HOUSE OF CARDS

I have often seen the Eames 'House of Cards' deck in stores and, despite my professed love for all things Eames, have never been tempted to buy it. Until yesterday.

While doing some reading for a class I am taking on art from Los Angeles post 1940, I came across this book on the oeuvre of Charles and Ray Eames, written by John and Marilyn Neuhart in 1989. True, it may be a bit outdated, with most of its reproductions in black and white. But it is incredibly thorough and has several lavishly illustrated pull-outs, including one (you guessed it!) of all the designs in the Eames 'House of Cards'. The sheer tonal and photographic range of these cards--depicting everything from feathers to fishing boats, stripes to chevrons--make it both graphically inspirational and aesthetically exciting. Wouldn't it be cool to have an elaborate house of cards, made from this exquisite deck, on some empty table in your home?

If you think so, you can pick up the cards here and learn more about the Eames' here.