible ( 10 Plagues
and 10 Commandments), the sports arena (the Big Ten and the Perfect 10), and in Hollywood ( 10, the movie). But what has it got to do
with design? Plenty, according to Charles and Ray Eames, who some would say are the 10s of 20th-century architecture and furniture
design. In their film Powers of Ten, the couple took exponential powers to a picnic in the park, then used them to take the viewer to outer
space. They then reversed the process to bring them back to earth, where they hone in on a tiny carbon atom. It’s quite a ride. In 1998, the
nine-minute film was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress, which deemed it “culturally,
historically, or aesthetically significant.” Take a look and see if you agree: eamesoffice.com/the-work/powers-of-ten/.
on the cover Terra-cotta parrots perch by a wall finished in faux tortoiseshell. photo by michael j. lee. story, page 82
departments
76
24
18 Editor’s and Publisher’s Note
20 Contributors
24 visit • Well Edited
Estelle Bond Guralnick used her
design know-how to turn a city
apartment into an inviting home.
33 selections • Perfect 10
Designers discuss signature
spaces that convey their
interpretation of timeless design.
42 getaway • Full Function
A vacation house combines
mudroom and dorm-style accommodations in a utilitarian addition.
48 on-site
Water, Water Everywhere
On the Maine coast, Elliott &
Elliott Architecture designs a
house over the sea.
54 design focus
A Patterned Place
Lots of details and layers turn
an odd kitchenette into a gem
of a show house space.
58 preservation
Structural Beauty
The underpinnings of a former
almshouse become the focal point
of a redesigned school library.
66 icon • An American Story
The go-to for simple, cheap comfort food started with a roadside
vendor in Providence.
70 artisan • Keys to the Past
Rodney Regier re-creates 18th-
century fortepianos for today’s
master musicians.
76 local wares • Party Time
Hand-painted fabrics, ceramics,
and scoops of ice cream.
115 Out + About
118 Resources/Advertiser Index
120 take note • Reflections
70
54
120
