Carl Magnusson

Background

Carl Gustav Magnusson was born in Malmö, Sweden and grew up in Toronto and Vancouver, Canada.

Education

He studied architecture and design at the University of Idaho and at the Chalmers Institute of Technology in Gothenburg, Sweden.

Career

In 1966 he joined the Office of Charles and Ray Eames in California and shortly thereafter opened his own design practice in Rudolf Schindler"s studio on Kings Road in West Hollywood, California. Knoll

In 1976 Magnusson joined Knoll as Director of Graphics and Showroom Design and was promoted to Director of Design for Europe shortly thereafter. He designed Knoll showrooms in London, Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Zurich, Florence, Rome, Amsterdam and Turin.

In 1993 when he was named Senior Vice President, Director of Design Worldwide, and, in 2003, Executive Vice President, Director of Design.

He established the Knoll Design Symposium at Cranbrook Academy of the Arts in Bloomfield Hills and in 1997. He co-founded The Knoll Museum in East Greenville, Pennsylvania, which houses the most comprehensive display of archival collector items by any furniture manufacturer.

In 2005, the Magnussons founded CGM Design which serves furniture and automotive manufacturers in product development and design strategy. He has lectured on design matters for Bayerische Motoren Werke, Knoll, Maharam, American Institute of Architects and Waterworks, among others

"Everything that I do has a certain mechanical logic to it, and follows my definition of design--which is function with cultural content." - Carl Magnusson

“Cultural content imbues the item with our history, our inescapable style of our time and its values.

Yet, a designed object must meet the functional and manufacturing cost requirements that allow customers to afford lieutenant If the price is prohibitive then what function does it perform?” - Carl Magnusson.

Achievements

• Contract Magazine Legend Award, 2012 MAST Monitor Arm System for Teknion: Chicago Atheneum Good Design Award A-Fold: iF Product Design Award Conflux Lighting: Green Good Design Award IIDEX Gold Award, Neocon Gold Award for Lighting iF Design Award,Building Magazine: Grand Award for Innovation. Innovation Award Lighting for energy efficiency Synapse Chair: NeoCon GoldGreen Star Sustainability AwardGood Design AwardBloom Award for Furniture (American Society Of Interior Designers and Interiors and Sources) IIDEX/Neocon Marketplace: Innovation Gold Awardthe iF Design Award Pacific Design Center Lifetime Achievement Award.

Views

Quotations: "Everything that I do has a certain mechanical logic to it, and follows my definition of design--which is function with cultural content." - Carl Magnusson

“Cultural content imbues the item with our history, our inescapable style of our time and its values. Yet, a designed object must meet the functional and manufacturing cost requirements that allow customers to afford lieutenant If the price is prohibitive then what function does it perform?” - Carl Magnusson.