Design Icon: 10 Works by Jasper Morrison (original) (raw)
Jasper Morrison once spent four years designing a fork. While there’s plenty of personality traits you could assign to someone who spent the equivalent of a presidential administration obsessing over cutlery, sensitive may be the most fitting for the London-based designer. Since gaining notice alongside a generation of new British designers in the late ‘80s, Morrison has excelled at form and function without unnecessary flair. "Atmosphere" is a word he often uses to describe his work, and as the title of his 2005 exhibit with Naoto Fukasawa, "Super Normal," suggests, he strives for designs that don’t overturn conventional wisdom as much as evolve, taking a classic role and improving upon the delivery. Design should always be better than what came before, he says.
Critic Charles Arthur Boyer described the Jasper Morrison's designer style and philosophy as aiming to "produce everyday objects for everyone's use, make things lighter not heavier, softer not harder, inclusive rather than exclusive, and generate energy, light, and space."
Morrison recalls a room in his grandfather’s home, a Scandinavian-style study with a Dieter Rams Snow White’s Coffin Record player, as a formative influence that steered him towards studying furniture design at Kingston Polytechnic and the Royal College of Art in London. As he began to design and in some cases manufacture his own pieces—beginning with the Office for Design in London and projects for Vitra, Magis, and Cappellini, among others—he also documented his thought process and perspective at shows such as "A World Without Words" in Milan. While aiming for simplicity in and of itself isn’t revolutionary design, Morrison’s pursuit and products, such as the Air Armchair, suggest it’s anything but easy.
Flower Pot Table (1984)
A striking example of Morrison’s philosophy that there aren’t necessarily new forms, just new ways to combine and recontextualize what's come before, this self-explanatory piece was assembled in an almost ready-made fashion. Supposedly, Morrison would jet around town on a motorbike in the mid ‘80s, visiting small workshops and asking them to fabricate whatever he needed for his latest project.
Photo by Jasper Morrison Studio
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Progetto Oggetto Candle Holders (1992)
Morrison and collaborator James Irvine, a friend from college, unveiled this influential line of home goods for Cappellini at the 1992 furniture fair in Milan, making a strong case for pure, minimalist design. In addition to re-investigating the form and function of everyday objects, it also featured the work of then up-and-coming designers such as Tom Dixon and Konstantin Grcic.
Bottle (1994)
This simple plastic-and-aluminum bottle rack, designed with a small footprint and made to be easily stacked, is about as straightforward and crowd-pleasing as a bottle of good cheap merlot.
Photo by André Huber
Hannover Tram System (1997)
Morrison was awarded a contract to redesign the tram system for Hannover, a half-billion Deutschemark project, and not only did he succeed, but the industrial designer won awards for his new transport system.
Photo Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Low Pad Chair (1999)
Morrison claims the padding of his girlfriend’s Prada loafers inspired the design of this chair, which is now in the Tate Modern. The tubular steel base supports an upholstered polyurethane foam back that can covered in a variety of fabrics and colors.
Photo: Cappellini
Air Chair (2005)
Deceptively straightforward, Morrison’s Air Chair, a playful, mass-produced design classic in air moulded polypropylene and glass fibre, has incredible range for such a seemingly simple piece.
Photo: Magis
ATM System (2002)
A far cry from the standard-issue functional, flaccid cubicle, Morrison’s ATM System brought stylish curves and wooden accents to the modular office life.
Photo by Hans Hansen for Vitra
Roppongi Hills Bench (2003)
One of Tokyo’s most exclusive addresses, Roppongi Hills merges high-end real estate with glittering public art and design by the likes of Ron Arad and Shigeru Uchida. Morrison, one of a handful of designers asked to contribute public benches to the project, created an extended functional public bench out of Japanese cypress.
Photo Courtesy of Jasper Morrison Studio
Wall Clock (2008)
It’s fitting the Morrison would team up with Muji, the Japanese brand famous worldwide for its understated, minimal design. In addition to creating projects such as this wall clock, he also co-authored a book for Rizzoli offering a glimpse at the company’s products and philosophy.
Photo by Jasper Morrison Studio
Lotus Lounge Chair (2006)
Like a fusion between his Low Pad design and the classic Eames model, this sleek lounge chair dressed up the upholstered foam backing for the board room.
Photo by Studio 1
Shop Jasper Morrison's Designs
Super Normal: Sensations of the Ordinary
Jasper Morrison and Naoto Fukasawa have compiled 204 everyday objects in search of super normal design: alongside examples of anonymous design, there are design classics like by Jacobsen, Rams, Bill or Noguchi. With products by Newson, Grcic, the Azumis, and the Bouroullecs, it also represents the generation to which Morrison and Fukasawa belong. The phenomenon of the super normal is located, beyond space and time; and point to a future that has long since begun. The super normal is lying exposed before us, it is real and available: Fukasawa and Morrison make it visible for us.
Vitra Rotary Tray
The Rotary Tray is a contemporary rendering of the classic etagere by Jasper Morrison. Thanks to its simple shape and subtle colors, the Rotary Tray complements any interior style and lends itself to many different uses. It features a tiered composition with a top tray that rotates to maximize accessibility and meet many storage needs. Whether in the kitchen or on the dining room table, in a bathroom or entryway, at the office or in a child's room: the Rotary Tray offers a decorative way to tidy up any space.
Emeco Alfi Chair, Low Back
Designed and created by Emeco and Jasper Morrison, the Alfi Chair, Low Back found inspiration through their shared appreciation towards unseen elements behind simplicity. Made of recycled ash wood and a 100% reclaimed polypropylene seat where comfort and durability kept in mind, and designed to last for years to come. The chair features a low back, peephole design - adding a touch of detail. Alfi Chair, Low Back guarantees a 5-year warranty.