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Vitra begins with the production of Eames furnishings and establishes contact with the Eames Office, a landmark in the evolution of Californian modernism. Its utopian spirit is reflected in the dissolution of seemingly immutable distinctions between work and play, collecting and research, art and science, curiosity and responsibility.
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Even though in the design business Nelson had always enjoyed acting as an outsider and liked to make the claim that it was only by accident that he had become a designer, it was as an insider that he wrote his articles about design by basing what he wrote on his personal experiences.
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Early on, Vitra had made it its business to contemplate the nature of the workplace. The very first office furniture programme embraced by Vitra as the European distributor is recognised as the original open-plan furniture system.
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Dieter Rams, long-time head designer at Braun, talks about the development of the design process within the Kronberg company.
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Vitra has always been convinced that part of the value and utility of a piece of furniture is naturally contingent on the assurance that neither its production, nor its use, nor its disposal has a harmful effect on the consumer. The essential task of design is defined as much by ecology as it is by beauty and functionality. If the relationship of an object with nature is toxic, then it doesn't work at all.
The task group “Vitra and the Environment” was established in 1986. Yet this date does not mark the beginning of Vitra's efforts to protect the environment. They existed even before there was a term for it.
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Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec spent four years working on a chair whose structure is derived from the growth of plants. Here is a sneak preview of the unusual design of Vegetal – and a documentation of the complex design process.
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We again have to ask ourselves what it is really all about. Ours is a service profession, but over the last few decennia, that has been pushed back, out of sight.
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Alongside Sottsass and Memphis, the Vitra Collection also features Panton and Kuramata, Aalto and Arad, as well as Pesce and Colombo. It even stretches back to the early days of industrial production, with, for example Thonet, and further still. A company less driven by curiosity would ask: Why invest so much time and effort in preserving a heritage one can also regard as economic competition?
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Slow Chair, designed by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec for the Vitra Home Collection. It not only looks great but is extremely comfortable – its transparent, three-dimensionally knitted covering made from elastic polyester yarn constitutes a technical innovation that is challenging technicians and designers alike.
