6 Modern Furniture Designers to Know
Seek inspiration from top designers who've influenced the design landscape.
Modern furniture design merges functionality with artistic craftsmanship. Heavily influenced by its mid-century predecessors, this type of design features simple clean lines, natural materials, and neutral colors. Continue reading below to learn more about the modern furniture designers at Perigold who fearlessly reshaped the design landscape.
Carlotta de Bevilacqua
“We are designing solutions for the enrichment of life, connection, the future world and the sustainability of the planet.” – Carlotta de Bevilacqua
An architect, designer, and university lecturer, Carlotta de Bevilacqua has made a name for herself in the design world with her trailblazing contributions in the lighting sector.
She seeks to create products that promote a sense of comfort while also maintaining high-quality performance and eco-sustainability. Early on in her work, de Bevilacqua incorporated LED technology into her designs to help minimize energy consumption and waste. As the current president and CEO of Artemide, the Italian light manufacturer, she has consistently invested in new and sustainable forms of lighting.
While collaborating with the Danish architecture firm Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), de Bevilacqua created the Gople lamp. Now available on Perigold, the Artemide Gople pendant is made following the ancient Venetian glass-blowing techniques of the island of Murano. It is constructed with a hand-blown glass diffuser, and its oval shape helps light diffuse a soft, warm glow. Featuring an LED bulb, the design combines modern technology with traditional practices.
While describing the Gople lamp, de Bevilacqua said, “[It] creates an optimal environment for humans, taking care of their emotional, physiological, and perceptive experience.”
"I think about the spaces where we introduce our pieces, and how to make them evolve in a social, aesthetic and material way." – Patricia Urquiola
Patricia Urquiola originally graduated from Politecnico di Milano, where she received mentorship from Italian icon Achille Castiglioni. In 2001, she founded Studio Urquiola, which focuses largely on industrial product design, architecture, and strategy consulting. A sought-after European industrial designer, Urquiola’s art has been exhibited in museums worldwide, including the MoMA in New York City, the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Her work has also been seen at the Four Seasons Milan and Il Sereno Hotel in Como.
When it comes to her art, Urquiola is primarily drawn to the links between craftsmanship and industrial innovation. She explores eclectic forms, new materials, and bold colors. One of her most recognizable pieces is the Mangas Collection, which was part of a collaboration with GAN Rugs. “Mangas,” which means “sleeves'' in Spanish, are one of the key inspirations behind her designs. The collection features carpets and poufs based on an assortment of different wool knits. Inspired by the look and feel of handwoven sweaters, the art pieces are made of colorful textured wool.
Upon its debut, the Mangas Collection transformed the rug industry with its innovative three-dimensional shapes and bold hues. Paola Antonelli, the senior curator of architecture and design at MoMA, once said of Urquiola: “Patricia doesn’t even have a style, but rather a way of making every chair, every lighting fixture, every table unique and innovative – even when it is made of the most traditional materials.”
“My main fascination is material and production processes.” – Bertjan Pot
Bertjan Pot is an innovative Dutch designer who has spent his career experimenting with the technique, structure, pattern, and color of textiles. In 2003, he founded Studio Bertjan Pot in Rotterdam, which designs furniture, lighting, and a variety of quality home products.
During this time, Pot has collaborated with Moooi to design a number of iconic lighting collections. Originally created in 1999, the Random Light is made of resin-drained yarn that is then coiled around an inflatable mold. Its avant-garde design has turned the piece into a modern classic that remains in production today.
Another in-demand creation by Pot is the Heracleum Collection, which is largely inspired by the Heracleum plant, otherwise known as Cow Parsnip. The design features a modern suspension light with a halo of white bulbs extending off of each branch. Its elegant technical design mimics the look of the plant’s natural structure, combining artificial and organic elements to lean into a fresh and modern silhouette.
“Design shouldn’t be trendy. Good design should last over time, until it wears out.” – Achille Castiglioni
Innovators of industrial production, brothers Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni are lauded names in modern Italian design. In 1954, Pier co-founded the Architectural Study Movement and was a founding member of the Industrial Design Association, both of which shaped the modern design movement. Both designers won multiple Compasso d’Oro awards during their illustrious careers. By 1962, Achille and Pier had joined forces with Dino Gavina and Afra and Tobia Scarpa to create FLOS, an award-winning lighting manufacturer.
While at FLOS, Achille and Pier pursued simple, functional, quirky designs. One of their best-known works is the Arco floor lamp, which revolutionized the lighting world.
Designed for FLOS, the Arco is a modern overhead floor lamp. Inspired by the sleek lines of a streetlamp, it features a suspended aluminum pendant attached to an arm made of stainless steel; the overhead arm is then attached to a base of Carrara marble. Since its release in 1962, the popular Arco floor lamp has stayed in constant production.
“Subversive, ethical, ecological, political, humorous...This is how I see my duty as a designer.” – Philippe Starck
In the 1970s, Philippe Starck sparked interest from the art world after designing two Parisian nightclubs. By 1982, the President of France, François Mitterand, commissioned Stark to design the interiors of the private apartments in the Élysée Palace. Since then, Starck has produced more than 10,000 designs, including multiple pieces for Kartell and FLOS. He believes in the concept of “democratic design,” which emphasizes making quality products available at lower prices for wider accessibility.
Featured in numerous magazines, the Louis Chair is one of Starck’s most world-renowned pieces. Inspired by the baroque lines of the Louis XVI chair at Versailles, Starck’s design is particularly noteworthy because it is made of transparent or batch-dyed polycarbonate in a single mold. It is a feat of engineering made possible by his collaboration with Kartell, who provided the polycarbonate plastic. Despite its delicate, ethereal appearance, the Louis Chair is sturdy and durable. Its charming and whimsical design is a recognizable feature of all of Starck’s pieces.
"I design for longevity, and I want something to be anti-fashion." – Tom Dixon
In the 1980s, Tom Dixon carved out a niche for himself in the design landscape by creating a line of welded salvage furniture. Since then, he has remained committed to blending uncommon materials with traditional British design. Currently the founder of a British luxury design brand that specializes in furniture, lighting, and accessories, Dixon continues to experiment with natural materials like copper, stainless steel, and stone. He describes his work as “extraordinary objects for everyday use.”
One of his best-selling items includes the Beat light, which was inspired by the sculptural simplicity of traditional northern Indian water vessels. Available in four distinctive pendant shapes, the Beat shades are formed by hand through a spinning and beating technique, which makes each individual design unique and distinct. Currently sold with four finish options, and a brass or silver plate, each light has a protective lacquer applied to the inside surface to protect the streamlined design.
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