isRoot=\"true\">
Furniture has come a long way since the folding campstools and carved headrests of the Pharaohs. Styles and abilities have changed and evolved according to the availability of materials and customer demand. Alter was steady and slow throughout the 16th to 19th centuries, but the curve of progress then rose steeply in the 20th century. The availability of new man-created materials gave significantly even more scope for innovative design, and the aftermath of World War I and World War 2 left consumers wanting much far more, but for a lower price. Furniture was no longer just a practical necessity, but an write-up of pleasure, reflecting the owner’s taste and social standing. Here are some of the primary influences on the development of design by way of those years.
Charles Eames (1907-1978)
Charles Eames and his wife, Ray, produced a dynamic team and were extremely influential in the developing design world of 20th century America and contemporary American furniture. Soon after meeting at Cranbrook Academy of Art, the Eames’s settled in Sacramento, California, and together achieved the heights of success that separately they could in no way have dreamed of. Charles Eames is best recognized for his form-fitting chairs which were eagerly bought by Americans looking for the latest in American Contemporary style. Charles and Ray Eames’ innovative designs were also employed in , fabrics, toys and interior design.
Charles’ very first design was a molded plywood chair which won initial prize in the Organic Design Competition in 1940, and this set him on his way to international acclaim. Eames progressed into making chairs of tubular steel, wire mesh and molded plastic. These are all extremely commonplace nowadays, but had been a startling revolution in the world of wooden furniture which had gone prior to. 3 of Charles Eames’ chairs are still on the list of ‘100 Ideal Created Products’. Not only modern in looks, Eames devised rubber shock mounts to join the seats to the frames, generating his chairs uniquely comfortable. His lines included recliners, footstools and padded leather armchairs. What enabled the to be so widely distributed at low costs was the reality that Eames had the chairs machine-made.
Charles and Ray Eames dominated mid-century American design with their timeless classics created from molded plywood, plastic, fiberglass and aluminium which are still well-liked these days. While Charles met clients, supervised the workshop and developed concepts, Ray employed her artistic background to source fabric and materials to inspire their ground-breaking creations.
Charles and Ray Eames undoubtedly succeeded in “getting the most of the very best to the greatest number of men and women for the least amount of money”.
Gio Ponti (1891-1979)
Ponti designs are still rather well-known today, with their simple lines and contemporary design.
Originally Ponti was an architect in Italy, before establishing himself as a design artist. His most famous creations are the 1957 ‘Superleggera’ (Superlight) Chair which could reputedly be lifted by a child with 1 finger. It had an ash wood frame and a cane seat. He also designed the ‘Dezza’ armchair which had slender arms and fasteners exposed on the outside, a most innovative thought at the time.
Marc Newson (1963- )
Newson was born in Sydney, Australia, but has spent most of his working life in London and Europe. He is well-recognized not only for his furniture designs, but also for his product lines which includes jewelry and clothing. He incorporates a style known as ‘Biomorphism’ into his innovative designs, which focuses on flowing lines with no corners or sharp edges. His famous ‘Embryo’ chair is a typical example, and in all probability his most recognizable design.
In recent years, Newson’s work has been extremely sought right after at auctions. His ‘Lockheed Lounge’ sold for just under $1million at Sotheby’s in 2006, and in the exact same year his Chop Leading Tables sold out in just 20 minutes at Miami’s design fair.
Marc Newson was included in Time magazine’s ‘Top 100 most influential people’ in 2005, a fitting tribute to an innovative contemporary-day designer.
Some of the top can be seen at Crawleys Furniture, where we specialize in furniture for the living room, dining room, bedroom and elsewhere in the house or office.
