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Network Designer Beds Top Fashion Designs Directory
Charles Eames Charles Ormond Eames, Jr was born in 1907 in Saint Louis, Missouri. By the time he was 14 years old, while attending high school, Charles worked at the Laclede Steel Company as a part-time laborer, where he learned about engineering, drawing, and architecture. Charles Eames briefly studied architecture at Washington University in St. Louis on an architectural scholarship. He proposed studying Frank Lloyd Wright to his professors, and when he would not cease his interest in modern architects, he was dismissed from the university. In the report describing why he was dismissed from the university, a professor wrote the comment "His views were too modern." In 1941, Charles married his Cranbrook colleague Ray Kaiser, who was born in Sacramento, California. He then moved with her to Los Angeles, California, where they would work and live for the rest of their lives. In the late 1940s, as part of the Arts & Architecture magazine "Case Study" program, Ray and Charles designed and built the groundbreaking Eames House, Case Study House #8, as their home. Located upon a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean, and constructed entirely of pre-fabricated steel parts intended for industrial construction, it remains a milestone of modern architecture.
Marcel Breuer Marcel Lajos Breuer was an architect and furniture designer, was an influential modernist of a jewish decent. One of the fathers of Modernism, Breuer showed a great interest in modular construction and simple forms. Known as Lajkó, Breuer studied and taught at the Bauhaus in the 1920s, stressing the combination of art and technology, and eventually became the head of the school's cabinet-making shop. He later practiced in Berlin, designing houses and commercial spaces, as well as a number of tubular metal furniture pieces, replicas of which are still in production today. Perhaps the most widely-recognized of Breuer's early designs was the first bent tubular steel chair, later known as the Wassily Chair, designed in 1925 and inspired, in part, by the curved tubular steel handlebars on Breuer's Adler bicycle. Despite the widespread popular belief that the chair was designed for painter Wassily Kandinsky, Breuer's colleague on the Bauhaus faculty, it was not; Kandinsky admired Breuer's finished chair design, and only then did Breuer make an additional copy for Kandinsky's use in his home. When the chair was re-released in the 1960s, it was designated "Wassily" by its Italian manufacturer, who had learned that Kandinsky had been the recipient of one of the earliest post-prototype units.
George Nelson George Nelson was one of the founding fathers of American modernism. George Nelson studied Architecture at Yale University, where he graduated in 1928. He also received a bachelor degree in fine arts in 1931. A year later while preparing for the Paris Prize competition he won the Rome prize. With Eliot Noyes, Charles Eames and Walter B. Ford. Based in Rome, he travelled through Europe where he met a number of the modernist pioneers. A few years later he returned to the U.S.A. to devote himself to writing. Through his writing in "Pencil Points" he introduced Walter Gropius, Mies van der Rohe, Le Corbusier and Gio Ponti to North America. At "Architectural Forum" he was first associate editor (1935- 1943) and later consultant editor (1944-1949). He defended sometimes ferociously the modernist principles and irritated many of his colleagues who as "industrial designers" made, according to Nelson too many concessions to the commercial forces in industry. By 1940 George Nelson had drawn popular attention with several innovative concepts. In his post-war book: Tomorrow's House, for instance he introduced the concept of the"family room". One of those innovative concepts, the "storagewall" attracted the attention of D.J. De Pree, Herman Miller's president. In 1945 De Pree asked him to become Herman Miller's design director, an appointment that became the start of a long series of successful collaborations with Ray and Charles Eames, Harry Bertoia, Richard Schultz, Donald Knorr and Isamu Noguchi. Although both Bertoia and Noguchi expressed later on regrets about their involvement, it became a uniquely successful period for the company and for George Nelson. He set new standards for the involvement of design in all the activities of the company, and in doing so he pioneered the practice of corporate image management, graphic programs and signage. George Nelson's catalogue design and exhibition designs for Herman Miller close a long list of involvements designed to make design to the most important driving force in the company. From his start in the mid-forties to the mid-eighties his office worked for and with the best of his times. At one point Ettore Sottsass worked at his office. He was without any doubt the most articulate and one of the most eloquent voices on design and architecture in the U.S.A. of the 20th century. He was a teacher and he did write extensively, organized conferences like the legendary Aspen gatherings and published several books. Among the best known designs are his marshmallow sofa, the coconut chair, the Catenary group, his clocks and many other products that became milestones in the history of a profession that he helped to shape.
Mario Bellini Mario Bellini is an Italian industrial designer and architect. Mario Bellini is well known for his CAB furniture, the classic Olivetti typewriter and many other highly regarded industrial designs. He is also an accomplished architect, designing buildings throughout Europe, Japan, the United States and the UAE. He was also responsible for the design of the Lamy Persona pen. The TCV-250 video display terminal, designed by Mario Bellini in 1966 for Olivetti, is in the Museum of Modern Art's design collection. Bellini studied at the Polytechnic in his native city of Milan (Politecnico di Milano), from where he graduate in 1959. He opened his first design studio after graduation, where he was contracted by some of the largest Italian businesses including Olivetti, Artemide, B&B Italia, Cassina, Erco, Rosenthal, Ideal Standard, Poltrona Frau and overseas companies like Yamaha.
Max Bill Max Bill was a Swiss architect, artist, typeface designer, and graphic designer. Among Bill's most famous designs is the "Ulmer Hocker" of 1954, a stool that can also be used as a shelf element or a side table. Although the stool was a creation of Bill and Ulm school designer Hans Gugelot, it is often called "Bill Hocker" because the first sketch on a cocktail napkin was Bill's work. Bill sought to create forms which visually represent the mathematical complexity of the New Physics of the early 20th century. He sought to create objects so that this new science of form could be understood by the senses. A prime example is his work with the Möbius strip form. Bill was born in Winterthur. After an apprenticeship as a silversmith during 1924-1927, Bill took up studies at the Bauhaus in Dessau under many teachers including Wassily Kandinsky, Paul Klee and Oskar Schlemmer in 1927-1929. He later taught at the Bauhaus.
Rodolfo Bonetto Rodolfo Bonetto abandoned a successful career as a jazz drummer to devote himself to the profession of designer. He started up his own business in 1958 and in the years that followed worked in a large number of industrial fields ranging from the designing of tooling machines to clocks, lamps, ski boots, surgical lasers and motorcars. Being self-taught, he was so keenly oriented towards design praxis as to provide an important contribution to the teaching of industrial design at the Hochschule für Gestaltung in Ulm and later on at Isia in Rome. He was awarded eight gold compasses, the last of which was for his own professional career
Erwan and Ronan Bouroullec Treille is a system of cylindrical vases, horizontally aligned and connected by nylon belts and height-adjustable painted stainless steel tutors. A stair set can be created, made of three containers, to hang from the ceiling or from a wall. The greenery placed in the cylindrical vases finds an easy support to develop and grow vertically up to completely cover the container.
Matthias Demacker Matthias Demacker was born in southern Germany in 1970. He studied Design at FH Niederrhein in Krefeld and at the same time worked with a number of different architects’ studios on trade fair exhibition stands. After graduating, he moved to Munich, worked for a number of interior design studios and in 2003 set up his own.
Ray Eames Ray-Bernice Alexandra Kaiser Eames was an American artist, designer, architect and filmmaker who, together with her husband Charles, is responsible for many classic, iconic designs of the 20th century. She was born in Sacramento, California. Having lived in a number of cities during her youth, in 1933 she moved to New York, where she studied abstract painting with Hans Hofmann. In September 1940 she began studies at the Cranbrook Academy of Art in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, where she met Charles Eames, marrying him the following year. Settling in Los Angeles, California, Charles and Ray Eames would lead an outstanding career in design and architecture.
Ettore Sottsass Ettore Sottsass was an Italian architect and designer of the late 20th century. He founded the Memphis Group. Originally an architect, Sottsass became a consulting designer for typewriter manufacturer Olivetti. Ettore Sottsass is one of the leading members of the ‘Memphis’ group founded in 1981 with Barbara Radice as public relations/art director. The group’s main aim was to bring back radical designs and did so through toasters that the whole group designed together. The products that were made by the ‘Memphis’ group always had bright colours and bold patterns and were made of plastic laminate surfaces. Sottsass and Memphis were out to make a statement and to break down the barriers between high class and low class. To some, this concept would take a lifetime to happen but to others it offered freedom. The Austrian born designer, Ettore Sottsass was described as ‘a forward looking designer.’ He began his career by studying architecture at Turin Polytechnic. He was a student there for 4 years and proved his talent as he wrote articles on art and interior design with his fellow student Luigi Spazzanpan. On leaving College, Sottsass joined the Italian army for 3 years. After finishing his army duties, he worked for a group of architects and before long set up his own Milan based office in 1947, which he called ‘The Studio.’ Sottsass eventually teamed up with Olivetti as a design consultant and worked with him for over twenty years. While working with Olivetti, Sottsass made many new and different things. He designed a pop-influenced “totem”, a Valentine typewriter, Elea 9003 calculator etc. Sottsass, internationally well known as architect too, has signed important projects all over the world. Along the years of his brilliant career have had the precious cooperation of friends often become, themselves, internationally well known in architecture and design field, like Aldo Cibic, James Irvine, Matteo Thun. Last close collaborators in Sottsass's architectural workshop and firm have been the architects Maurizio Scalzi, Oliver Layseca, Marco Palmieri and Marco Dragoni.
Arik Levy Arik Levy was born in Tel-Aviv. At the age of 27 Arik leaves behind his studio and surf shop for Europe. 1991 graduates with distinction in Industrial Design from Art Center Europe in Switzerland. Soon after Arik took part in prospective design project and participated in design exhibitions in Japan. Upon returning to Europe Arik introduces his ideas and innovative concepts as well as installations. Arik participated in many exhibitions and manifest in museums, alternative spaces, galleries and fairs where his concepts, design pieces and art work are presented. Arik works both as a scientist and a poet. Innovation, simplicity and experimentation permit him to create the new and translate the concepts into experience both in the art and the design world.
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