Since the early 20th century, women have been a steady force within the design world. However, their efforts by and large have gone overlooked, relegated to the shadows of those of their male counterparts. In Woman Made: Great Women Designers (Phaidon, October 2021), British architect and author Jane Hall compiles outstanding works that have greatly impacted the trajectory of design, giving female creatives the attention they deserve.

“The patriarchal nature of architecture, among many reasons, is why a large number of women leave the profession in pursuit of other focuses, which often lead many into other design disciplines,” argues Hall. “An incredibly high number of architects featured in Woman Made started out in architecture, so it felt like an apt way to make visible even more women who have done, and are continuing to, make important work that often goes unseen across all fields of design.”

The book spans designers from the early 20th century to present day, highlighting the experiences of women responsible for profound innovations. Take the modular apartments designed by Charlotte Perriand in the late 1920s, for example, which were a response to changing attitudes to family life. On a more conceptual level, Hall offers Jane Dillon’s whimsical furniture, an attempt to reclaim the home from the patriarchal gaze.

With the book, Hall aims to give credit where credit is due. “Women in design face the same types of obstacles that women in other professions experience,” she explains. “The greatest threat is that a gender bias means we are less likely to see the work of women in comparison to their male counterparts”—which makes a work like Woman Made—a compendium of pioneers and newcomers in the fields of architecture and design—all the more important. Here are just a few of the creative trailblazers highlighted in Hall’s A-to-Z primer on influential women designers.

Aino Aalto: Pressed Glass 4644 for Iittala

Bölgeblick line of affordable utility glassware. Decorative and functional, the simple ribbed exterior of each piece—inspired by the effect of a stone hitting water—allows the Press Glass 4644 to be mass produced from molds in a mechanized pressing process. The piece is still in production today." layout="wide" credit="Photo by Timo Junttila, courtesy Iittala" photoUserId=""/>

Liisi Beckmann: Karelia Easy Chair for Zanotta

Anna Castelli Ferrieri: Componibili Modular Storage System for Kartell

Carol Catalano: Capelli Stool for Herman Miller

Rossana Hu: Lan Sofa for Gan

Hella Jongerius: Polder Sofa for Vitra

Mira Nakashima: Concordia Chair

Jay Sae Jung Oh: Savage Sofa

Faye Toogood: Roly-Poly Chair for Driade

Patricia Urquiola: Tropicalia Chair for Moroso

Ionna Vautrin: Lamp TGV for SNCF

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31 Visionary Projects Proudly Designed by Women

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An Architect’s Book Spotlights the Profound Impact of Women Designers