We suspect the reason we write so much about designer furniture in an airport context is simply because of the amount of time we spend in airports.

And consequently the amount of time we spend thinking about and analysing what we are being offered.

If you’re going to be delayed at Frankfurt for five hours. You want to make sure that your seat is comfy.

If you’re going to have to spend the night at Copenhagen Airport. You want to make sure your seat is comfy.

If you’re… you get the idea.

However it’s not just us who are spending ever more time at airports. The past decade has seen a dramatic rise in airline passenger numbers: and ever greater passenger numbers obviously means an ever greater demand for airports and airport infrastructure.

And as with all such architectural projects, the owners and operators want an interior that is as familiar as it is unique.

The biggest and most important trade fair for airport operators is Passenger Terminal Expo, and in addition to companies offering baggage handling and signage solutions, designer furniture producers such as Vitra or USM Haller are also a regular feature of the show.

Passenger Terminal Expo 2012 is being hosted by Vienna Airport, and ahead of the show we spoke to Pascal Berberat, Head of Vitra’s Airport Division, about airport furnishings, their collaboration with Alberto Meda and, most important for us, why seats in airports always have armrests? But started by asking why a globally active company such as Vitra needed a specialised airport division?

Pascal Berberat: The airport business is globally very uniform. Where, for example, the choice of home furnishings is often affected by cultural aspects; airports are very similar and have similar requirements regardless of where they are. And so where Vitra has an international network of agents and specialist dealers for home and office furniture, it makes more sense to have a central airport department. Plus an airport isn’t just departure lounges it is more like a small city, with shops, medical facilities, restaurants etc… so a wide range of zones where furniture is required. And so in that respect Vitra can offer a wide range of solutions and experience in all types of furnishings.

(smow)blog: Staying with departure lounges. What for you are the most important criteria for airport seating?

Pascal Berberat: For me it is about combining the, sometimes conflicting, requirements of the passengers need and right for well being with the airport or the operators need for efficiency.

(smow)blog: In that context. In addition to specifically created products such as the Airline Series from Sir Norman Foster, you also offer various Vitra classics from, for example, Maarten Van Severen as airport seating. Is that necessary? Why not just stick with one, specially created, product?

Pascal Berberat: Nowadays everybody is talking about ecology and sustainability. A topic which has been anchored in Vitra’s processes for decades. However, being actively engaged in sustainability doesn’t just mean using renewable resources, optimizing waste management, designing products with a long life cycle, etc. It is also about offering our clients products with a visual sustainability. We’re all guilty of having once thrown out an object that was still working or had been in good shape. We dumped it because it was out of fashion.
Through working with a variety of designers, in particular with the “old masters” like George Nelson, Jean Prouvé or Charles and Ray Eames we learn what is important to successfully develop products which are not only long lasting but also have a visual sustainability. Considering that 90% of CO2 emissions are generated during the manufacturing process of a product, what is more ecological: using a product for decades or replacing it every 5 years because it’s aesthetics seem to be outdated? Vitra’s history with the old masters combined with the freshness of  contemporary designers and engineers allow us to develop products with the potential to become classics of the future.

(smow)blog: Which leads nicely on to the next question. You recently worked with Alberto Meda on the Meda Gate series? Why Alberto Meda, who is after all best known for his office furniture ?

Pascal Berberat: Alberto Meda has worked on numerous projects with Vitra, and has created successful concepts for us in the past. Alberto Meda is a designer and engineer: which makes him perfect for the specific and particular demands of an airport seat. Thanks to Alberto Meda’s engineering excellence we now have in Meda Gate a product which not only responds to the extraordinary heavy use situation in airports; but also offers superior comfort in an very elegant aesthetic. Plus one has to add that in addition to his technical competence he is a very charismatic person and it is a real joy to work with him!

(smow)blog: To end. You’ve already said what you find important in airport chairs. Now its our turn. One thing that annoys us is armrests on chairs in airports. Why don’t you want to let us sleep?

Pascal Berberat: When people lie on benches at airports, one person takes up a whole bench. And then the airport’s capacity calculations don’t work. I have three seats, but only one user. And so instead we offer recliner elements within the Airline and Meda series for use in areas where airports expect higher numbers of transit passengers….

Vitra Airport Division. Here at Passenger Terminal Expo 2011 in Copenhagen

Meda Gate by Alberto Meda for Vitra

In addition to departure lounges airports also have VIP and Airline Lounges that need to be furnished. For example with Suita by Antonio Citterio.

Design for Use, USA. The cover of Alexander Girard's catalogue.

“Wooden spoon for pickled vegetables by John F. Kennedy”

? ? ?

John F. Kennedy. Green Mountain Woodcrafters, Vermont.

And no relation of Teddy or Robert.

Still cheered us up.

From March 20th until April 25th 1951 Stuttgart hosted the first post-war exhibition of modern American home furnishings and appliances in Europe.

Organised by the New York Museum of Modern Art under the title “Design for Use, USA”, the exhibition featured a cross section of American domestic design.

And a Who’s Who of mid 20th century American designers: Charles Eames. George Nakashima. Ray Eames. George Nelson. Eero Saarinen. Isamu Noguchi. Etcetera.

All presented in an exhibition concept and catalogue designed by Alexander Girard.

Aside from the very appetising list of objects displayed, the exhibition was and is interesting for a number of reasons.

Firstly because it took place some two years before Willi and Erika Fehlbaum made their fateful trip to New York; from which they returned with the seeds of Vitra in their hand luggage.

Imagine. Just for a second. If someone in Stuttgart had shown a little more entrepreneurial spirit.

No Vitra.

Which is an important lesson in grabbing the opportunity when it presents itself.

Secondly, the exhibition arguably kick-started the designer furniture industry in post-war Europe.

In her article “The “Advance” of American Postwar Design in Europe: MoMA and the Design for Use, USA Exhibition 1951–1953″¹ Gay Mcdonald argues that the whole exercise was simply concerned with promoting Americana in Europe in the context of the Marshall Plan. And when you read the original 1951 MoMa press release² its hard to disagree.

Doesn’t interest us.

As far as we’re aware Americans have always been obsessed with exporting their culture to the rest of the world. Be it blue jeans, hamburgers or oppressive security concepts in the name of freedom.

And of course they famously invented their own sports rather than assimilate those from other cultures.

But we trust that most Europeans, and indeed most Americans, are intelligent enough to form their own conclusions and opinions.

And so regardless of the motives, we find the exhibition was the right thing at the right time. At that period America, untouched by the war, was the motor of world product design. And MoMa was unquestionably the institution playing the biggest role in promoting American design innovation.

In 1951 most of Europe was busy re-building and was greatly in need of quick, efficient housing and furnishing solutions.

Ergo, let MoMa bring the best America has to offer to Europe. And let us take inspiration from those bits we like.

"Upholstered chair" by George Nelson for Herman Miller from the Design for Use, USA catalogue

Gay Mcdonald quotes a source as stating that some 60,000 visitors attended the exhibition. That may not sound much; but one must remember that it was 1951. There were no budget airlines offering 20p flights to Stuttgart. And also a lot less “design industry”.

The aforementioned Vitra was still an inconsequential shop fitting company in Basel.

And so 60,00 is fantastic.

What is sadly not documented is who went and what they took away with them.

For just as every important and influential Manchester band of the late 1970s and early-to-mid 1980s can trace their origins back to 4th June 1976 and the Sex Pistols concert at the Lesser Free Trade Hall; we romantically hope that “Design for Use, USA” shaped European furniture design of the 50s and 60s.

However, without the documentation one can only conject on the long-term effect that the exhibition had on those who visited.

After Stuttgart the exhibition continued through Europe with stops in London, Paris, Zürich and the Milan Triennale.

The fact that no-one took the opportunity to organise European production licenses indicating that, maybe, it was all just too new. Too different.

However, it conceivably began a sensitising process that paved the way for Vitra to successfully launch the works of Eames, Nelson, Noguchi et al in 1957.

And indeed for Wilde + Spieth to successfully market Egon Eiermann’s chairs. Egon Eiermann began publicly working towards mass market furniture when he participated in the “Wie Wohnen ?” exhibition that took place in Stuttgart and Karlsruhe in 1949/50. Many of his designs however originated from the mid-1940s, and Eiermann was undoubtedly influenced by what he was reading from America in the specialist publications of the time.

We’re not saying he was copying. But Eiermann and Eames were certainly researching and experimenting in similar directions. Eames albeit a little quicker and more successfully.

Yet in 1951, only few industry figures would have been aware of this, and indeed in 1951 Eiermann’s SE 3 (the current SE 42),  allegedly, only sold some 153 times. And principally to architects. ³ Over the next decade however not only did the sales figure dramatically improve; but Eiermann’s chair designs – with their undeniable “Hint of Eames” – advanced to become European design classics.

But again we can’t actually prove that Design for Use, USA helped.

A RAR and and ESU Bookcase by Charles and Ray Eames as depicted in the Design for Use, USA catalogue

In addition to paving the way for a new understanding of home furnishings, “Design for Use, USA” also introduced Europe to new technological and business model initiatives; we started moulding plastics and established designer furniture producers in the style of Hermann Miller. But we did it in European way.

We, for example, have no confirmed information that Arne Jacobsen attended the exhibition; but undeniable is how passionately he embraced the use of synthetic materials appearing on the market throughout the 1950s and 60s. And how expertly he fused them with the best traditions of Danish handwork. The Egg and Swan perhaps standing as the best examples.

And so while we admittedly lack the documentation, there is more than enough circumstantial evidence to indicate that without “Design for Use, USA”  it would have taken the European furniture industry a little longer to find its feet.

And with potentially less interesting products.

What we can’t predict however is how the Kennedy dynasty would look today if they had concentrated on pickle spoon design rather than politics.

The Slinky by Richard T James: was also part of the Design for Use, USA exhibition

1. Gay McDonald “The “Advance” of American Postwar Design in Europe: MoMA and the Design for Use, USA Exhibition 1951–1953″ Design Issues: Volume 24, Number 2 Spring 2008. Pages 15-27

2. “MUSEUM’S “DESIGN FOR USE, U.S.A.” EXHIBITION SAILED FOR EUROPE JANUARY 5″ http://www.moma.org/docs/press_archives/1483/releases/MOMA_1951_0001_1951-01-04_510104-1.pdf

3. Arthur Mehlstäubler “Egon Eiermann – der deutsche Eames?” in Egon Eiermann (1904 – 1970)

Just as the Man in the Corner Shop was famously satisfied with his life until the Boss from the Factory turned up to buy cigars – so too were we content with our life until 00:42 this morning.

Because then we received the invitation to Frank and Oliver’s next exhibition in Zürich: „Schöne neue Welt – American Mid-century Design“

On their many trips through North and Central America Oliver Müller and Frank Landau have acquired a unique collection of objects. In the exhibition „Schöne neue Welt – American Mid-century Design“ they wonderfully demonstrate just how much post war American design was influenced by European designers.

Others dream of travelling Route 66 on a Harely – we just want to be Oliver Müller and Frank Landau.

The exhibition „Schöne neue Welt – American Mid-century Design“ focuses on furniture and domestic items from the past 60 years and includes early works by designers such as Charles und Ray Eames, George Nelson and Edward Wormley.
Which if we’re honest sounds like 100m2 of design porn.

Among design historians the chicken egg question in terms of whether post WWII American designers influenced Europeans or vice versa is the most common reason for after-dinner arguments. The second most common disagreement being if Eero Saarinen was American or European.

Despite Frank and Oliver’s bold claim, we don’t expect „Schöne neue Welt – American Mid-century Design“ to answer the question – because the connections between the continents were too close and boths sides profited from the experiences of the other. Then there’s the whole post-colonial theory issue – but lets not go there. Not today.

However for all with an interest in contemporary design and in the development of furniture design since the 1940s „Schöne neue Welt – American Mid-century Design“ certainly promises to provide a wonderful opportunity to better understand the products, their development and for all their relevance in the context of contemporary furniture design.

„Schöne neue Welt – American Mid-century Design“ opens at Frank and Oliver, Forchstrasse 179  CH-8032 Zürich on December 2nd at 17:00.

The ESU 400-N by Charles and Ray Eames part of „Schöne neue Welt - American Mid-century Design“ at Frank and Oliver, Zurich

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Although always a hard fought encounter this Holland – Germany match had an added edge; the winner proceeding to the semi-finals of the 2010 (smow) designer furniture World Cup.

Ahead of the match the Dutch decided to switch Hella Jongerius for Marcel Wanders; hoping that the creative force behind moooi and droog could better counteract Grcic’s clear, linear forms. And the tactic worked. With first his Knotted Chair and then his New Antiques combination for Capellini, Marcel Wanders took a deserved 2:0 lead. Becoming increasingly frustrated by his inability to make headway Grcic unleashed an unnecessary 360 degree chair and was rightly booked for a dubious bit of “product reference” to George Nelson‘s 1964 Nelson Perch.

At half-time the Germans substituted Grcic for Nils Holger Moorman, and the wily old man of modern German design quickly brought the score back to 2:1 with an unbelievably cheeky Rechenbeispiel. As the second half progressed it was clear that Nils Holger Moormann’s more authentic, soulful anarchy was stronger than Marcel Wanders’ carefully considered, calculated imagination and so it came as no surprise when Nils Holger Moorman drew level with his Bookinist before taking the lead with Liesmichl.

A thoroughly absorbing and dramatic encounter ending 3:2 for Germany.

The Group B table and all Group B results can be found here.

Konstantin Grcic is booked for his 360 chair

Organic Chair by Charles Eames and Eero Saarinen through Vitra

It may not be the most universally recognised example of either Charles Eames‘ nor Eero Saarinen‘s canon however their 1940 “Conversation Chair” is without doubt one of the more important examples of 20th century furniture design.

Designed for the New York Museum of Modern Art’s “Organic Design in Home Furnishings” competition the Conversation Chair was a concept piece and Eames’ and Saarinen’s first attempt at moulding synthetics.

At that time however the technology lagged somewhat behind the designers imagination and it was to be almost a decade before either Charles Eames or Eero Saarinen could transform the lessons learnt into commercial products: Charles Eames with his fibreglass/plastic armchairs for Herman Miller and Eero Saarinen with his Tulip Chair for Knoll.

Tulip chair by Eero Saarinen for Knoll

For the sake of completeness we should also mention George Nelson‘s Swag Leg Chair, a design which relies heavily  – albeit with permission – on both the technology and narrative of the Conversation Chair.

Currently marketed by Vitra as the “Organic Chair” Eames and Saarinen’s pioneer work remains a wonderfully confident yet unassuming chair that can be used in all domestic, commercial and retail settings.

And you can win one.

The designer furniture retailer network Creative Inneneinrichter – of which (smow) is a member – is offering an Organic Chair as first prize in their “My way to the VitraHaus” competition.

Second prize is a Vegetal by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec and third prize a Panton Chair.

The rules are very simple: Document your journey to the VitraHaus; the most imaginative, creative and original entry wins.

And so whether your planning skydiving onto the VitraHaus, negotiating the Alps Hannibal-esque with elephants or rafting down the Rhein simply register at the Creative Inneneinrichter website and upload your photos/videos/certificates.

Full details can be found at “Mein weg ins VitraHaus”

Although Jasper Morrison built a bus stop next to the VitraHaus - travelling by bus probably won't win you the Organic Chair.

2010 (smow) Designer Furniture World Cup

With less than a week to go before the opening match in the 2010 (smow) Designer Furniture World Cup the 16 competing nations have been busy finalising their preparations.

Co-favourites USA arrived in South Africa from their training camp in Denmark in good spirits, team manager George Nelson however avoided answering the question as to how he saw his team’s chances with the answer that “the simple joy of taking an idea into one’s own hands and giving it proper form, that’s exciting.”

For joint co-favourites Germany, however, their preparation has been hampered by the loss of captain Dieter Rams following a foul in a test spiel against Ghana. Also England will have to do without their injury plagued midfield play-maker Terence Conrad.

The opening match of the 2010 Designer Furniture World Cup between Italy and Denmark takes place on Thursday June 10th and (smow)blog will be reporting on all matches at (smow)2010.

2010 (smow) Designer Furniture World Cup

On account of the horrendous hotel prices demanded during design week the (smow)blog team camp in Milan.
And that despite last years near-drowning episode.

This year the decision was a real blessing.

Spared the torment of those trapped by Eyjafjallajokull at Milan Airport our return journey this year took us via Weil am Rhein, Vitra and the VitraHaus.

What a difference the weather makes!

When we were there for the opening in February architect Jacques Herzog commented, somewhat solemnly, that the snow and grey clouds shrouded the constructions true grandeur.

Having now experienced the VitraHaus against a clear blue spring sky, and for all with the wonderful cherry blossom, we can now fully understand what he meant. And his emotions that day.

But not just the outside. Seeing the inside of the VitraHaus alive with “real” visitors rather than journalists was also to experience the building in a completely different context.

As ever an experience we can only recommend.

Below a few new VitraHaus photos.

VitraHaus Weil am Rhein; A place to explore designer furniture

VitraHaus, Weil am Rhein

Relaxing at the foot of the Tüllinger Hill, from inside the VitraHaus

VitraHaus Weil am Rhein ... a home from home

In what is quite possibly the most eagerly anticipated announcement of 2010, Apple Supremo Steve Jobs will unveil the companies latest product in San Francisco on Wednesday.

Is this the iSlate?

Rumoured the be called iSlate, or possibly iPad or iTablet, the product is expected to combine the functionality of the iPhone with that of the iMac in a flat, transportable, keyboardless computer; thus allowing the user to write, draw and calculate anywhere.

In effect a chalkboard for the 21st century.

Hence the name.

What may surprise many of you, however, is that not only is the history of the chalkboard itself Germanic, but also Apple’s approach to design has it’s roots in Germany; and indeed even Apple’s nomenclature system is based on historical German syntax.

The iSlate is, therefore, German.

The centre of the global chalkboard industry was Steinach in Thuringen. From this idyll of forest and streams some 30 million chalkboards were produced and shipped to all corners of the globe, before production finally ended in 1968. The towns “Chalkboard Museum” provides a wonderful overview of the history of chalkboard production in the area and is well worth a visit next time you are on the Rennsteig. According to the operators, the decision as to whether the iSlate will feature in the exhibition will be made after Steve Job’s official unveiling.

And confirmation that it is called iSlate.

The classic Eiermann Desk by Egon Eiermann from Richard Lampert

But long before Jonathan iVes started reinventing the way we think about products, the Germans were already doing just that.

The iRmann desk by Egon Eiermann is perhaps the best example of just where the Apple approach to product design originates from.

Just as Jonathen iVes strips products down to the bare minimum before relaunching them in a pseudo-post-Dieter Rams format; so Egon Eiermann stripped desk design down to just the frame before relaunching it in a pseudo-pre-Dieter Rams format.

The name “iRmann” originates from a popular anglo-frisian construction whereby the phonetic “i” was treated as inferior in written forms and so the second letter was written as a capital. The lower case i remaining for sake of clarity alone. Popular in Egon Eiermann’s native Brandenburg and neighbouring Berlin, this practice died out as ingvaeonic languages finally ceded to modern German in the 1980s.

It is generally accepted by academics that Apple’s use of the lower case”i” in front of words such as iPod or iPhone has similar origins and is associated with Steve Job’s Frisian ancestry.

Today the iRmann desk is produced by Richard Lampert; albeit under the name Eiermann Desk

And today both Apple products and iRmann desks are used globally by architects, designers and other creative people.

Which can’t be a coincidence.

The iRmann desk is wonderfully complemented by George Nelson’s iClock from Vitra.

The name iClock is a cheap pun we thought up to fit the article into this post.

But we do like it.

You can read full details on the iSlate here, once Apple have made the formal announcement in San Francisco

iSlate and iRmann desk with a panton chair... is this the future of creative office design?

…and the mistletoe and wine will almost certainly be in abundance – so why not give someone the gift of time this Christmas.

Puns, we love ‘em

One of the true greats of clock design was former Herman Miller design director George Nelson and his classic 1950s clock designs are a gift that one can always give with confidence.

A new addition to the range is the three Ceramic Clocks; designed in the early 1950s but which never entered production. On the basis of drawings and other technical specifications found in the George Nelson Archive,  Vitra have re-created the designs and so made the clocks available for the first time.

George Nelson Ceramic Clock Model 1

In addition the Nelson canon via Vitra includes numerous design classics; our favourites include, ball clock, diamond clock, pill clock and sunflower clock.

George Nelson Ball Clock from Vitra

George Nelson Pill Clock from Vitra

George Nelson Diamond Clock from Vitra

George Nelson Sunflower Clock from Vitra

As traditional as roasted chestnuts and corked sherry, gift recommendations are what make Christmas for us.

This year, however, we start with a friendly warning.

The lead times for many of our suppliers are creeping upwards – and although we have a well stocked and bountiful warehouse; should you want to order something extra special as a gift for a loved one, and we have to order it – it’s getting tight.

The “traffic light system” in the (smow)shop provides an instant guide to availability; should you however have any queries please contact the (smow) customer service centre in advance of ordering. There a team of highly trained advisers can provide detailed information on availability and delivery times.
Unless they’ve found the Glühwein!

Below we present a selection of suggested festive gifts. Just heed our words, and order early ….

Liesmichl by Nils Holger Moormann for Moormann

Liesmichl by Nils Holger Moormann for Moormann

Nils Holger Moormann’s Liesmichl is not only the ideal side table for all Bibliophiles it is also the perfect gift for all Bibliophiles. With storage space for books, an ingenious holder to ensure you don’t lose your page and a handy shelf for mince pies and sherry, Liesmichl offers everything you need to ensure a relaxed and stress-free reading experience.

Classic Trays from Vitra

Classic Trays from Vitra

That little something different for all fans of 1960s graphic art. The Vitra Design Museum have produced a wonderful range of plastic trays featuring classic designs by Alexander Girard, George Nelson and Charles & Ray Eames. From bold geometric forms over abstract an onto modernistic folk art there is something for everyone in this beautiful collection.

Rabbit Lamp from moooi

Rabbit Lamp by Front for moooi

For all those who don’t have room for the absurdly fantastic Horse Lamp – or who suffer from Equinophobia – Front’s Rabbit Lamp is more than a touch of leporidaen charm for your home or office; it’s also a warming and atmospheric lamp perfect for desk, side-table or bedside table.

Cobb Grill

Cobb Grill

Summer may be gone – but it’ll come again. And in any case with Cobb Grill you don’t need sun, wasps and the great outdoors to barbecue – the patented design of the Cobb Grill means it can be safely and smoke free used indoors. Barbecue Goose… lovely stuff

E 14 Rattan Stool by Egon Eiermann from Lampert

Rattan Stool E 14 by Egon Eiermann from Lampert

For that colonial, South Sea Island feel you can’t beat Rattan furniture. And nothing says W. Somerset Maugham more than Egon Eiermann’s 1950s designs. At 42 cm high and with its concave top the E 14 is perfect as an occasional stool or as an unoccasional side table