What’s Happening: After meticulously archiving thousands of ephemera collected by her grandparents Charles and Ray Eames, curator Llisa Demetrios pulls back the curtain on the Eames Institute for Infinite Curiosity’s first physical home.

The Download: When the Eames Institute for Infinite Curiosity launched in 2022, Llisa Demetrios had a giant task on her hands. Besides heading up a nonprofit that aims to bring the wisdom of the industrial designers Ray and Charles Eames to the masses through an online magazine and virtual exhibitions, she was charged with unpacking the trove of ephemera the late duo used throughout their practice in Venice Beach. At the time, Demetrios estimated the collection would easily exceed 20,000 objects, each requiring cataloging, conserving, and photographing as it relocated to the private Eames Ranch in Northern California.

Demetrios—a curator, MoMA archivist, and granddaughter to Charles and Ray—was up for the task. Two years and nine exhibitions later, the Eames Institute for Infinite Curiosity is gearing up to open its vast collection to the public for the first time in a refurbished building in Richmond, California. Comprising a gallery, collections center, and archive study center, the headquarters will serve as a permanent space to experience the Eames’s trove firsthand. Through smart displays designed by Brooklyn firm Standard Issue, the Institute will offer an incisive view into the duo’s practice and creative process, featuring materials that range from mass-produced furniture staples and one-of-a-kind prototypes to personal keepsakes and correspondence.

It also turns out that 20,000 items was a conservative estimate—the complete archive has double that amount. Beyond models of molded plastic chairs and wooden stools synonymous with the Eames name, the collection contains some offbeat picks that may even surprise the most seasoned design connoisseurs. Few may know the duo developed prototype airplane parts for the U.S. Navy, but an Airplane Stabilizer (1943) on view reveals how they molded and laminated plywood into aerodynamic forms. Perhaps the most revealing is a fake diploma that Saul Steinberg designed in gibberish for Charles, who studied architecture but never graduated. College isn’t for everyone, but a field trip to the Eames Institute might be.

In Their Own Words: “Seeing the collection brought together under one roof like this for the first time provides myself and The Eames Institute new opportunities for sharing the many facets of the grandparents’ story in entirely new ways,” Demetrios tells Surface. “The Eames Archives is so special to me because it holds the things my grandparents loved and cherished—it’s an absolute joy to be able to share these pieces in this way.”

Surface Says: Tours of the new building won’t kick off for another two weeks, but be sure to book your visit now.

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Situated on the picturesque landscape of San Miguel de Allende, the Albor Hotel stands as a beacon of architectural ingenuity and local craftsmanship. A collaboration by Productora and Esrawe Studio, the property distinguishes itself with an enveloping façade in local red stone that echoes the rugged terrain surrounding it. The nod to nature continues inside in the lobby with planes of green tile and a vibrant canopy that hovers above, featuring a leaf-like pattern in shades of pink and white crafted by artist Omar Barquet.

Like the public spaces, the 109 minimalist guestrooms showcase native materials such as mineral clay, natural fabrics, and artisanal products. Relax at the pool terrace and gardens, grab a bite at the namesake restaurant serving up global cuisine through a Mexican lens, or head to the onsite bar where top-shelf tequilas and mezcals are taken on custom sofas by designer Roberto González.

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When: Until Feb. 17

Where: Various Small Fires, Los Angeles

What: In her fifth exhibition with the gallery, the painter showcases 28 new landscapes that embrace the realities of death, climate disasters, and ruralness. French’s interpretation of these earthly moments is deliberately “anti-pastoral” and captures solemn moments: gravesites, forests aflame, animal tracks in otherwise untrod snow, and wildlife making its home among humanity’s refuse. Her wide-ranging use of color and flat perspective imbues even the most unsettling scenes with a sense of calm.

The preternaturally talented painter and founder of the influential Underground Museum succumbed to cancer in 2015, just as his star was rising. But thanks to David Zwirner Books, the late artist’s lush canvases can continue to energize and inspire in a multitude of forms. The gallery’s publishing arm recently expanded its Artist Journal Series of beautifully produced blank books with a new edition that showcases Davis’s ethereal scenes of Black life on the wraparound cover and endpapers. His unexpected brushwork and the emotional luminescence it conveys set the tone for the words and sketches to come. $35

At Workshop/APD, an award-winning architecture and design firm, each project is defined by a sense of place and purpose and a desire to enhance user experience through exceptional design at all scales. From layered, textured penthouses and seaside retreats to luxury residences and hotels, the Workshop/APD aesthetic is timelessly modern but site-specific, unbound by project type or style.

Surface Says: With a full-service branding, development, architecture, and design practice, Workshop/APD is a truly multidisciplinary firm—with the dazzling projects to show for it.

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