Konstantin Grcic

Born in 1965, Konstantin Grcic was trained as a cabinet maker at The John Makepeace School in Dorset, England before studying Design at the Royal College of Art in London.

Since setting up his own practice, Konstantin Grcic Industrial Design (KGID) in Munich in 1991, he has developed furniture, products, and lighting for some of the leading companies in the field of design. Amongst his renowned clients are Authentics, BD Ediciones, ClassiCon, Flos, Magis, Maharam, Muji, Nespresso, Plank, Serafino Zani, Thomas-Rosenthal, and Vitra.

Many of Konstantin’s products have received international design awards, including the prestigious Compasso d`Oro for his MAYDAY lamp (Flos) in 2001, and for the MYTO chair (Plank) in 2011. Works by Konstantin are included in the permanent collections of the world´s most important design museums, such as MoMA in New York and the Centre Pompidou in Paris.

Konstantin has curated a number of significant design exhibitions, such as DESIGN-REAL for The Serpentine Gallery in London (2009), COMFORT for the St. Etienne Design Biennale (2010), and BLACK2 for the Istituto Svizzero in Rome (2010). Solo exhibitions of his work have been shown at the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen (Rotterdam, 2006), Haus der Kunst (Munich, 2006), The Art Institute of Chicago (2009) and most recently, at the Vitra Design Museum (Weil am Rhein, 2014).

Konstantin defines function in human terms, combining formal strictness with considerable mental acuity and humour. Each of his products is characterized by a careful research into the history of design and architecture, and his passion for technology and materials. Known for pared-down pieces, Konstantin is often called a minimalist, though the designer himself prefers to speak of simplicity.