Carl Magnusson
Encyclopedia
Carl Gustav Magnusson is an industrial designer and inventor with offices in New York City
and Switzerland
.
and grew up in Toronto
and Vancouver
, Canada
. He studied architecture and design at the University of Idaho
and at the Chalmers Institute of Technology in Gothenburg
, Sweden
. In 1966 he joined the Office of Charles and Ray Eames
in California.
In 1976 Magnusson joined Knoll as Director of Graphics and Showroom Design and was promoted to Director of Design for Europe shortly thereafter. Magnusson 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, then executive vice president, director of design in 2003.
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, PA, which houses the most comprehensive display of archival collector items by any furniture manufacturer.
Carl designed a wide range of products for Knoll, Teknion, and MoMA (co-designed with his wife, Emanuela Frattini).
His New York based firm, CGM Design serves furniture and automotive manufacturers in product development and design strategy. Founded 4 years ago, CGM Design is the recipient of fifteen design awards to date. Carl lectures on design matters for clients such as BMW, Knoll, and Waterworks.
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
.
Life and career
Carl Gustav Magnusson was born in MalmöMalmö
Malmö , in the southernmost province of Scania, is the third most populous city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg.Malmö is the seat of Malmö Municipality and the capital of Skåne County...
and grew up in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
and Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. He studied architecture and design at the University of Idaho
University of Idaho
The University of Idaho is the State of Idaho's flagship and oldest public university, located in the rural city of Moscow in Latah County in the northern portion of the state...
and at the Chalmers Institute of Technology in Gothenburg
Gothenburg
Gothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated on the west coast of Sweden, the city proper has a population of 519,399, with 549,839 in the urban area and total of 937,015 inhabitants in the metropolitan area...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. In 1966 he joined the Office of Charles and Ray Eames
Charles and Ray Eames
Charles Ormond Eames, Jr and Bernice Alexandra "Ray" Eames were American designers, who worked in and made major contributions to modern architecture and furniture. They also worked in the fields of industrial and graphic design, fine art and film.-Charles Eames:Charles Eames, Jr was born in...
in California.
In 1976 Magnusson joined Knoll as Director of Graphics and Showroom Design and was promoted to Director of Design for Europe shortly thereafter. Magnusson 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, then executive vice president, director of design in 2003.
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, PA, which houses the most comprehensive display of archival collector items by any furniture manufacturer.
Carl designed a wide range of products for Knoll, Teknion, and MoMA (co-designed with his wife, Emanuela Frattini).
His New York based firm, CGM Design serves furniture and automotive manufacturers in product development and design strategy. Founded 4 years ago, CGM Design is the recipient of fifteen design awards to date. Carl lectures on design matters for clients such as BMW, Knoll, and Waterworks.
Design Awards
- Marketplace: IIDEX/Neocon Innovation Gold Award, iF Design Award, 2007
- Synapse Chair: NeoCon Gold, Green Star Sustainability Award, Good Design Award, 2009
- Conflux Lighting: IIDX Gold Award, 2010
- A-Fold Stand: iF Award, 2011