Most influential furniture designers of all time

What do we mean by an influential furniture designer? The answer is clear, someone who came up with a new design that had never been seen before in the market. But it is not as simple as something new, he has to change the decorators' idea and force other designers to "copy" his design.

In this article, we are going to pick out some of those who for Woodabu are the best designers who changed the furniture market forever. Their designs have also influenced the creation of some of our works such as wooden bed headboards.

Paolo Buffa

Paolo Buffa is one of the most recognized Italian designers, in the middle of the last century he began to mix his rectilinear and subtle shapes in hardwoods to achieve modern furniture without abandoning the classic and traditional.

The world of furniture took a turn in the twentieth century with the famous Paolo Buffa, a Milanese known for his expensive and elaborate neoclassical designs.

He also stood out for his way to be more efficient in manufacturing, continuously collaborating with different cabinetmakers in the Milan area, thus managing to make furniture that previously could only be afforded by the wealthiest people cheaper.

 

 Chairs by Paolo Buffa

Aldo Tura

Another famous Italian is Aldo Tura, a designer who in the mid-twentieth century surprised with his work on tables and lamps.

In the 1940s, most designers aspired to mass production, but Aldo Tura always kept an artisanal idea. He can be considered a creator of unique pieces, more artist than entrepreneur.

Nicknamed "The master of parchment" for the use of this wood in his furniture, he died in 1963 and is remembered for his handcrafted signature furniture.

Table designed by Aldo Tura

Wendell Castle

This American sculptor and furniture designer is characterized by his colorful and daring style and his use of a multitude of materials, wood, fiberglass and plastic.

He ended up becoming an iconic designer, and for 40 years he was one of the most recurrent designers. His creations were highly original and very expressive.

Outside of all traditional design, Wendell crafted his pieces by hand, and is perhaps the first of the artistic furniture designers.

His designs may seem very whimsical, but his pieces were always very functional.

Design by Wendell Castle

Gio Ponti

This Italian master creator of Cassina Supperleggera chairs was a global creator, not only of furniture, which he came to by chance. His groundbreaking designs established him as one of the most influential designers of all time.

More than 100 companies are still selling their furniture after more than 50 years.

Chair design by Gio Pont

Gio Ponti completely renewed Italian design after World War II. Without losing his idea of what Italy meant, this architect and designer has bequeathed us buildings and furniture that will belong to the history of art forever.

The Eames

Surely the most influential of their time, Charles and Ray Eames, will always be remembered for their "Lounge Chair and Ottoman.Lounge Chair and Ottoman"designed in 1956. This historic combination of plywood and black leather marked a before and after in furniture design.

I think we all know this iconic chair, it was a pioneering design, but we should also remember his children's chair, Elephant and the Eames DSW chair. 

Lounge Chair and Ottoman (Photo by Kevin A. Roberts)

His technique for shaping and bending wood was revolutionary: pressurized heat together with veneer sheets and resin glue, allowed him to create very original design furniture for the time.

Designs of the Elephant chair were on display at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. The original chair was made of wood, but in 2007, Vitra made it in plastic.

Eileen Gray

Our last two designers are women, one of them is Eileen Gray, who unfortunately did not get the recognition she deserved until a very advanced age, but with the passing of time, some really memorable designs have been recognized.

Eileen was an art gallery owner who in the first half of the 20th century began designing furniture, one of the most popular of which was the E-1027 table, made of metal and glass, which had an adjustable height to adapt to different uses.

Eileen Gray - table E-1027

 

Apart from important collaborations with other designers, this is his best known work, there was a time when he sold more than a thousand of these tables monthly.

Florence Knoll

Any furniture design aficionado knows the Florence Knoll sofa, perhaps one of the most important sofas in the history of design. This American designer and architect was very famous in the 1950s.

Her work was not limited to furniture design, but she was a creator of spaces, in fact she was the one who changed the offices, attributing them an efficient and modernist design.

In 1954, to his acclaimed sofa, he later added the Lounge chair, the set is called Lounge collection, which is still manufactured in his studio.

Florence Knoll - 3 seater sofa

For our Woodabu team these are some of the designers who have changed the way we understand furniture. Innovation and design that have inspired many generations and that we still have in one way or another in our homes.