Boutique Designers: Karim Rashid and Phillip Starck - Essay Example

School Boutique Designers: Karim Rashid and Phillip Starck Introduction: History of Boutique Designers The introduction of modern materials "chrome, PVC, plastic, and exploring the use of existing furniture materials, laminating timber and steam bending timber lead to a very broad range of exciting new styles of chairs, tables and sofas never seen or thought of" (Dezine Holdings Ltd). In addition, the continuous introduction of helpful technology also made it possible to design more innovative interior design products. The 20th century furniture design can be traced from the works of the couple Charles and Ray Eames (http://www.modernfurnituredesigners.interiordezine.com/). "Charles Eames was the first architect to be totally at home with technology. He used technology with an artist's flair", particularly, he with wife Ray Eames 'developed a new method to bend plywood into complex curves over three geometric lanes" (Dezine Holdings Ltd). From 1900-1909, the name Charless Rennie Mackintosh, Josef Hoffman and Frank Lloyd Wright have surfaced with the introduction of Ingram Chair, Hill House Chair and Willow Chair (Dezine Holdings Ltd). In the middle of the century, notable designers like "Eameses, Gio Ponti, Harry Bertoia, Arne Jaconsen and Eero Saarinen led the way in the modernist organic style" as the public went for "warmer and softer furnitures, organic forms, warmer products like timber and upholstered chairs" (Dezine Holdings Ltd). In the 70's to 80's, industrialization has brought forth changes in designers' thoughts. Particularly, "the industrial style or Hi Tech movement developed" and there were great advances in "office furniture and equipment" (Dezine Holdings Ltd). At the closing of the century, the designers pursued "meaning and purpose for their furniture designs" with the exploration of some strange and unusual forms such as the W.W Stool by Phillip Starck (Dezine Holdings Ltd). Karim Rashid Biography Karim Rashid is one of the sought-after and bankable interior designers of the modern generation. A half English and half Egyptian, Karim Rashid "was born into an art family" with his father an abstract painter, his brother Hany Rashid "a computer-based organic architecture" and his sister a musician (http://www.rashidglobal.net). It was his father that them art and design (http://www.rashidglobal.net). Rashid, therefore has a strong art influence. "Karim Rashid pursued graduate design studies in Naples, Italy, with ettore sottsass and others, then moved to Milan for one year at the Rodolfo Bonetto studio" (Designboom). He went solo in 1993 and opened his design practice in New York. It is in New York where he designs products for companies such as namb, issey miyake, pure design, fasem, guzzini, tommy hilfiger, sony, zanotta, citibank, and others" (Designboom). Rashid's works were highly praised by Design Awards Bodies. In 2007, he won the title for the Cooper Hewitt National Design Awards Product Design Finalist, "in 2006 with an Honorary Doctorate from the Ontario College of Art and Design, in 2005 with an Honorary Doctorate from Corcoran College, the Sleep05 European Hotel Design Award, and the 2005 Pratt Legends Award. Karim has also won the prestigious I.D. Magazine Annual Design Review, Red Dot Design Award, and Chicago Athaneum Good Design Award numerous times throughout his career" (http://www.rashidglobal.net). Because of his modern and innovative designs, he holds an associate professorial position and is a "frequent guest lecturer at universities and conferences" on industrial design (http://www.rashidglobal.net). Concepts and Works Rashid boasts of "over 3000 designs in production, over 300 awards and working in over 35 countries" (Karim Rashid Inc.) "Like an omnipresent vibrant spirit, he creates and utilizes a global feeling. He is an example of synchronicity in permanent movement. In him, work and person meld, inseparably subjective, manically productive and sensitive" (Karim Rashid Inc.). Rashid's website displays his mass of amazing works. He works on furnitures, space, light, packaging, fashion, surfaces, fashion and art. His designs that received wide acceptance were the democratic objects "such as the ubiquitous Garbo waste can and Oh Chair for Umbra, interiors such as the Morimoto restaurant, Philadelphia and Semiramis hotel, Athens and exhibitions for Deutsche Bank and Audi" (Karim Rashid Inc.). In furniture, Rashid constructed modern chairs such as the KX Blue Loop and the Super Blob. Source: (Karim Rashid Inc.) Over-all, Karim Rashid Design 's are "self described as 'sensual minimalism' and it is quite obvious inhis designs like the Karim Rashid sofa and others that have smooth curves and supple shapes that portray pure elegance" (Plushpod International Inc.) Karim Rashid's I want to Change the World In the book, I want to Change the World, Rashid admitted his desire to contribute to culture and change some things in the world through his designs (Designboom). The change that he perceives are in the form of art originality as he considers himself "more of an artist than a hard-core industrial designer" (Designboom). Lastly, Rashid's view of the world is complex so that he believes that "there can never be a utopian singular vision" (Designboom). Phillipe Starck Biography Phillipe Starck is one the most famous boutique designers in the 1990s decade (Dezine Holdings Ltd). One of his most intriguing works is the W.W. Stool, "a fantasy style piece of furniture that makes you question if you can indeed dare to sit on it" (Dezine Holdings Ltd). Phillipe Starck was born on January 18, 1949 in France where he was also educated at the Ecole Nissim de Camondo (Spiritus-Temporis.com). He has shown interest in arts since he was a boy as influenced by his father who was an aircraft designer (http://home.scarlet.be). It is also where he established his first design firm in 1968, which he manages solely by himself (Spiritus-Temporis.com). "Starck's career started to climb in earnest in 1982 when he designed the interior for the private apartments of the then French President Franois Mitterrand. After this date more and more works appear on his CV. His most recent occupations include a mouse for Microsoft, yachts and even new packaging for a beer company" (Spiritus-Temporis.com). Works and Contribution Some believe that the French designer Phillip Patrick Starck is probably the best designer in the New Design Style and "his designs range from spectacular interior designs to mass produced consumer goods such as toothbrushes and chairs" (Spiritus-Temporis.com). Starck's design were more of usable household items which he produces by large volumes (Spiritus-Temporis.com). "His products are often stylized, streamlined and organic in their look and are also constructed using unusual combinations of materials (such as glass and stone, plastic and aluminum, plush fabric and chrome, etc.)" (Spiritus-Temporis.com). In the 1980s "Starck designed numerous collections and individual items of furniture for manufacture by firms in France, Italy, Spain, Japan and Switzerland" (http://home.scarlet.be) The greatest contribution of Starck is on the practical application of art. This is particularly seen in his juicy salif design. He is the designer who creates product fro mass consumption rather than for the rich and few. His art is not exclusive but for the consumption of everybody. This is what separates him from other designers. "In the field of industrial design, he has been responsible for the creation of a wide variety of objects in the O.W.O. series, noodles for Panzani, boats for Beneteau, mineral-water bottles for Glacier, kitchen appliances for Alessi, toothbrushes for Fluocaril, luggage for Vuitton, 'Urban Fittings' for Decaux, office furniture for Vitra, as well as vehicles, computers, door-knobs, spectacle frames, etc" (http://home.scarlet.be). Below are the popular works of Phillipe Stack: the W.W Stool and the Juicy Salif: Source: (http://www.hotelbarstools.com) Source: (http://www.appliancist.com) References Designboom. http://www.designboom.com. April 2010. 6 May 2010 . Dezine Holdings Ltd. http://www.modernfurnituredesigners.interiordezine.com/. 2009. 6 May 2010 . -. http://www.modernfurnituredesigners.interiordezine.com/. 2009. 6 May 2010 . http://home.scarlet.be. 2001. 6 May 2010 . http://www.absolutearts.com. 6 May 2010 . http://www.rashidglobal.net. 6 May 2010 . Karim Rashid Inc. http://www.karimrashid.com. 6 May 2010 . Plushpod International Inc. http://www.plushpod.com. 2009. 6 May 2010 . Spiritus-Temporis.com. http://www.spiritus-temporis.com. 2005. 6 May 2010 . Read More