Philip A. Hart Plaza and Horace E. Dodge and Son Memorial FountainDetroit, Michigan Located on the banks of the Windsor River, the Philip A. Hart Plaza was designed by architecture firm Smith, Hinchman & Grylls with the help of Isamu Noguchi.

The California ScenarioCosta Mesa, California Noguchi's abstract composition completed in 1982 features elements representing the Golden State's diverse ecosystems: mountains, redwoods, rivers, deserts, and meadows. The 1.6-acre sculpture garden open to the public and visiting information is located here.

Cyclone Table (1954)Hans Knoll saw this playful design, initially meant as a stool, and immediately recast it as a chair and set it up with the Bertoia Wire Chair. The eye of the storm is formed with a cylindrical group of metal rods. Photo courtesy of The Noguchi Museum, New York.

Bamboo Chair (1950)A prototype that was recreated from photos, this lost design came out of a collaboration between Noguchi and Japanese design Isamu Kenmochi. Noguchi laid out the curved metal forms while Kenmochi’s weaving skills led to the flowering base and curved backrest. Photo courtesy of The Noguchi Museum, New York.

Zenith Night Nurse (1937)An early Noguchi side-project encased in then cutting-edge Bakelite, the biomorphic Night Nurse was ostensibly the first baby monitor. Supposedly, the Lindbergh kidnapping inspired Zenith President Eugene F. McDonald Jr. to greenlight development of a listening device for caregivers. The side reads “Designed by Noguchi.” Photo courtesy: Collections of The Henry Ford

Noguchi Coffee Table (1944)A Herman Miller classic, modernist icon and Tumblr inspiration, this three-piece table is the epitome of simple, focused design. Initially made in 1939 for MoMA president A Conger. Goodyear, Noguchi’s work in ebonized walnut remains a touchstone. “Even the first table I made for Conger Goodyear was not exactly utilitarian,” he said. “I thought of it as sculpture that was a table. After all, you can say that the earth is a table. We feast upon it. You can also say that it is utilitarian, this earth.” Photo courtesy of The Noguchi Museum, New York.

The late, prolific Japanese-American artist and landscape architect Isamu Noguchi was the subject of photographer Richard Schulman's last black and white photo. Says Schulman, "We were like water and oil in his studio, but when it came time for him to choose from thousands of images for a mini Pace Gallery retrospective, he chose this image. One of my proudest moments." See more of Schulman's photos here. (Pin)

Freeform Sofa (1946)Noguchi’s fixation on organic shapes is evident in this fluid piece of furniture, a soft, warm and inviting seat with a matching ottoman with matching contours. Photo courtesy of The Noguchi Museum, New York.

Heralded as a cultural landmark when completed in 1979, the plaza features a sculptural fountain designed by Noguchi. For more on the plaza, Docomomo offers a good history.

Bayfront ParkMiami, Florida When the city of Miami commissioned Noguchi to redesign Bayfront Park in downtown Miami, Florida, the area was underutilized. "The idea was that it would be a park for people—not an escape from the city, but a place to go to, a place for congregation," Noguchi said about the design. It features a 20,000-seat amphitheater, rock gardens, ample vegetation, and an esplanade.

The teahouse is lit by Isamu Noguchi’s classic mid-century Akari 1AS lamp.

Noguchi Rudder Table (1949)A wooden vessel resting on a pair of metal hairpin legs, this Herman Miller design exhibits a functional finesse and a surf-like, 1950s feel. Reintroduced last year, the tabletop has the same shape as Noguchi’s iconic coffee table. Photo courtesy of The Noguchi Museum, New York.

Laminated Wooden Table (1941) While Noguchi’s other tables are certainly more famous, this unique piece, a gift to Philip L. Goodwin, who designed the MoMA building, showcases the forms and curves found in his sculpture at the time. Photo courtesy of The Noguchi Museum, New York.

A 400-foot-long, 60-foot-wide promenade culminating in a fountain offers pedestrian access from busy Biscayne Boulevard to the waterfront.

In the living room, an Akari lamp by Isamu Noguchi sits atop a coffee table Hale made and next to a collage of Maisie and Pippa’s paintings. Like most of the furniture in the house, the couch, coffee table, and side table were made by Hale or his close colleagues, often in his favorite material: plywood.

UNESCO GardenParis, France Noguchi described the spirit of the garden he designed for UNESCO as coming from Japan but the composition of granite, concrete, and wood distinctly his own. The 1958 commission marked his first large-scale public garden design.

The landscaping appears to be based on the mullet principle: business in the front, as seen here (manicured grid lawn, with native vegetation sprouting in careful symmetry), party in the back (sunflowers and wild mountain grass growing in harmonious chaos).

Isamu Noguchi, pictured here in 1960 with his Akari floor lamps.

This biomorphic, space-age ceiling was designed by Japanese-American artist and designer Isamu Noguchi, in the building of the American Stove Company, designed by architect Harris Armstrong.

Sunken Garden, Chase Manhattan Bank PlazaNew York, New York Completed in 1964, the subterranean brick-lined water garden features boulders Noguchi collected from Kyoto's Uji River.

Akari Light Sculptures (1951)The mayor of the Japanese town of Gifu asked the famed designer for help—his town’s traditional industry, making paper lanterns, was suffering due to tacky construction. Noguchi’s response was these glowing glowing pieces (the name means both brightness and lightness), that add a modern sensibility to traditional washi paper-and-bamboo construction. Photo courtesy of The Noguchi Museum, New York.

1st Anniversary: Paper Table Model Lamp 24N from the Akari Light Sculptures collection by Isamu Noguchi, $250

The iconic table that bears Isamu Noguchi's name was almost attributed to another designer, T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings. Robsjohn-Gibbings tried to steal Noguchi's design while he was interred during World War II. After the war, Noguchi improved on the table and began producing it for Herman Miller.

It took over a year for the project’s team, led by principal Mark McInturff, to meet with neighborhood commissions, historical societies, and preservation-review boards. “We lost several battles,” Daniel recalls. After receiving the go-ahead, Andrew Greene of Potomac Woodwork and Lofgren Construction also came aboard. In the living room, Jessica and Eliza chat on the Polder sofa by Hella Jongerius for Vitra.

On Becoming an Artist: Isamu Noguchi and His Contemporaries is on view at the Noguchi Museum in Queens until April 24, 2011.

A verdant tundra that the architect dubbed the “courtyard” separates Bullitt’s house from his 900-square-foot studio. The space, which is planted with Bog Myrtle, bearberry, and other native plants, “reinforces...the dominance of the landscape over the building,” the architect says. “The end result was an exceedingly naturalized setting.”

A small terrace outfitted with an H55 easy chair by Björn Hultén offers a view of the San Francisco Bay.

The coffee table is by Isamu Noguchi for Herman Miller.

The ever-changing, lush wooded surroundings of Minnesota, such as those experienced at this 8,000-square-foot Type Variant House outside of Minneapolis designed by Coen and Partners, are right near the small town of New Richland.

Noguchi's table has been produced by Herman Miller since 1947.

The tea room is illuminated by an Akari UF3-Q Light Sculpture by Isamu Noguchi in the corner.

The landscape design, by Anna Boeschenstein of Grounded, followed a 2,200-square-foot extension by Formwork architects Robert and Cecilia H. Nichols. The front door is painted in Chinese Red by Sherwin-Williams.

In the living room, spare Scandinavian design takes center stage. Hans Wegner’s Wishbone chairs surround an Essay dining table by Cecilie Manz for Fritz Hansen; a mostly wood palette is enhanced by slate-gray brick around the fireplace. The paper lanterns throughout the home are a mixture of classics by Isamu Noguchi alongside those picked up in Japan and France.