Richard Sapper’s Many Iconic Designs

German industrial designer Richard Sapper’s contributions to modern design furniture are among the most important of his generation. His work gained acclaim for being a fusion of innovation and form simplicity with a hint of wit and surprise. During his lifetime he received numerous design awards including the prestigious Compasso d'Oro a whopping ten times.

Richard Sapper was born in Munich in 1932. He studied at and eventually graduated from the University of Munich and would soon become a designer for none other than Mercedes-Benz., working  in the styling department. In 1958. Sapper relocated to Milan where he joined forces with architect Gio Ponti and Italian upscale department store retailer La Rinascente. The following year Sapper partnered with designer and architect Marco Zanuso and the two were hired as consultants at Italian electronics company Brionvega.

During their time working together, Sapper and Zanuso created many iconic works like the Doney 14 television, the TS502 radio, and the Grillo telephone. The Grillo is known as the first phone to feature a flip down mouthpiece. The K1340 children’s chair designed for Kartell in 1964 became the first chair created in entirely in plastic. Sapper and Zanuso continued to work together on and off for nearly two decades before parting ways in 1977.

Sapper was also responsible for the design of the IBM ThinkPad, Artemide’s Tizio lamp, the office chair for Knoll, and much more. Be sure to check out some of the Richard Sapper products we have for sale.

This update is provided by CA Modern Home, offering an extensive selection of modern home furniture by many respected brands and designers like Richard Sapper.  Call us at 1-800-605-1859 for any sales inquiries or more information on furniture by Eames, George Nelson, and the many other iconic designers.