Many of the most mundane - and even cheap - pieces of furniture in our homes have been inspired by the great names in design. But what do you know about the originals? Here, in the second part of a series on design icons, we celebrate the work of three great names and tell you where to buy the original designs. For copies, just look around your high street...
By Chris Haslam
Design History
Best known for his use of industrial sheet-metal to create fluid sculptural furniture, Ron Arad was born in Tel Aviv in 1951. He studied art at the Jerusalem Academy before moving from Israel to London in 1973 to study at the Architectural Association under the architect Peter Cook. After his early architectural work he opened a studio in Covent Garden with Caroline Thorman called One Off where he began experimenting with welding and recycling - one of his early pieces, the Rover Chair, uses a tubular steel frame and old leather car seat.
His main interest, however, was the use of sheet metal to create unusual and expressive pieces of furniture - such as the Well-Tempered Chair - that, despite the unforgiving nature of the material used, manages to look comfortable and inviting. His most iconic piece is the Bookworm Shelf that he designed in 1994 for Kartell. More recently Ron Arad has begun to work more with plastics (they're cheaper and easier to mass produce) and simple designs like the Tom Vac chair sell by the truck load all over the world.
In 1997 Ron was appointed professor of furniture and product design at the Royal College of Art,, London and continues to produce for Alessi, Magis and Kartell as well as architectural commissions including the Tel Aviv opera house.
Iconic Furniture & Accessory Designs
Bookworm can be wall-mounted in any number of shapes depending on your taste and available space, giving the functional and often mundane book shelf a unique organic feel.
Tom Vac Chair
Designed for Vitra in 1997, the plastic moulded Tom Vac chair (named after a New York photographer) is a multi-purpose design made from simple moulded plastic and suitable for indoors and out. It's gained popularity thanks to the space-saving stackable form, as well as the deep comfortable seat.
Where To Buy Ron Arad Designs
Tom Vac, £184, www.nest.co.uk
Bookworm, from £181, www.utilitydesign.co.uk.
For More Information
ronarad.com
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