"Luxury starts where functionality ends and where the true value is personal and so has no price or reason."
Marcel Wanders, Designer
Marcel Wanders tops the list of my favorite designers of all time. From the Netherlands and born in 1963, he started his career in 1988 and became popular because of an iconic chair he designed for Droog Design in 1996. Now his name is linked to designs for such big companies such as B&B Italia, Bisazza, Poliform, Moroso, Flos, Boffi, Cappellini, Droog Design, and Mooi of which he is also art director and co-owner.
"I think Humor is a beautiful way to get connected to people and to get their attention for the things I really like"
You can recognize alot of his work through "the nose" impression he displays in most of his accessories which is his humorous approach in communicating his designs and thoughts. He is also known for his very intricate and unique design style manifested through use of lace patterns and variety in scales and proportions.
His latest release has been "The Hero" pin , on the occasion of its production he told the story behind it :
"Around twenty years ago I made a small jewel for my then girlfriend and big love. She was very ill at the time and it was not always clear if we could become old together or not. She was, in ways more than myself, the hero of us two and one day I wanted to tell her this. Or more so, let her feel this and show it to her. I made a beautiful small pin with nothing more than four letters: hero. She was, and still is to this day, a hero to me. For a long time I dreamed of sharing this pin with a lot of people. Co-operating with a Dutch magazine called Libelle, I did include the pin in their magazine and was able to reach 500.000 readers and so another 500.000 heroes. The Hero Pin (translated as Held in Dutch) was meant to inspire people exploring what their most important values are. To be able to find these, recognize them in others and let them know by rewarding them with this hero pin. A small jewel that makes people look for the qualities they value most in people.
Marcel Wanders"
His signature interior design projects are:
Westerhuis (Amsterdam, NL)
Mondrian South Beach (USA, Miami),
Mondrian (USA, Las Vegas)
Villa Moda Store (Bahrain)
In addition to his product designs and design projects, Marcel Wanders is partner in an internationally recognized entertainment concept along with award winner choreographer Nannine Linning known as "Happy Hour Chandelier". It’s a 20 minute performance where a dancing "angel" is hanging upside down from a chandelier designed by Marcel Wanders. The remaining details are shown on their website.
Sources: Marcel Wanders