The Atlas of Furniture Design

Product Information

In the beginning of November 2019, the Vitra Design Museum published a comprehensive overview on the history of modern furniture design. The book documents 1,740 objects by 546 designers and 565 manufacturers, and features more than 2,500 images, from detailed object photographs to historical documentation such as interiors, patents, brochures and reference works in art and architecture. The great classics were a must, along with explanations about certain materials, structural forms and typologies. 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. 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«.

It contains comprehensive essays on the socio-cultural and design-historical contexts of furniture design, over 550 detailed texts on pioneering objects, and numerous information graphics that provide new visual insights into the history of furniture design.Furthermore, the book contains a complete appendix that includes designer biographies, bibliographies, a glossary of producers and materials, as well as a keyword index. The project has involved a team of over 70 authors and features roughly 2,595 images, from high-quality object photographs to reproductions of historical documents such as brochures, patents, interiors or reference works in art or architecture.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. And when questions arose (regarding a bookshelf that needed clever assembly), their representatives in Finland were so helpful and thoughtful.

By using the Web site, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agreed to be bound by the Terms and Conditions.The Atlas of Furniture Design employed a team of more than 70 experts and features over 550 detailed texts about key objects. 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 103 third parties who use cookies on this service do so for their purposes of displaying and measuring personalized ads, generating audience insights, and developing and improving products. The book touches on a range of subjects spanning the beginnings of industrialization to digitalization, which is becoming increasingly influential in contemporary furniture design.

Nothing cheap here, that’s for sure, but this is perfect for special treats, and there’s IKEA for the rest! 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. This includes 19th century furniture made out of bentwood and metal, Art Nouveau and Secession style designs, iconic designs by protagonists of modernism such as Le Corbusier, Gerrit Rietveld, Charlotte Perriand, Marcel Breuer, and Eileen Gray, but also post-war, post-modern, and contemporary furniture by designers such as Charles and Ray Eames, Eero Saarinen, Gae Aulenti, Finn Juhl, Ettore Sottsass, Philippe Starck, Hella Jongerius, Jasper Morrison, and Konstantin Grcic. 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. In 2019, the Vitra Design Museum will publish the Atlas of Furniture Design , the definitive, encyclopedic overview of the history of modern furniture design.

Furthermore, the book includes a comprehensive annex with designer biographies, information graphics, and bibliographies, as well as a manufacturer and materials glossary. 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. The idea to publish an encyclopedic book on the topic of furniture design existed within the team of the Vitra Design Museum since the 1990s. The richly illustrated book contains hundreds of detailed descriptions of key pieces as well as essays that provide a socio-cultural and historical context for four different epochs as well as the works themselves.