On Saturday I attended a design talk at Tom Gibbs Studio. The talk was part of Design Core's Month of Design programming. The discussion centered around the role Michigan furniture designers played in shaping modern design.
The talk served to place the state of Michigan and the mid-century into context. The speakers included Tom Gibbs, a mid-century furniture dealer who hosted the event at his retail space, Tom Gibbs Studio, Isabelle Weiss, the founder and owner of Next:Space and Paula Schubatis, a painter, textile artist and designer.
The group focused on the impact of "good design" created by Michigan designers, and branched out further to eventually become a design movement.
The talk was based on what the panel deemed the five tenents of good design:
-Finding New Forms
-Material Experimentation
-Technological
-Intelligent Minimalism
-Meat & Potatoes
-Finding New Forms
-Material Experimentation
-Technological
-Intelligent Minimalism
-Meat & Potatoes
The designers of the Modern Movement emphasized these five practices. Michigan designers such as Saarinen, Knoll and the Eames' used these principles to create their furniture . The use of these elements in Mid-Century design set the precedent for innovative design in the 20th century that is used to inform the contemporary designs of today.
