1920 until today

A comprehensive and entertaining overview of 100 years of design from 1920-2020: from everyday utilitarian furniture to avant-garde icons - and a look at the first real classics of the 21st century!

Insider knowledge, tops and flops: why do some ideas become real design classics and why don't others make it?

For design lovers and interior design fans: The perfect gift and a must-have for everyone who loves beautiful things!


Which designer pieces should you definitely know? How did the XY lamp or the Y chair have a lasting influence on further development? Who were the people behind these innovations? And: What does a new development have to have in order to be successful on the market? These and many other questions are answered in the book 100 and ½ Design Things That Make Our Lives More Beautiful. It deals with 100 and 1/2 design objects that have had a great influence on the respective product world or design history in general by virtue of their design and/or function.

The accomplished author Silke Pfersdorf, a well-known columnist on this very topic in Living at home, guarantees that the products have been knowledgeably curated and the texts are as substantial as they are entertaining. She knows the connections very well and provides the reader with an overview of the seemingly impenetrable flood of designer pieces: What should one know? What is better to forget? Which classic piece can still be found in the design of every other piece? And which piece has perhaps unjustly fallen into oblivion?

In addition, there is a lot of attractive picture material including design sketches, portraits of many well-known and some unknown designers as well as numerous exciting anecdotes from the sewing box of design history. Spotlights are cast, but cross-connections are always drawn, thus providing an en passant overview of the history of design.

A selection of designers:
Design legends such as Charles & Ray Eames, Verner Panton, Alexander Girard, George Nelson and other protagonists of classical modernism such as Le Corbusier, Gerrit Rietveld, Charlotte Perriand or Marcel Breuer. Post-war greats such as Finn Juhl, Gilbert Rohde, Pierre Paulin or Gae Aulenti, but also post-modern and contemporary designers such as Philippe Starck, Marcel Wanders or Konstantin Grcic.

Conclusion:
With expert analysis, great photography and a huge selection of well-known and unusual objects, this book explains what makes truly great design and reveals the hidden stories behind the everyday things that surround us. A true celebration of classic design.