Collection by Olivia Martin

The Making of Modern Furniture

We chat with the designers and the factories who produce some of the most iconic pieces of furniture. Plus, learn the real cost of rip-offs.

The designer in his iconic Risom lounge chair.
The designer in his iconic Risom lounge chair.
Inga Sempé stands aloof and alight by both the tall and short versions of the Lampe Plate for Cappellini in 2001.
Inga Sempé stands aloof and alight by both the tall and short versions of the Lampe Plate for Cappellini in 2001.
The physically taxing job of assembling the final product is most frequently handled by men in the factory, but Laurence is a nimble, notable exception. After assembling the sofa and fluffing the cover she readies it for shipping and boxes it up.
The physically taxing job of assembling the final product is most frequently handled by men in the factory, but Laurence is a nimble, notable exception. After assembling the sofa and fluffing the cover she readies it for shipping and boxes it up.
At the Fritz Hansen factory in Denmark, a worker inspects the paint finish of a Series 7 chair in front of a wall displaying just some of the wood and color options available.
At the Fritz Hansen factory in Denmark, a worker inspects the paint finish of a Series 7 chair in front of a wall displaying just some of the wood and color options available.
Here's how a designer makes money: One day she dreams up a chair. She spends months developing the concept, selecting materials, devising the exact curve of the arm, the dip of the back. Satisfied with the piece, she works with a manufacturer to produce it. The manufacturer refines the design, invests in tooling to build it, promotes it, and gets it to market. You, the consumer, buy it. This is an original, authentic design. We discuss why knockoff furnishings may be cheap, but for the design industry, they come with a heavy price.
Here's how a designer makes money: One day she dreams up a chair. She spends months developing the concept, selecting materials, devising the exact curve of the arm, the dip of the back. Satisfied with the piece, she works with a manufacturer to produce it. The manufacturer refines the design, invests in tooling to build it, promotes it, and gets it to market. You, the consumer, buy it. This is an original, authentic design. We discuss why knockoff furnishings may be cheap, but for the design industry, they come with a heavy price.
Eero Saarinen 

The junior Saarinen’s debut as a furniture designer—at age 20—came with a commission for most of the furnishings at Cranbrook’s Kingswood Middle School for Girls in Michigan. (His father, Eliel, designed the campus.) His 1930 auditorium armchair, made of tubular chromed steel and wood with light-green woven upholstery, has a cantilevered seat, like Mies van der Rohe’s Brno chair from the same year.
Eero Saarinen The junior Saarinen’s debut as a furniture designer—at age 20—came with a commission for most of the furnishings at Cranbrook’s Kingswood Middle School for Girls in Michigan. (His father, Eliel, designed the campus.) His 1930 auditorium armchair, made of tubular chromed steel and wood with light-green woven upholstery, has a cantilevered seat, like Mies van der Rohe’s Brno chair from the same year.