Book Report: Every Thing Design

The moment we read a New York Times review of Every Thing Design, a 864 page tome dedicated to the Museum of Design‘s collection in Zurich, we knew we had to get our hands on it.  With close to six hundred images and measuring five inches wide, six inches long and two and a half inches thick, this is no ordinary coffee table book.  But don’t judge this book by its cover (a picture of the Rex vegetable peeler, an iconic Swiss object) as there’s so much more inside!

Amsterdam-based Irma Boom, the book’s designer, is known for her adventurous creations, each a “treasure trove of colors, shapes, textures and even smells” according to the New York Times’ Alice Rawsthorn.  While in the past, Irma has experimented with scented bindings and making her own paper, this time she’s chosen to give us a tour of design history through intriguing, and often connected images.

For example, a 1968 Balenciaga cocktail dress is placed side by side a pair of 1903 Baccarat vases – both decorated with a similar floral pattern.  Or an Aristide Colotte 1930’s vase emulating the design of turn-of-the-century Peter Behrens plates.  Even a Knoll wire chair is shown in the context of a Louis Majorelle bergere.

Every Thing Design is a delight to the visual senses and sure to become a pictorial classic!

Photos from the Museum of Design and Amazon