Kristian Vedel (designer)

Kristian Solmer Vedel graduated from the Danish School of Arts and Crafts and Industrial Design and continued to lecture at the same institution.After having been professor at University of Nairobi 1968-72 he returned to Denmark and became part of the Scandinavian Design movement. Influenced by Kaare Klint and the German Bauhaus school, his classically modern designs are characterized by a creative use of materials, especially plastics and wood, and with a strong sense for ergonomic and functional requirements. A typical example is his children's furniture, which could be adapted to a growing child and turned over to be used as a toy. In all respects, the furniture was designed for children according to their particular needs, rather than just being a miniature version of adult furniture.In an interview, Kristian Vedel stated his position as follows: The starting point for an architect's work must always be that he, from his own point of view, and as objectively as possible, takes a position with regard to what he perceives as the needs of society and his fellow man; he must personally take a stand with regards to existing possibilities and responsibilities.Among many other awards, Kristian Vedel received the silver medal at La Triennale di Milano for children's furniture (1957), a gold medal at La Triennale di Milano for his line of stackable melamine dishes and containers and the Lunning Prize (1962).