Books: Every Thing Design

This unusual “book as object” designed by Dutch book designer Irma Boom is a hefty brick of a book, which features 700 prints, posters and other objects from the collection of Zurich’s Gestaltung Museum. Founded in 1875, the museum is renowned worldwide for its unsurpassed holdings of design masterpieces including, Ettore Sottsass’s design classic, Valentine Typewriter for Olivetti, Paul Rand’s 1950 poster for the film No Way Out, works by El Lissitzky and Harry Bertoia, as well as works by important designers, textile artists and sculptors. The book is organized according to various criteria, and almost every page is a full sized image, that gives the impression of experiencing the entire collection in a manageable format.

Every Thing Design, The Collections of the Museum für Gestaltung Zürich, Edited by Christian Brändle, Verena Formanek. Text by Christian Brändle, Glenn Adamson, Published by Hatje Cantz, Hardcover, 864 pp., 700 Color Illustrations, 12.8 x 15.7 cm,
ISBN 9783775723312
Buy it here: Amazon

Books: Once Upon a Chair: Design Beyond the Icon

We are experiencing a renaissance in furniture design with new forms, new directions, a focus on social responsibility and a blurring of the boundaries between art and design; strangely this movement resembles the values of the Bauhaus school, founded over 90 years ago. Once Upon a Chair is a survey of contemporary trends in design that are influenced by craft, folklore, nature, and technology, especially as it relates to new ways of designing and manufacturing. The book is full of examples and illustrations by well-known and up-and-coming designers, many of which are featured on Daily Icon and many that will surprise and delight you.

Once Upon a Chair examines several key trends indicating a recognisable shift towards progressive design that makes a social impact – designers are collaborating with artisans to revive the tradition of craft, elevating it to new levels of luxury. A conscious effort to produce sustainable and ethical design is also evident where designers are not only working with environmentally friendly material and production methods but also creating furnishings that are made to be durable and retain their value over a long period of time.

The book further explores how designers are focusing more on process-driven and storytelling concepts to create furniture systems that are flexible, crafted in a collage-like manner or even decorative objects that serve as interior installations. A continuing flirtation with organic forms can also be seen with pioneering examples of material and technological experimentation, many of which are characterised by an unrestrained, playful attitude with an ironic exuberance.

Once Upon a Chair: Design Beyond the Icon Published by Gestalten, Foreword by Andrej Kupetz, Managing Director of the German Design Council, Edited by, R. Klanten,
S. Ehmann, A. Kupetz, S. Moreno, Hardback: 22.7 x 28.1 cm, 272 pages, Full Colour,
ISBN: 9783899552560
Buy it here: Amazon

Books: The Eames Lounge Chair: An Icon of Modern Design

When Ray and Charles Eames arrived in Los Angeles in 1941, they turned a spare room in their apartment into a workshop to experiment with molded plywood forms with the goal of mass producing furniture. During the war, they began making molded plywood splints for the U.S. Navy. This combination of experience and experimentation led to the design many well-known chairs, including the DCM Chair and the LCW Chair (Low Chair Wood). Sometime in the early 1950s Charles and Ray decided to go ahead with developing an upholstered super-comfortable lounge chair, like those found in men’s clubs. Charles Eames says that “the motivation behind most of the things we’ve done was either that we wanted them ourselves, or we wanted to give them to someone else, and the way to make that practical is to have that gift manufactured… the lounge chair for example, was really done as a present for a friend, Billy Wilder, and has since been reproduced.”

The Lounge Chair has since been in continuous production by Herman Miller and Vitra. Its rosewood veneer and black leather upholstery became a status symbol ”…and during the last decade or so, newspapers and magazine stories have depicted the Eames Chair as the throne of choice for movie moguls and other powerful businessmen who seek to project and air of informal, but total control.” The chair evolved to become the height of luxury and comfort and one of the most important design icons of the 20th century.

The book examines the designs of Ray and Charles Eames and with lavish photographs and illustrations, documents the evolution of the Lounge Chair and places it in its cultural, historical and social context. It also includes insightful interviews of people involved in making the Lounge Chair and observations on its transformation into a Modernist icon.

Charles Eames was often asked to “explain” the Chair. One of his most quoted lines was that he wanted it to have “the warm receptive look of a well-worn first baseman’s mitt. Anyone who has owned the Lounge Chair will tell you — it gets better with age.

The Eames Lounge Chair: An Icon of Modern Design, by Pat Kirkham, Thomas Hine, David Hanks, Martin Eidelberg, Hardcover, Dimensions: 25 x 25 cm, Pages: 192
Published by, BIS Publishers
ISBN: 9789063691356
Buy it here: Amazon

Books: Cars: Freedom Style Sex Power Motion Colour Everything

Sources are eclectic, results mixed, but one thing is certain: car design is being forced up an ever tightening spiral of creativity. These machines are memorials of our tastes, yearnings and capabilities. They have layers of meaning and can, as Henry Ford knew, be read like a book…if only you know how. The story of the car is the story of how the objects of industry became a medium of artistic expression. This book tells that story in a series of case studies which reveal national characteristics: American flair, German technical suprematism, French vernacular chic, gorgeous Italian sculpture, English antiquarianism, Japanese ingenuity, Swedish responsibility. Cars featured appear in chronological date order from the 1908 Ford Model T to 2003 BMW 5 Series. The chosen cars will be specially photographed in a uniform style and reproduced in very textured, 4 colour b/w so as to distance this book from the cliches and conventions of specialist automotive publishing and to highlight form and shape. Each picture will be accompanied by a short critical essay including essential historical material together with colourful anecdotage and quotations as well as a persuasive aesthetic appraisal of each vehicle. This lavish and beautifully designed book is the gift book for all car enthusiasts and design aficionados.

Cars: Freedom, Style, Sex, Power, Motion, Colour, Everything, by Stephen Bayley, Hardcover, 384 Pages.
Buy it here: Amazon

Books: The Interior World of Tom Dixon

Interior design is rapidly becoming a subject of general interest as manufacturers, retailers and marketers race to promote and define themselves and their brands through design. Paradoxically, as everything becomes ‘designed’ it gets more and more difficult to define what the word actually means. This book describes a personal approach from Tom Dixon, who through 20 years of practising, has defined his own rules for categorising and describing different aspects of the subject. Divided into six chapters, the book delves into materials, processes and styles throughout history to the present, and gives an impression of what the future may look like. This is both a personal vision and a valuable resource of ideas.

The Interior World of Tom Dixon, 320pp, Hardcover, Full Colour.
Buy it here: Amazon

Books: Marcel Wanders: Behind the Ceiling

Marcel Wanders is the highly anticipated first monograph on one of the most influential, prolific and celebrated international designers today. Wanders’ designs are characteristically buoyant and imbued with his signature irony and quirky dry wit that evoke imagination; nevertheless all of the featured examples of furniture, lighting, interiors, textiles, tableware, decorative porcelain and ceramic vases as well as his personal art editions are unpretentiously urbane. This book showcases his body of work and stellar career through stunning photography, sketches, copious texts and quotes from the designer himself, offering a first-hand account of Wanders’ irresistible universe.

Lavishly printed, this book showcases Marcel Wanders’ work over the past decade. It features tableware for the renowned Dutch porcelain manufacturers Tichelaar Makkum and Royal Delft, as well as his personal art editions such as his acclaimed oversized ceramic bells, crochet seating and sculptures launched by his own studio. In addition, it presents textiles and furniture he has designed for an extensive client list including brands such as B&B Italia, Poliform, Moroso, Cappellini, Droog as well as Moooi, of which he is also Art Director and co-owner. An entertainer at heart, his theatrical performances and installations are also included, which prove his exceptional skill at amplifying experience with mesmerising environments.

Marcel Wanders: Behind the Ceiling, Author: Marcel Wanders, Editors: R. Klanten, S. Moreno, A. Mollard, 320 pages, full colour, hardcover

Buy it here: Amazon

Books: Design Hotels Book: Edition 2009

The Design Hotels Book: Edition 2009 is the most comprehensive encyclopedia to date featuring the most attractive international design hotels the world over. The book presents 170 luxurious, original and distinctive properties that are setting new standards in high-end hospitality.
This rich compendium contains portraits of each member hotel through stunning photographs of its architecture and interior design in addition to detailed information about its distinguished concept. The book also features extensive profiles of visionary individuals – designers and hoteliers who are the driving creative forces behind the hotels.
The Design Hotels Book is not only an inspiring reference for architects and designers, but is also an indispensable directory of impressive hotels and destinations for those who like to travel in style.

Design Hotels Book: Edition 2009, Edited by Design Hotels, 488 pages, full colour, hardcover. View the clip: Gestalten

Buy it here: Amazon

Books: The Design Encyclopedia

The Design Encyclopedia aims to provide an account of the still largely unknown story of design. The book covers design throughout the world, from Japan to Finland. Manufacturers and key designers since the late 19th century are covered alphabetically, with biographical accounts of careers, listings of major works and exhibitions, and bibliographies for further reading.

The Design Encyclopedia, Edited by Mel Byars, 832 pages
Buy it here: Amazon

Books: Beachlife: Architecture and Interior Design on the Seaside

Beachlife presents a selection of the best concepts in architecture, interiors and product design that deliver new and unusual insights into how the beach can be presented and utilised creatively. The book features structures such as beach clubs, hotels and vacation homes that can be found on ocean coasts and riverbanks. But, more than that, Beachlife also includes furniture and products made for the seaside, as well as original products by creatives from around the world who have discovered the beach as a location for experimental art, temporary installations and events.

Beachlife, Architecture and Interior Design on the Seaside, Edited by Clara Lowther, Sarah Schultz, 280 pages.
Buy it here: Amazon

Books: Desire: The Shape of Things to Come

Design in the 21st Century has liberated itself from industrial conditions and the associated physical demands. The clean and simplified designs of Minimalism, where less is more and form follows function, is widely practiced today but with new vigor and context. There is also an explosion of vibrant design today that breaks free from the minimal style of approach, prevailing in current design trends. With new technology, expanded choice of materials and a return to luxurious craftsmanship, designers are embracing design with scintillating attitude, challenging aesthetic boundaries and speculating new expressions in visual codes.

Desire is an up-to-date comprehensive survey on furniture and object design today, showcasing the crème de la crème of designers culled from around worldwide. It presents celebrated designers who represent the Modernists, creating sophisticated designs that are redefining the formal language of Modernism, blending the restraint of form with the refined use of materials. They are featured along with the inventors; visionary designers who continue to challenge our perception of design with futuristic shapes, and the experimental, innovative and often unprecedented use of materials.

Featured designers include:
5.5 Designers, Ron Arad, Autoban, Maarten Baas, BarberOsgerby, Joost van Bleiswijk, BLESS, Jörg Boner, Bram Boo, Tord Boontje, Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec, Stephen Burks, Fernando & Humberto Campana, Committee, Christophe Delcourt, Stefan Diez, Tom Dixon, DRIFT, Kiki van Eijk, Olafur Eliasson, Thomas Feichtner, Folkform, FRONT, Martino Gamper, Konstantin Grcic, Anna Ter Haar, Ineke Hans, Jaime Hayon, Studio Job, Hella Jongerius, Max Lamb, Kwangho Lee, Mathieu Lehanneur, Leif.designpark, Doshi Levien, Studio Libertiny, Julia Lohmann, Malin Lundmark, Peter Marigold, Haldane Martin, Jason Miller, Jasper Morrison, Nendo, Ernesto Neto, Marc Newson, Patrick Norguet, o-d-a, od-v, Robert Stadler, Steven Holl Architects, Studio Makkink & Bey, STUDIOILSE, Tjep., Ünal & Böler Studio, Patricia Urquiola, Marcel Wanders, Hannes Wettstein, Dirk Winkel, WOK Media, Michael Young, Oskar Zieta and many more.

Desire: The Shape of Things to Come, Edited by R. Klanten, S. Ehmann, A. Kupetz, S. Moreno, A. Mollard. 280 pages.
Buy it here: Amazon