Who are the people who exert such an influence over the way that we live today? Who are the men and women responsible for designing the razor we shave with, the chair that we sit on, or the hotel that we stay in? And when we probe to find the person behind the brand, what do we discover about how they choose to live? Do they practise what they preach? The answers to these questions are not straightforward, but are explored through the photographs and the designer's own words within this book.

What should 'home' look like today? The intimate spaces of the most influential designers of our time are revealed in over 200 specially taken photographs by Grant Scott. We discover how they work,relax and are inspired by their personal and professional surroundings,with plenty of surprises, from the Bouroullec brothers' carpenter's workshop in a Parisian suburb to Harry Allen's converted mortuary in Manhattan.

An international and diverse group of people, these designers are among those who lead and shape our every design decision - from the chairs we sit on to the hotel room we sleep in. Their philosophies are revealed through the pertinent question and answer section,in which they share their ideas on design, their own space, who or what has inspired them, how they work, how we live and how we may be living in the future.

This book, itself a certain classic with a contemporary feel, is a unique opportunity for all those professionally involved in - or just passionate about - design to discover what the world's leading shapers of taste choose for themselves in creating their own personal space.

introduction

alberto alessi

The Italian patron of

innovative design who

has brought names such

as Philippe Starck to the

high street and made

Alessi a word that defines

witty, simple and elegant

product design.

harry allen

This New York-based

product and interior

designer is renowned for

his experimentation with

materials and industrial

processes. He is seen

by many as the spiritual

descendant of both

Charles and Ray Eames.

azumis

The East London-based

Japanese husband and

wife team whose trademark

pieces show a lightness of

touch and a cool elegance

that has brought them

international recognition.

yves behar

With his San Francisco-

based company

fuseproject, Behar

approaches the business

of design with a complex

intellectual rigour,

cultural sensitivity and

technological curiosity

to create internationally

award-winning products.

the bouroullec brothers

Discovered by Giulio

Cappellini, these anarchic

French brothers have

taken the world of design

by the scruff of the neck

and made it take notice

of their unique vision.

boym

A husband and wife team

based in New York who

find inspiration in Curious

George, a cute little

monkey who is driven

by curiosity to play and

experiment with elements

within his environment.

It is this inspiration that

drives their much-

acclaimed work.

piero busnelli

The founder of B&B

Italia, a touchstone of

contemporary Italian

elegance since the

1960s and now a multi-

million pound global

furniture business.

the campana brothers

The Sao Paulo-based

brothers who have put

Brazilian design on the

map. Ebullient, colourful

and offbeat designers

whose work is already

being seen as having

achieved iconic status.

matali crasset

With her 'Joan of Arc' hair

cut, Crasset is both poet

and anarchist, provocateur

and playmate. Her work

defies the fashionable

mores of her profession

to create beautifully logical

solutions in previously

unimaginable ways.

robin day

The grandfather of British

modernist design, Day

was a leader in the use of

plastics in domestic design

and the designer behind

the ubiquitous school chair.

droog

The perfect combination

of Gijs Bakker, a Dutch

design hero, and Renny

Ramakers, an art critic/

historian. Theory meets

design and produces some

of the most contemporary

and challenging work

to come out of Europe.

gitta gschwendtner

Born in Hamburg, but

now living in London,

Gschwendtner's work

shows a witty attitude

with a mature assurance.

marti guixe

The man who designs the

Camper shoe shops and

whose freeform use of

illustration and typography

is typically contemporary

Spanish. His work is fun,

inclusive and imaginative.

sam hecht

With his company

Industrial Facility,

Hecht produces work

for clients as diverse as

the high street retailer

Muji in Japan and the

heavyweight industrial

design partnership Ideo

in San Francisco.

matthew hilton

From the metal

candlestick that helped

define British design in the

1980s to his recent period

as designer-in-residence

with Habitat, Hilton is a

quiet but constant force

in British design.

joseph holtzman

The founder, editor and

owner of the award-

winning magazine Nest.

Based in New York,

his eccentric magazine

brought together weird,

wonderful, traditional and

just plain odd interiors

from around the world.

enzo marl

The political and social

conscience of Italian

design has been safe in

the hands of Marl for over

sixty years. The man who

other designers name

check is still working and

is as vital today as ever.

david mellor

Best known for his work

in Sheffield steel and his

flagship London kitchen

store, but his influence

is greater than most

people realize. He is the

man who also designed

the modern-day traffic

light, the motorway light,

the bus shelter and the

park bench.

jay osgerby

A young Londoner who

came straight out of the

Royal College of Art in

London to international

acclaim as one half of

Barber Osgerby. Jerwood

Prize winners in 2004, their

strong aesthetic creates

instant classics.

dieter rams

Chief designer for the

German company Braun

from 1955 to 1995, he

has designed everything

from a razor blade to a

door handle. We all own

something by Rams.

karim rashid

From New York to Athens

and from Milan to Brighton,

Rashid's use of colour,

shape and form is loud,

bright and unmistakable.

He has designed over

1,000 products and fits

as many words into

a sentence.

jerszy seymour

Based in Milan, Seymour

was originally from Londor

and moved to Berlin.

Scum, Fuck and Captain

Lovetray all feature in his

work. From glass vases

to fibreglass cars, society

and its ills can be seen

in everything he does.

all tayar

Originally from Istanbul,

Tayar now lives and works

in New York. He brings

a modernist twist to his

Turkish roots in all that he

designs, from restaurant

interiors to candleholders.

terence woodgate

A skydiver who lives

in deepest Sussex,

Woodgate's clean lines

and traditional materials

have become signature

details in his highly

resolved work.

q&a section

thanks