20th CENTURY DESIGNS ICONS
The Mona Lisa is an icon. Michelangelo’s David is an icon. So is the Tiffany lamp.
The 20th century style grew in America, based on earlier style, such as Bauhaus which began in Germany. The most architectural designs are known for juxtaposing sleek lines with organic shapes, using new materials and developing technologies to re- imagine traditional pieces. They are often still produced today, often copied, and the inspiration to contemporary designers.
The TEAK CHAIR
The TIFFANY LAMP
The TULIP CHAIR
1. The Barcelona Chair
The BARCELONA CHAIR was designed by Mies Van Der Rohe for the German Pavilion at the International Barcelona Exhibition of 1929. Knoll still produces it to this day
2. The Tiffany Lamp
The first TIFFANY LAMP was designed over a century ago, by Louis Comfort Tiffany. Each lamp was made by skilled craftsmen, not mass or machine produced.
3. The Tulip Chair
The Fin-American designer Eero Saarinen is noted for his néo futuristic style, and considered one of the masters of American 20th century architecture. Eero Saarinen’s TULIP CHAIR became a symbol the jet age, and often seen in science fiction films.
The LOUNGE CHAIR and OTTOMAN
The PANTON CHAIR
The BUTTERFLY CHAIR
The CORBUSIER LOUNGE CHAIR
4. The Lounge Chair and Ottoman
The married couple Charles and Ray Eames became known for their ground breaking contributions to architecture and furniture designs. Perhaps most famous for their iconic chairs, they sprayed their talents far and wide, becoming two of the greatest designers of the 20th century. The LOUNGE CHAIR and OTTOMAN was born in 1956.
5. The Panton Chair
Danish architect Verner Panton best known design from 1960, The PANTON CHAIR, the very first seat to be moulded from a single piece of plastic. It is said of THE PANTON CHAIR, or “S “chair, to be the sexiest chair ever made. It has appeared on the cover of Vogue [well, Kate Moss was sitting on it…]. Verner Panton had the idea, in 1960, on a visit to a factory making safety helmets and buckets.
6. The Butterfly Chair
The BUTTERFLY CHAIR, also known as The LODGE CHAIR from 1938 was a contemporary take on campaign furniture. It’s a knock off classic
7. The Corbusier Lounge Chair
Le Corbusier and Charlotte Perriand presented their LOUNGE CHAIR at the “Salon d’automne“ in Paris in 1929. Originally covered in pony skin, it was a totally new concept at the time.
The WASSILY CHAIR
The EGG CHAIR
8. The Wassily Chair
Marcel Breuer was a master of the BAUHAUS movement from 1902 to 1928. His friend, the painter Wassily Kandinsky, defied him to make a seat out of a bicycle well. He created the WASSILY CHAIR.
9. The Egg Chair
The EGG CHAIR was designed by the architect Arne Jacobsen in 1958. He is considered the Grand Father of modern Danish design.
The ARCO LAMP and the BARCELONA CHAIRS
10. The Arco Lamp
The ARCO LAMP is a masterpiece of functional minimalism. Designed by the Castiglioni brothers in 1962. Its long chrome arm curves above a Carrera marble base. The ARCO is one of the most popular and copied lamps of all time.
11. The Teak Chair
With his love of natural materials and his deep understanding of the need for furniture to be functional as well as beautiful, Hans Wegner made mid-century Danish design popular on an international scale. The Hans Wegner’s 1950 TEAK CHAIR is still produced, and the inspiration to many designers today.
![Noguchi coffee table [ 12 ]](http://www.chezmoi.style/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Noguchi-coffee-table-12-.jpg)
The NOGUCHI COFFEE TABLE
12. The Noguchi Coffee Table
Despite being told by his art teacher, at the age of 15, that he will never be a sculptor, the Japanese – American artist Isamu Noguchi left an amazing legacy. At his lunch in 1944, Noguchi’s COFFEE TABLE was described as “A Sculpture to Use”. Noguchi’s experience living and working in different cultural circles – China, France and USA, are rejected in his work as an artist. His creativity encompassed sculpture, furniture, stage sets, interiors and gardens.
Above: The TRANSAT CHAIR
Right: The RED and BLUE CHAIR
13. The Transat Chair
Irish designer Eileen Gray TRANSAT CHAIR, created in 1932, was originally used as a deck chair for a famous villa on the French Riviera.
14. The Red and Blue Chair
RED and BLUE CHAIR was designed in 1918. Its primary colour scheme was often associated to Mondrian.
15. The Louis Vuitton Trunk
Louis Vuitton opened his trunk – making firm in Paris in 1854. By 1913 the Louis Vuitton store on The Champs Elysées was the largest travel goods store in the world. Fit for transatlantic voyages, or trips from a winter residence to a summer cottage.
The LOUIS VUITTON TRUNKS has been travelling with royalties and celebrities since the days they were created. The brand and the LOUIS VUITTON MONOGRAM are among the world’s most valuable brands. It’s also one of the most copied brands in the fashion world, due to its image and status symbol.
Today, in the jet age, the vintage TRUNK is often used as a coffee table.
The VUITTON TRUNK