Magnus Englund

Christina Schmidt

In Scandinavian Modern, Magnus Englund and Christina Schmidt of design store Skandium trace the development of the Scandinavian style, introduce key designers and take a look at some of the most stylish homes in Scandinavia. The first section, Elements, takes a lively look at Scandinavian designers and design in the context of materials: wood, glass, textiles, ceramics, and so on. The second section, Living, offers an in-depth visual survey of 12 outstanding homes in Denmark, Sweden, and Finland, ranging from modern country homes to sophisticated city-center apartments. The accompanying text provides a fascinating insight into each interior, describing its design, planning, and evolution.

Scandinavian Modern

Charlotte Fiell

Peter Fiell

Designers from Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Norway, and Iceland have long pursued the shared goal of social equality through design, believing that well-designed everyday goods not only enhance daily life, but should also be the birthright of all. Modern Scandinavian Design is the ultimate guide to the distinctive design tradition arising out of these five Nordic countries since 1925. Bestselling design authors Charlotte and Peter Fiell have extensively researched all aspects of the aesthetic, along with contributions from Magnus Englund of Skandium. With sections on architecture, furniture, lighting, glass, ceramics, metalwork, woodenware, plastics, textiles, jewelry, and graphic design, this will be an indispensable resource for any design enthusiast, collector, or casual reader seeking inspiration for their home.

Modern Scandinavian Design

Leyla Daybelge

A stunning visual biography of the life of Walter Gropius, founder of the Bauhaus, and one of the world's most influential architects This illustrated biography tells the story of Gropius's life, beginning with his shattering experiences in World War One, his turbulent marriage to the notorious Alma Mahler, the establishment of the Bauhaus, and the tragic death of their daughter Manon. After Gropius's agonized decision to leave Nazi Germany in 1933, the book explores his life in exile in London and then his move to America in 1937, where he lived and worked until his death in 1969. Features more than 375 illustrations including letters, telegrams, sketches, drawings, photographs, posters, brochures, and other ephemera. The authors present the life of Walter Gropius as not just a key figure of 20th-century architecture, but as an extraordinarily generous person - a connector, protector, and benefactor who improved the lives and careers of all those with whom he came into contact. This is the first comprehensive illustrated biography of one of Modern architecture's most important figures.

Walter Gropius, an Illustrated Biography

In the mid-1930s, three giants of the international Modern movement, Bauhaus professors Walter Gropius, Marcel Breuer and László Moholy-Nagy, fled Nazi Germany and sought refuge in Hampstead in the most exciting new apartment block in Britain. The Lawn Road Flats, or Isokon building (as it came to be known), was commissioned by the young visionary couple Jack and Molly Pritchard and designed by aspiring architect Wells Coates. Built in 1934 in response to the question ‘How do we want to live now?’ it was England’s first modernist apartment building and was hugely influential in pioneering the concept of minimal living. During the mid-1930s and 1940s its flats, bar and dining club became an extraordinary creative nexus for international artists, writers and thinkers. Jack Pritchard employed Gropius, Breuer and Moholy-Nagy in his newly formed Isokon design company and the furniture, architecture and graphic art the three produced for him and other clients during their brief sojourn in pre-war England helped shape Modern Britain. This book tells the story of the Isokon, from its beginnings to the present day, and fully examines the work, artistic networks and legacy of the Bauhaus artists during their time in Britain. The tales are not just of design and architecture but war, sex, death, espionage and the infamous dinner parties. Isokon resident Agatha Christie features in the book, as does Charlotte Perriand, working for Le Corbusier's practice, who Jack Pritchard commissioned for a pavilion design in 1930. The book is beautifully illustrated with archive photography – much of which is previously unseen – and includes the work of photographer and Soviet spy Edith Tudor-Hart, as well as plans and sketches, menus, postcards and letters from the Pritchard family archive. In Spring 2018, the Isokon building and Breuer, Gropius and Moholy-Nagy were honoured with a Blue Plaque from English Heritage. 2019 marks the centenary of the foundation of the Bauhaus, so the book is a timely celebration of European design.

Magnus Englund

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