Desire. The Shape of Things to Come

An international survey of the world's most exciting and influential furniture designers today.

Design in the 21st Century has liberated itself from industrial conditions and the associated physical demands. With new technology, expanded choice of materials and the practice of luxurious craftsmanship, designers are embracing design with scintillating attitude, challenging aesthetic boundaries and speculating new expressions in visual codes. Desire documents current developments in furniture and object design today, showcasing recent work by the most exciting and influential designers from around the globe categorised into four distinct trends and groups: Modernists, Taletellers, Inventors and Entertainers.

Design in the 21st Century has liberated itself from industrial conditions and the associated physical demands. The clean and simplified designs of Minimalism, where less is more and form follows function, is widely practised today but with new vigor and context. There is also an explosion of vibrant design today that breaks free from the minimal style of approach, prevailing in current design trends. With new technology, expanded choice of materials and a return to luxurious craftsmanship, designers are embracing design with scintillating attitude, challenging aesthetic boundaries and speculating new expressions in visual codes.

Desire is an up-to-date comprehensive survey on furniture and object design today, showcasing the crème de la crème of designers culled from around the world. It presents celebrated designers who represent the Modernists, creating sophisticated designs that are redefining the formal language of Modernism, blending the restraint of form with the refined use of materials. They are featured along with the inventors; visionary designers who continue to challenge our perception of design with futuristic shapes, and the experimental, innovative and often unprecedented use of materials.

Furthermore, Desire documents a wave of designers who are practicing a more playful approach to design and producing products that are tale-telling. It introduces designers that are merging various design disciplines to produce a new, expressive language. They show references to historical events and times, follow conceptual and materials processes and are decorative in nature with visually striking shapes and graphic motifs. The book also explores the growing area of design as art, exhibiting recent work by designers who are creating provocative one-off pieces and limited editions. Produced with experimental freedom and intended for a niche market, they are entertaining in nature and exhibited at prestigious design galleries and sold at international auction houses.

With a foreword and chapter introduction texts written by Andrej Kupetz, Managing Director of the German Design Council, as well as designer profiles, this indispensable reference provides valuable insight into the current state of furniture design practice. The pioneering examples in Desire will shape the future aesthetic of product, furniture and object design and pave the way we will live in the 21st Century.

Featured designers include:
5.5 Designers, Ron Arad, Autoban, Maarten Baas, BarberOsgerby, Joost van Bleiswijk, BLESS, Jörg Boner, Bram Boo, Tord Boontje, Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec, Stephen Burks, Fernando & Humberto Campana, Committee, Christophe Delcourt, Stefan Diez, Tom Dixon, DRIFT, Kiki van Eijk, Olafur Eliasson, Thomas Feichtner, Folkform, FRONT, Martino Gamper, Konstantin Grcic, Anna Ter Haar, Ineke Hans, Jaime Hayon, Studio Job, Hella Jongerius, Max Lamb, Kwangho Lee, Mathieu Lehanneur, Leif.designpark, Doshi Levien, Studio Libertiny, Julia Lohmann, Malin Lundmark, Peter Marigold, Haldane Martin, Jason Miller, Jasper Morrison, Nendo, Ernesto Neto, Marc Newson, Patrick Norguet, o-d-a, od-v, Robert Stadler, Steven Holl Architects, Studio Makkink & Bey, STUDIOILSE, Tjep., Ünal & Böler Studio, Patricia Urquiola, Marcel Wanders, Hannes Wettstein, Dirk Winkel, WOK Media, Michael Young, Oskar Zieta and many more.