vitra | george nelson ball clock | natural beech
vitra | george nelson ball clock | natural beech
Dimensions: Diameter 33cm
Material: Wood, metal, acrylic lacquer finish.
Vitra produces a series of the clocks from George Nelson. Classics in every sense of the word. These clocks are iconic designs referenced by other clocks the world over.
The story behind the George Nelson wall clocks:
In 1947, the American designer George Nelson was commissioned to create a collection of clocks. Nelson analysed how people used clocks and concluded that they read the time by discerning the relative position of the hands, which made the use of numbers unnecessary. Furthermore, since most people wore wristwatches, he assumed that clocks had become more of a decorative element for interiors.
These ideas provided the basis for the first collection of 14 timepieces, consisting of a completely new style of wall clocks and compact table clocks, which were launched on the market in 1949. Although the models all shared one common feature – the absence of numbers – the diversity of their shapes, colours, materials and designs could hardly have been greater.
In the 35 years that followed, the designers at Nelson Associates conceived more than a hundred different clock models: wall clocks, portable table clocks and built-in clocks. After Nelson's death in 1986, his archival estate, encompassing roughly 7400 manuscripts, plans, drawings, photographs and slides dating from 1924 to 1984, was acquired by the Vitra Design Museum.
Vitra began reissuing the Nelson Clocks in 1999 and continues to expand the collection with new pieces from time to time. The Wall Clocks come in diverse shapes and materials. Equipped with high-quality quartz movements, they offer a refreshing alternative to conventional clocks – including a wide selection of different designs to suit almost every taste and fancy.
Materials: various types of wood and metal. all wood types from Poland.
High-quality quartz clock movement, 1.5 volt battery included.
Click for more ideas from BRAND | Vitra
Vitra is a Swiss company dedicated to improving the quality of homes, offices and public spaces through the power of design.
Their products and concepts are developed in an intensive design process, which brings together their engineering excellence with the creative genius of leading international designers. It is their goal to create interiors, furniture and accessories that are functional and inspiring. Longevity of materials, construction and aesthetics is their leading principle, as demonstrated by their Classics – many in continuous production since the 1950s, and collectables in their own right.
Initiatives like the Vitra Campus architecture, the Vitra Design Museum, workshops, publications, collections and archives are all integral elements of Vitra. They give them the opportunity to gain perspective and depth in all their activities.
Click for more ideas from George Nelson (designer)George Nelson is regarded as one of the most important figures in American design. Active as an architect, a product and exhibition designer and a writer, he was a leading voice in the discourse on design and architecture over several decades. Vitra is the sole authorised manufacturer of specified Nelson products for markets in Europe and the Middle East.
George Nelson, born 1908 in Hartford, Connecticut (USA), studied architecture at Yale University. A fellowship enabled him to study at the American Academy in Rome from 1932 to 1934. In Europe, he became acquainted with the major architectural works and leading protagonists of modernism.
In 1935, Nelson joined the editorial staff of the 'Architectural Forum', where he was employed until 1944. A programmatic article on residential building and furniture design, published by Nelson in a 1944 issue of the journal, attracted the attention of D.J. DePree, head of the furniture company Herman Miller, Inc. A short time later, George Nelson took on the position of Design Director at Herman Miller. Remaining there until 1972, he became a key figure of American design; in addition to creating furnishings for the home and office, Nelson also convinced the likes of Charles and Ray Eames, Isamu Noguchi and Alexander Girard to work for Herman Miller.
In 1957, Vitra founder Willi Fehlbaum signed his first licence agreement with Herman Miller to produce furniture for the European market. During the ensuing decades of the collaboration with Vitra, a close friendship evolved between George Nelson and Rolf Fehlbaum, who later said about Nelson: 'No other prominent designer spoke as intelligently or wrote as coherently about design'. Nelson expressed his thoughts on design topics in numerous articles and eleven books; his seminal treatise 'How to See' was recently reissued in a new edition by Phaidon.
‘The objective should be to keep improving one’s basic product.’ - George Nelson
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