Marcel Wanders Biography
Netherlands, 1963
One of the world's best known designers,Marcel Wanders is best known for his clean lines and functionality.
Wanders on Wanders
"I?m a sort of amateur, and amateurs aren?t so sure about things so they investigate and bring new ideas that experts might overlook.I work with durability in design?products worth bonding with for a lifetime. I have an overall respect for ourselves and the world, and I think this respect is the basis of good design."
Press
Elected ?Designer of the Year 2005/2006?, Elle Decoration International Design Awards
The Observer (UK) September 18 2005
?Marcel Wanders' studio is one of the most inspiring powerhouses of multi- disciplinary design active today?
Washington Post (US) April 2003 ?Marcel Wanders, the design world?s favorite star?
Business Week (US) July 2002 Selected among Europe?s 25 leaders of change ?The Stars of Europe?
Summary
Marcel Wanders grew up in Boxtel, the Netherlands, and graduated cum laude from the School of the Arts Arnhem in 1988. Marcel Wanders? fame started with his iconic Knotted Chair, which he produced for Droog Design in 1996. He is now ubiquitous, designing for the biggest European contemporary design manufacturers like B&B Italia, Bisazza, Poliform, Moroso, Flos, Boffi, Cappellini, Droog Design and Moooi of which he is also art director and co- owner. Founded in 2000, Moooi has grown into an internationally renowned design label. Additionally, Marcel Wanders works on architectural and interior design projects and recently turned his hand to consumer home appliances.
Marcel was the editor of the International Design Yearbook 2005. In the same year, together with chef Peter Lute, he established the extraordinary LUTE SUITES hospitality-concept, the first ?all over city suites? hotel in the world. He also designed the interior of Blits, a new restaurant in Rotterdam and the interior of restaurant ?Thor? at the Hotel on Rivington in New York including bar, lounge and private club. Marcel is the first and among the most important designers of Droog design. He was a juror for various prizes like the Rotterdam Design Prize (for which his own products were nominated several times) and the Kho Liang Ie prize. He lectured at SFMoMA, Limn, the Design Academy, Nike, IDFA, FutureDesignDays and has taught at various design academies in the Netherlands and abroad.
Various designs of Marcel Wanders have been selected for the most important design collections and exhibitions in the world, like the Museum of Modern Art in New York and San Francisco, the V&A Museum in London, the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, Museum Boijmans van Beuningen in Rotterdam, the Central Museum in Utrecht, Museum of Decorative Arts Copenhagen and various Droog Design exhibitions. Coverage on Marcel has been published in all leading design magazines and newspapers such as Domus, Interni, Blueprint, Design Report, Frame, I.D. magazine, Abitare, Wallpaper, Nylon, Elle decoration, Icon, Esquire, the International Herald Tribune, Washington Post, the Financial Times, the New York Times and Business Week.
Awards
2006 Winner of the Elle Decoration International Design Awards ?Designer of the Year?
2005 Winner of the Elle Decoration International Design Awards for ?Carbon chair?, design by Bertjan Pot and Marcel Wanders for Moooi Lensvelt Architecure award, Lute Suites, nomination Dutch Design Award, best product design and best interior design, nomination
2004 Winner of the Loberschutz design competition in Munich with a design and brand for a new water bottle. ?Designer of the year?, Blueprint magazine, nomination World Technology Award by The World Technology Network, in association with Nasdaq, Microsoft, Time Magazine and Science Magazine, nomination
2003 Selected amongst Europe?s 25 leaders of change by business week (usa) Winner of Elle Decoration International Design Award 2003 for ?Patchwork plates?, ceramic tableware series Winner of Vredeman de Vries Vormgevingsprijs 2003 for ?Patchwork plates?, ceramic tableware series FX award for Moooi Collection; ?best furniture or lighting for residential interiors?
2002 Man of the Year 2002, MAN (Dutch magazine) Elle Deco International Design Awards 2002; designer of the year, nomination Elle Deco International Design Awards 2002; bath product of the year with the whole range of bath products for Boffi, nomination Dedalus prize, nomination (one of the 5 finalists)
2001 ?Designer of the Year? category in WIRED Magazine's 2001 WIRED Rave Awards, nomination
2000 Rotterdam Design Prize, nomination Rotterdam Design Prize, nomination George Nelson Award, Interiors Magazine Alterpoint Design Award
2000, Milano Best bathroom-design in the Benelux, nomination
1999 Double nomination Rotterdam Design Prize
1998 Winner of the 'Woonbeurspin' Honorable mention in the 'Compasso d'Oro'
1997 Ava Ceramic award, nomination
1996 Kho Liang Ie consolation prize
1993 Rotterdam Design Prize, nomination
1990 3th prize design contest 'Staande lamp', indoor Amsterdam
1989 1st prize design contest 'Verzamelband', iON Rotterdam
1986 1st prize in the design contest, 'Olympic design
1992' 1st prize in the design contest, 'Cafe Modern (Nescafe)
Major Projects
B&B Italia (I) interior accessories Bisazza (I) design of the Milan fair stand 2005, a table, a car and several other projects Blits (NL) art-direction of the interior of restaurant in Rotterdam Boffi (I) design of bathroom products Cacharel (F) design of a perfume Cappellini (I) design and realization of the Knotted chair, a highly innovative high tech product, since then a constant flow of new innovative designs among other things: the New Antiques, Nomad carpet, the Big Shadow collection, the Airborne Snotty vases and the Wood table Droog Design (NL) diverse design projects, such as Tableau Vivant (tableware for the French governor of Alsace) Flos (I) design of a collection of lamps, starting with B.L.O, the newest design is Zeppelin HE (NL) collection of home electronic appliances Hotel on Rivington, (NY, USA), interior of public areas Interpolis (NL) Stone house, interior project for an insurance company, consisting of organic meeting rooms within the headquarters Kartell (I) diverse design projects. LUTE SUITES (NL), art-direction of the interiors of apartments/hotel suites in Amsterdam Mandarina Duck (I) design of a collection of bags and a collection of jewelry, interior design WanderDuck, the flagship store in London (opened September 2002). Ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken/ Foreign Affairs (NL) Interior of the Dutch Embassy in Berlin Moooi (NL) art director and diverse design projects (Two-tops-table and secretary, Naked, Set Up Shades, City, Container table, Oblique, Bottoni) Moroso (I) diverse design projects (Print) Royal Tichelaar Makkum (NL) ?Patchwork? series of 30 differently decorated plates, made using different original plates from the traditional collection of Royal Tichelaar Makkum. All plates are partly printed, partly painted by hand and are used in random combinations on the table Swarovski (A) & Flos (I) design of Pirouette, a lamp, which consists of a curtain of lighting crystals that form different patterns Worldexpo Hannover (D) design of the VIP room in the Dutch pavilion
Other Projects
Air UK (UK) design of an in-flight service together with Disc and Partners Apple Europe (CH) design of a routing system for an Apple symposium Bombay Sapphire (USA and NL) design for two glasses British Midland (UK) design of an in-flight service together with Disc and partners, the Netherlands City of Amsterdam (NL) design of street furniture and design of gas- and energy-houses Magis (I) design of a collection of plastic consumer products, a.o. Pebbles (stool/container), Eppo (chair) and Flare (table with changeable leg-patterns) Marmoleum Dutch Design (NL) design of the colour Sunflower Gold, for Forbo, producer of linoleum floors Ministry of External affairs (NL) design of a box with 'candle-vases' as present by the minister of external affairs Ministry of Internal affairs (NL) design and realization of an injection molded cardcase Ministry of Finance (NL) design of a jubilee-coin Organon Teknika (NL) design of a pregnancy tester for clinical use, and a mobile hart-rhythm disorder analyzer Royal PTT Post (NL) design and realization of different relational gifts De Ster (NL) design of in-flight services and other catering related plastic products for a great number of airlineand railway companies
Courtesy of Marcel Wanders
