The Impact of a Woman

As the industry moves towards gender parity, it’s heartening to see a swell of accomplished women at the top of their game, now heading up their own studios, agencies and ateliers, getting the big projects and commissions from the major players. In recent past, most design devotees could namecheck Eileen Gray, Charlotte Perriand, Florence Knoll, Ray Eames, Andree Putman, Greta Grossman, and perhaps a few others, but that was about it.

That’s not the case today. The women at the top provide a profound trickle-down effect. The bigger assignments these architects and designers take on, the more prominent the exposure they receive from the media. The more their work is recognized by awards and collected by the great institutions (thank you MoMA), the greater numbers of younger women applying to architecture and design schools. A virtuous circle, indeed.

The impact of diversity usually takes a generation or two to really show. But it’s clear the past year has jumpstarted new theories of design, and a shift in thinking - and we’re tracking that today.

Read on

Urquiola heads up her own studio in Milan, but her work is truly international, and includes das Stue Hotel (Berlin) and Mandarin Oriental Hotel (Barcelona) and showrooms for BMW. Her furniture designs, like the Dalia Chair and Sisters Coffee Table (both for Coedition) would fit beautifully inside a 2024 collaborative work space and her Zant 06 Barstool (Very Wood) has a playful flair which lends itself to modern modes of working.

Riffing on gender again, in an interview with designboom Urquiola wryly commented: “I like to work for passionate entrepreneurs, who give me a precise briefing and like to discuss it, people who are able to have fun but I do not have many desires – this is very masculine - often desires transform themselves into frustration.”

You can see this direction most clearly in her Perching Stools by Artifort. With hand-stitched leather saddles over a wire frame, they are light enough to be mobile, yet sturdy enough for a proper team brainstorm or long lingering lunches.

Technology has liberated the office dweller from the office environment, but workers still need to be well served by seating. This has brought up novel ideas in furniture design - how do we want to sit/stand/browse now and get tasks done with our devices? How can furniture evolve to support new ways of working? We looked to some female designers for answers there too.

You see this design evolution in pieces such as their Labanca Sofa (Tacchini) - a strong, geometric, and modular concept, which, with a gently slanted backrest, lends itself well to fun future-of-work conversations (when we’re allowed to sit next to each other on sofas again). In contrast, the Bugatti Chair (Sovet) is a singular statement piece, its sleek lines conveying a quiet and assured power.

In an interview with Ears Asia, Hu said: “I think people talk a lot about sustainability [but] I think one of the easiest ways to sustainability [is to] make things last [and] reuse. It's a very sensible and common sense way of making your environment sustainable. For example if a shopping center ceases to exist as a viable commercial center, then you can see a theater taking over or a church or a school as the building is already there and the structures are already there.”

This eco-aware ethos comes through in the atelier’s vivid reimagining of the historic 1910s police HQ in Shanghai, into a multi-functional retail/workspaces hub to showcase the best of Chinese design.

In her furniture designs, Boeri utilized innovative forms and materials, including amorphous shapes and soft, integrated upholstery, most notably for the modular Strips Sofa and the Botolo Chair (Arflex). The former won the Compasso d'Oro industrial design award and was chosen for the Milan Triennale’s permanent collection. Although the Strips collection was created in the 1970s, it looks shockingly modern - and right - for both contemporary homes and (cooler than everyone else’s) offices.

To achieve this, each of Refer’s collections centers on a chandelier - such as Miira 8 Circular (Nuura), featuring opal white mouth-blown glass domes, and the Apiales 18 Brushed Brass - Gold - as its focal point. Under the glow of her work, it does feel as if the light outside just crept in through the window to rest within.

In the same interview, Henriksen said that expanding beyond geographical boundaries is crucial to designers today: “It is through travel, encounter and confrontation with other people with different backgrounds and stories that it all matters. It is in this exchange of cultural imprint that the future gets its direction and shape. Transformation needs differentiation and motivation from outside a given structure or pattern.”

Cross-cultural fusion is key to architect Stine Gam, from GamFratesi (alongside Enrico Fratesi), a firm known for their iconic Beetle seating collection (Gubi): In an interview with Finland’s Design Stories Gam said: “We're a combination of Scandinavian, simple harmony, and on the other hand, Italian exuberance and openness. This spontaneous fusion of two worlds is our strength.”

Strength is much-needed right now. Design can facilitate a human-centered approach to building a life that works. Sustainability and yes, poetic resonance, are equally important. Urban engagement, gender parity in design firms and a merging of indoor/outdoor spaces to improve airflow and functionality - these are keywords as we move forwards.

So let’s look to female architects and designers to build a better future for our industry, and let the impact of women shine through.

Article by Sophia Stuart