Konstantin Grcic: design is hard work
"Some people today think design is all about having fun, but that's not true. It's hard work, serious work. You have to think not only about the object you're designing, but everything else about it, from how it will be produced to who will be using it, to what happens to it after it goes through its life cycle. So designing is big responsibility. And I believe you can only do it well if you truly enjoy it." - Konstantin Grcic
has clear ideas. When he was a child, he had an “obsession”: the furniture. Born in 1965, first he learned to build furniture, gettingg skilled as a carpenter cabinetmaker at John Makepeace School (Dorset, England), then he studied design at the Royal College of Art in London.
In 1991, just 26 years old, he started the Konstantin Grcic Industrial Design (KGID) in Monaco of Bavaria, designing furniture and lighting for some of the leading design companies in the world: Authentics, ClassiCon, Flos, Iittala, Magis, Moroso, Plank, Serafino Zani, Thomas-Rosenthal and Vitra.
The collaboration with came out with different design items. Chair One is probably one of the most special sessions ever designed. About the Chair One, the same Grcic said: “This was possibly the first time ever that such a large die-cast was used for making a chair. Typically this technology is used for smaller components only. It involved a lot of heavy tooling. I decided to break up surfaces into thin sections like branches and let the material flow through the mold to create the shape, which is kind of like a basket or a grid, and very three-dimensional."
To model the Chair One, Grcic has used 3D computer modeling software, which marked an important turning point for his design studio. The result is a kind of three-dimensional grid, realized with the technique of die-casting. The Chair One is undoubtedly a modern and attractive chair, thanks to its strong and geometric line.
Grcic has also designed for Magis the Traffic collection: table, chair, sofa, platform-sitting, bench and chaise longue. The Traffic chaise longue reminds to the tubular structures that have intrigued the ‘900 avantgarde. The light structure does not forget the comfort, thanks to the large pillows. Traffic is available in 21 colors, lending itself to satisfy the tastes of all.
The Butch table, which is part of The Wild Bunch collection, was designed by Grcic for Magis. Butch is a table by Nordic taste, with legs in solid beech, natural or painted. The top is in white or black HPL, and fits both modern and contemporary contexts.
Let’s talk about furniture one more time. Waver is born from the collaboration with : a modern chair suitable to outdoor. Waver was born to break the traditional pattern of seat: in fact, its aesthetic is borrowed from outdoor, with its bright colors and structural elements in view. Perfect as chair for reading or watching TV, its comfort will surprise you in the garden or terrace.
Not only furniture: Grcic has successfully designed even lamps. The partnership with Flos came to life Mayday, which has won the prestigious Compasso d’Oro in 2001. Mayday is a versatile lamp, inspired by safety lamps for workplaces: you can use it as table, floor and even suspension lamp, thanks to the handle cord reel.
Ok lamp for is a tribute to the famous Parentesi by Manzù e Castiglioni. The real star is the light: an ultra-flat LED disc-shaped surface, 360° directional, fixed to a conical metal counterweight. Grcic says about Ok lamp: “Designing a lamp is no longer limited to working around a given bulb. Today, it means designing the actual bulb or light source. This challenged me to think of Parentesi, a lamp that celebrated the traditional bulb in the most effective and beautiful way. Would it be possible to rethink the Parentesi lamp once more and pass the Manzù-Castiglioni torch on to the future?”.
Today you can admire many of the Grcic's works in the permanent collections of the most important design museums in the world (such as the MoMA in New York and the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris).
Visit our collection about Gcic to get a piece of his authentic design for your home: which is your favorite Grcic design item?
Segui la bacheca Konstantin Grcic | Designers di Mohd - Mollura Home Design su Pinterest.
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