The Atlas of Furniture Design

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The Vitra Design Museum collection, which counts among the world’s largest of its kind with upwards of 20,000 objects, including over 7,000 pieces of furniture, serves as the basis for »Atlas of Furniture Design«. Texts by Mateo Kries, Henrike Buscher, Jochen Eisenbrand, Fulvio Ferrari, Otakar Macel, Jane Pavitt, Ingeborg de Roode, Arthur Ruegg, Deyan Sudjic, Wolf Tegethoff, Carsten Thau and Kjeld Vindum, Gerald W. The book presents selected pieces by the most important designers of the last 230 years and documents key periods in design history, including early nineteenth-century industrial furniture in bentwood and metal, Art Nouveau and Secessionist pieces and works by protagonists of classical modernism and postwar design, as well as postmodern and contemporary pieces. The book touches on a range of subjects spanning the beginnings of industrialization to digitalization, which is becoming increasingly influential in contemporary furniture design. In-depth essays provide sociocultural and design-historical context to four historical epochs of furniture design and the pieces highlighted here, enriched by a detailed annex containing designer biographies, glossaries, and elaborate information graphics.

The great classics were a must, along with explanations about certain materials, structural forms and typologies.The Atlas of Furniture Design employed a team of more than 70 experts and features over 550 detailed texts about key objects. A small number of our brands participate in a biannual seasonal shutdown, which in some cases, can affect lead times. The first step was to illustrate the major trends in furniture design from the early nineteenth century to the present. The »Atlas« features over 550 detailed texts about key objects as well as in-depth essays that provide sociocultural and design-historical context to four historical epochs and the works themselves. The collection is made up of pieces from key periods in design history and by the most significant designers and manufacturers of the past 200 years, including early industrial furniture in bentwood or metal, Art Nouveau and Secessionist objects, works by such protagonists of classical modernism as Le Corbusier, Gerrit Rietveld, Charlotte Perriand and Marcel Breuer, postwar figures such as Finn Juhl, Eero Saarinen and Achille Castiglioni, and postmodern and contemporary designers like Philippe Starck, Marcel Wanders and Konstantin Grcic, as well as the estates of design legends such as Charles and Ray Eames, Verner Panton, Alexander Girard, George Nelson and others.

The monumental book examines themes ranging from the early days of industrialization to innovations of the digital era, which play an increasingly important role in furniture design today. In the beginning of November 2019, the Vitra Design Museum published a comprehensive overview on the history of modern furniture design. Featuring over 1700 objects by more than 500 designers and 121 manufacturers, it includes approximately 2800 images ranging from detailed object photographs to historical images documenting interiors, patents, brochures, and related works of art and architecture. Over the past few years we were able to close some gaps to get to a point where we have accumulated an exhaustive overview of furniture design of the past 200 years.By using the Web site, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agreed to be bound by the Terms and Conditions.

The basis for the Atlas of Furniture Design is the furniture collection held by the Vitra Design Museum, one of the largest of its kind in the world, with more than 7,000 works. The Atlas of Furniture Design is a treasure trove that offers not only definitive information about beloved staples of design history, but also new, fresh and often unexpected perspectives, all presented in a generous format that captures the breadth and depth of this important subject. These features make this publication an encyclopedic reference guide and indispensable resource for collectors, scholars, and experts, and without a doubt a book to be treasured by design lovers all over the world.

Over the past 30 years, the collection of the Vitra Design Museum has been carefully curated and completed to create a comprehensive impression of furniture design of the past two centuries.

This was intended as a gift but as a result of the labels I had to give the book minus its presentation case as could not remove the labels without damaging it. The furniture collection of the Vitra Design Museum comprises more than 20,000 artefacts, around 7000 of which are pieces of furniture. Atlas of Furniture Design, published by the Vitra Design Museum, provides an in-depth exploration in the history of modern furniture design. Mateo Kries, director of the Vitra Design Museum and co-editor of the publication, explains: »The Atlas paints a portrait of our entire collection while simultaneously providing an unprecedented overview of the history of modern furniture.

In addition to this the book also includes an extensive appendix of designer biographies, bibliographies and glossaries of manufacturers. The Atlas of Furniture Design is the most comprehensive overview of the history of furniture design ever published. Mateo Kries, director of the Vitra Design Museum and editor of the book, answers the most important questions.