When one thinks of modern design, names like George Nelson, Alexander Girard, and the Eames’ likely come to mind. This is completely fair, as these individuals helped define the Mid-Century Modern movement, their visions thereby enhancing the reputations of modern furniture manufacturers like Knoll and Herman Miller. While the past very much influences the present, it’s important to stop and admire the modern designers of today, who will likely one day achieve the same iconic status that those late, great designers of yesteryear have now achieved.
While the design world is continually rocked by up-and-coming talent, two men whose names you should familiarize yourself with right now are Philippe Starck and Marcel Wanders. These men have designed pieces for reputable brands including Kartell, Magis, Moooi, Droog, and Alessi, just to mention a few. In a world filled with uniformity and conformity, each one of these designers is a breath of fresh air.
Philippe Starck: The Paris-born designer started his career at age 19, where after graduating from École Nissim de Camondo in Paris – he started his first design firm. A year later, Starck became art director of his firm, joining forces with French Fashion designer Pierre Cardin. His career really took off in the early 80s when he designed the interior of French President François Mitterrand’s private apartments.
Starck has worked both as an interior designer and a product designer, creating products for brands like Microsoft, Alessi, Fossil, and Target. The designer is often sought after by hotel owners and has designed the interiors of hotels in New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, London, Paris and Hong Kong.
Starck’s Louis Ghost Chair for Kartell is one of his best-known pieces. Made from transparent polycarbonate, the chair’s form is inspired by the baroque era, but the clear plastic material is completely modern. Other well known pieces include his Bubble Club Sofa, and Eros Chair (both for Kartell) and the Juicy Salif Citrus-Squeezer (for Alessi). Starck even designed a line of strollers for Maclaren.
Marcel Wanders: Born in the Netherlands, Marcel Wanders is not as well known as Starck, but he certainly has his own following in the design community. Wanders first garnered acclaim for his 1996 Knotted Chair, which was produced for Droog. In addition to furniture design, Wanders is accomplished in both interior design and architectural design.
Not only does Wanders contribute his artistic vision to modern European contemporary manufacturers like B&B Italia, Magis, Moroso, Flos and Cappellini, but he also is art director and co-owner of Moooi. His pieces are featured in design collections and exhibitions all over the world, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the V&A Museum in London to name a couple. His works have been featured in prominent design publications like Blueprint, Wallpaper, Nylon, Elle Decor and The New York Times.
Among his list of accolades: being selected as one of Europe’s 25 leaders of change by Business Week, 2005/2006 Designer of the Year by Elle Decor and one of Identity’s “World’s 50 Design Icons.”
Whether you like the designs of Philippe Starck and Marcel Wanders or not, there’s no denying their talent. These men are icons in the making. If you don’t know them now, you had best start familiarizing yourself.
Many thanks to Jamie at www.allmodern.com
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