What Airbnb’s Joe Gebbia owes to Charles and Ray Eames

It’s been 70 years since the design power couple Ray and Charles Eames released some of their most iconic furniture pieces, and they remain as popular as ever. You'll find everything from their fiberglass shell chairs to molded wood and leather lounges filling living rooms, board rooms, kitchens, and cafeterias with equal poise. But while the Eames have many fans, Joe Gebbia—co-founder of Airbnb—may be the biggest fan of all. After encountering an Eames chair in his earliest days of art school, he transitioned instantly to study design. Ray and Charles Eames indirectly plotted the course of his life. Now, Gebbia is spending a chunk of his fortune supporting the new Eames Institute for Infinite Creativity. The goal of the nonprofit is to archive thousands of never-before-seen objects from Ray and Charles’ practice, while sharing their design wisdom with the world at large. Ray and Charles Eames may both be gone, but with help from the institute, their learnings will live on. Read my story here. — Mark Wilson   What Airbnb’s Joe Gebbia owes to Charles and Ray Eames EVERYTHING.   READ MORE   Students build a solar-powered greenhouse that produces 50% more energy than it uses Buildings should be more productive, and it starts with growing food on our roofs.   READ MORE   Architect Shigeru Ban’s designs are giving Ukrainian refugees some much-needed privacy The famed architect’s cardboard structures—which can be assembled in as little as 90 seconds—give refugees in Poland a place to process their emotions.   READ MORE   What ‘Bridgerton’ gets wrong about corsets, history’s most maligned undergarment Women of the past had agency over their bodies and how they were dressed, a fact that is routinely ignored in popular representation.   READ MORE   How companies like Amazon and Facebook fleece communities out of billions Nondisclosure agreements are used by corporations to secure billions of dollars in tax incentives and subsidies with little public oversight. A new campaign calls for an end to the NDA.   READ MORE

The color of the ocean is changing–here’s why By the end of the 21st century, the polar oceans may be tropical green, while other areas will shift to a dark blue. It’s another example of how climate change is altering our planet.   READ MORE       Enter the 2022 Innovation by Design Awards The 2022 Innovation by Design Awards honor the designers and businesses solving the most crucial problems of today and anticipating the pressing issues of tomorrow. The competition, now in its 11th year, features a range of blue-chip companies, emerging startups, and hungry young talents. It is one of the most sought-after design awards in the industry. There are 46 categories that capture every facet of design. Entries are judged on the key ingredients of innovation: functionality, originality, beauty, sustainability, user insight, cultural impact, and business impact. APPLY NOW

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