15 Mar Designers of our time – Marcel Wanders
Below is my latest ‘Designers of our time’ column, which features in ESPC’s March 2012 Premier Living magazine. In this issue I survey the career of Marcel Wanders, a Dutchman who has become renowned for his original designs that exude individuality and humour.
Enjoy, Julian___________ Marcel Wanders is a product and interior designer who began his career with the innovative Dutch design house, Droog. He won international recognition for his iconic Knotted Chair (several of which featured at the launch of the Missoni Hotel in Edinburgh). In 2000 Marcel co-founded Moooi and he remains responsible for art direction and corporate identity. He has designed furniture, lighting, textiles, wallpaper and accessories, often including an unexpected design quirk (the Financial Times has spoken about his ‘exuberant creativity’). Marcel Wanders is increasingly involved in architectural and interior design projects around the world. His sense of the theatrical is visible in buildings as diverse as the Mondrian Hotel in Miami, the Villa Moda store in Bahrain and houses in Amsterdam and Jakarta. The Marcel Wanders ‘brand’ has become ubiquitous as he now designs for global brands and leading furniture companies including B&B Italia, Cappellini, Flos and Magis, KLM, Google, and M.A.C cosmetics. Most recently he has launched a collection of homewares for Marks & Spencer, ranging from cake stands to candlesticks. His products can be found in many design museums around the world and he has won numerous awards in recognition of designs that are innovative and characterful.