Jasper Morrison

Jasper Morrison, born 1959 in London, is one of today's most significant industrial designers, recognised for his spare, elegant and wry style. In 1986, just a year after graduating from the Royal College of Art, he opened his Office for Design, in London. Always keen to work with fellow designers, he formed the Utilism collective in the mid 80s with Andreas Brandolini. Morrison has become a leading figure of "New Simplicity", which champions a more modest, serious design philosophy.

In addition to furniture, he has designed lamps, home accessories, textiles, a tram system for the city of Hanover, and a bus shelter for the Vitra Campus in Weil am Rhein. He cites his early inspirations as his grandfather's airy, modernist study, an Eileen Gray exhibition and the work of modernist pioneers Buckminster Fuller, Gerald Summers, Jean Prouvé and Le Corbusier. In 1988, Morrison designed a room set for the Berlin Design Werkstadt exhibition Eshewing any excess, ‘Some New Items For The House’ consisted of chairs, tables, a chaise longue, four walls and a door made from plywood. Simple, everyday items, yes. But notable for the quiet intelligence with which Morrison had refined them. While working with Vitra and Cappellini, he has also collaborated with design brands as diverse as Flos, Magis, Rosenthal, Alessi and the egalitarian Muji.

He collaborated with Swiss Architects Herzog & de Meuron, to furnish the public spaces in London's Tate Modern museum. In the spirit of enduring design partnerships, Morrison has contributed many pieces to Vitra for home and office, including the ATM desk system, the Park Sofa and Armchair, and the Soft Sim range. In 2009, Morrison augmented this collaboration with the Place Sofa, Monopod and the Basel Chair.