"Squeeze Sconce," "Meow Chair," "Skateboard," and "Tuffet Stool" are some of the names for furniture and accessories designed by Lisa Krohn's firm Krab Design. These titles conjure the whimsical mood of Krohn's work, but also belie its formalist roots. Krohn studied Industrial Design at Cranbrook

Biomorphic, Elegant, Functional, Hi-tech, Quirky, Technology

While his fellow soldiers dreamt of their girlfriends back home, a recent enlistee, Gerald Summers, fantasized about "doing things with wood." Wondering why the sudden preoccupation with this natural resource, Summers thought back. He recalled his days as a schoolboy (only about a year earlier) when

Biomorphic, Clean, Functional, Late modern, Minimal, Technology

When newly elected Socialist President Francois Mitterand announced that I.M. Pei had been hired to design the subterranean entrance to the Louvre, many critics flew to their respective podiums. How could a political party so outspoken about American imperialism allow an American to resurrect their m

Clean, Elegant, Functional, Geometric, Huge, Modernist architecture

When Toshiyuki Kita graduated from Naniwa College, Osaka, in 1964, he immediately became a furniture designer. After working in Italy for designers Mario Bellini and Silvio Coppola, he quickly built a reputation as one of the "most European" of Japanese designers. This reputation stands today, as he

Bright, Charming, Functional, Pop, Quirky