Project Vitra (Birkhauser)

The snow is back in Leipzig and so whereas the weekend was spent enjoying the warm spring air - the evenings are now being spent enjoying the warm living room and a good book.

And so it’s just as well we were recently at Leipzig book fair.
Among the seemingly endless piles of new historical novels, travel guides - each, naturally, with the best insider tips -  and Harry Potter wannabes there was also a few title that appealed to us.

“Project Vitra” from Rolf Fehlbaum und Cornel Windlin for Birkhauser is not only an interesting stroll through the history of Vitra - without question one of the world’s most important and creative designer furniture houses - but is also a design classic in it’s own right.

It was shortlisted in the graphics category for the Brit Insurance Design of the Year Award 2009, and won a bronze medal in the “Best Book Design from all over the World 2009″ organised by the German foundation “Stiftung Buchkunst“. The prizes were awarded at a ceremony in Leipzig during the book fair.

Charles and Ray Eames with Willi and Erika Fehlbaum

The “Project Vitra” story began in 1957 in Basel and Weil am Rhein and can more or less be summarised as: Willi and Erika Fehlbaum meet Charles and Ray Eames and start making furniture.

And they haven’t really stopped.

In the intervening 50+ years Vitra have worked with designers as varied and individual as Jean Prouvé, Jasper Morrison, Antonio Citterio and Verner Panton. To name just five.

“Project Vitra” chronicles the decades and the creations and in doing so elucidates not only the Vitra story but also the philosophy which has guided Vitra since its establishment.

Writing in the Vitra Magazine in January, Rolf Fehlbaum - company Chef and son of  grounders Willi and Erika - explained part of this philosophy; namely, the importance of the “individual authorship” of articles and the importance of the relationship between designer as “author” and Vitra:

“Vitra works with independent “authors” – primarily with designers, but also with architects and graphic artists. What distinguishes the work of these people from that of other designers is the fact that their personal imprint and outlook is reflected in every one of their products.

In contrast, designers in fixed employment must adapt their personal interpretation to the requirements of the client. We do not define our roles in terms of client and contractor. Two business partners – the designer and Vitra – embark on a common quest for an optimal solution. Vitra’s task is to provide a stimulating environment, technical support, conceptual input and constructive criticism.”

Panton Chair Classic (Verner Panton) for Vitra

A classic example of this process is the Panton Chair by Verner Panton which went through numerous design and prototype phases - all the result of the cooperation between Vitra and Panton - before the final, and widely copied, design was completed.

In “Project Vitra” the importance of this relationship and the eternal conflict between creative drive and commercial survival is wonderfully , and aesthetically, documented.

“Project Vitra” is not a book for cover-to-cover reading, and at 800 pages we wouldn’t recommend it - it is however a wonderful reference book for all who enjoy quality designer furniture, want to learn more about how design classics are created or who simply enjoy good photography.

Or for those who are looking to escape the late march Leipzig snow with a glass of Tempranillo and an exquisitely laid-out and designed book.

smow don’t stock “Project Vitra” but it can be ordered direct from the Birkhauser. (more…)

Night clock (George Nelson by Vitra)

The discussion around originals and plagiarisms in designer furniture it is not only a dialectic excercise but a real problem for many produces and retailers of licensed furniture. In the previously mentioned article “The Original” by Rolf Fehlbaum we provided a gentle introduction to the theme: That the problem is very real can be seen in the regularity with which cases are heard before various courts. In 2006, for example, an Italian furniture company was banned from calling the products it sold in Germany “Bauhaus Design”. The reasoning from the judges was simple: Dimensione did not possess in a license to use the name Bauhaus and as such the imitation articles combined with the description as a Bauhaus Design Object was misleading.

Smow only deals with officially licensed furniture and accessories. All our producers posses the rights for the respective pieces and none of the articles offered for sale are plagiarisms. While the articles are not from the first production phase, nor always built by the designer they are all 100% original. And so when buying design furniture don’t just check the quality of the craftsmanship that went into creating the piece, but also the genuineness of the license under which the piece was created.

Panton Chair Classic (Vitra)

Among the chairs on offer from smow are two versions of the Panton chair: The „classic“ version from 1959 for 899 Euro and the newer Panton chair version from 1999 for 198 Euro.

The classic 1959 version is still produced according to designer Verner Pantons original vision; every chair from one casting. The 1999 model is an affordable, mass market model based on Verner Pantons original design

Which of course raises the question: Which stool is the original? Both, only the Panton Chair “Classic” or neither?

The one or the other of you would almost certainly argue that only „historic” examples that originate from the first production and the designers own hands are truly original; being as they are the product of the first flush of creative inspiration and - on account of the intervening years – rare.

If one follows the argument of Vitra Chef Rolf Fehlbaum in his article „The Original“ then in respect of design (as opposed to art) the term „Original“ doesn’t relate to the moment of production; rather, the “authenticity” of the product. In terms of the Panton Chair: Has the Panton Chair been produced in the spirit of Verner Panton? And legally: Have the producers the rights from Verner Panton to produce the Panton Chair?

Panton Chair (1999, Vitra)

That Vitra, producer of the Panton Chair, from the very first design phase discussed and experimented with Verner Panton over the realization and improvements to the model, one can easily speak from an “idea relationship” between Panton and Vitra. But also legally, Verner Panton authorized production of both the value model and the classic Vitra alone.

And so with designer furniture it is not relevant if an individual piece originates from the initial production phase in order to be classed as an „original“. Nor does the price play a role.  And so in terms of the Panton Chair both the Classic and the modern version are original.