We’ve been covering some of the design greats on the blog lately. Designers like
Paul McCobb,
Arne Jacobsen,
Paul László and
Paul T. Frankl have been filling our blog with gorgeous content, but it’s time to switch gears now and cover someone a bit more contemporary, like Marc Newson.
Newson, similar to contemporaries like the
Bouroullec Brothers and
Karim Rashid, creates work that is endlessly cool. Proficient in product, interior and furniture design, Newson’s career has spanned many years and many projects, even delving into bicycle and car design. People not in the design world will recognize his furniture designs the most. His designs center on biomorphism, which is an idea that takes inspiration from biology and the natural form. Designs of this nature involve rounded, sometimes spherical characteristics that appear organic and feature lots of soft curves. His most famous furniture pieces exemplify this idea perfectly: his Embryo Chair, Felt Chair, Nimrod Chair, Komed Chair, Gluon Chair, Orgone Lounge Chair, Event Horizon Table, Sine Chair and many more.
Originally from Sydney, Australia, Newson spent most of his life traveling throughout Europe and Asia. He eventually went on to study jewelry and sculpture at the Sydney College of the Arts. While a student he began to experiment with furniture design and apparently stumbled on his true talent: he was awarded a grant from the Australian Crafts Council to stage an exhibition, the Lockheed Lounge, right after graduation. Living in Tokyo from 1987 to 1991 gave him much inspiration, and he created many of his famous pieces that exhibited throughout Asia and Europe. After Tokyo he moved to Paris, and began designing for some of the top furniture manufacturers, like Flos, Cappellini and Moroso. He also began to design restaurants in the nineties, including Coast in London, Manchester's Mash & Air, Osman in Cologne and Canteen in Manhattan. The year 1997 saw a move to London, and Marc Newson Ltd was born, a larger studio able to take on larger projects. That move saw him working with even more manufacturers like Iittala, Alessi, Magis, B&B Italia, Idée and Dupont Corian, as well as many more interior design projects.
Newson, similar to contemporaries like the Bouroullec Brothers and Karim Rashid, creates work that is endlessly cool. Proficient in product, interior and furniture design, Newson’s career has spanned many years and many projects, even delving into bicycle and car design. People not in the design world will recognize his furniture designs the most. His designs center on biomorphism, which is an idea that takes inspiration from biology and the natural form. Designs of this nature involve rounded, sometimes spherical characteristics that appear organic and feature lots of soft curves. His most famous furniture pieces exemplify this idea perfectly: his Embryo Chair, Felt Chair, Nimrod Chair, Komed Chair, Gluon Chair, Orgone Lounge Chair, Event Horizon Table, Sine Chair and many more.
To continue listing off all the projects Newson has worked on in the past decade would make for quite a long article. Let’s just say the award-winning designer obviously doesn’t take many vacations. Only in his early forties, Newson has created a body work that would rival designers twice his age, and he doesn’t show signs of stopping. Along with purchasing his furniture designs to include in your own home, you can also enjoy Newson's designs at most major museums, like the Museum of Modern Art in New York, London's Design Museum, Musée National d'Art Moderne, Centre Georges Pompidou and the Vitra Design Museum. You can also check out Newson's work in a couple of books and even a DVD. 
