Swiss Army Kinife

Design Classic

The Swiss Army Knife, every schoolboy’s dream, was first manufactured in the late nineteenth century. The knife is more than a simple pen knife, with its distinctive bright red body bearing the trademark white cross: it is a compact household tool kit.

Carl and Victoria Elsener created their high-quality cutlery in their small Swiss Alps factory. Their reputation multiplied, and in 1891 they were awarded a contract by Switzerland’s tiny army to supply soldiers with a sturdy knife. The straightforward design was well received, and they were awarded a second contract the following year. This time, they created the elegant, multi-purpose “Officer’s Knife” — the first million-selling version of the Swiss Army knife.

The legendary knives have now been produced by four generations of the family, based on the three original principles of high quality, versatility, and design excellence. Despite being manufactured in a variety of styles, the basic knife remained the same. The basic model is merely a collection of foldaway blades. In contrast, models like the monster “SwissChamp” include a corkscrew, can and bottle openers, nail files, screwdrivers, wood saw, pliers, scissors, toothpicks, and chisel. The knife’s long-standing popularity among scouts, campers, travellers, explorers, and fans of compact gadgetry stems from its simple premise: a miniature toolbox that folds away and fits into the palm of your hand.

Sources

McDermott, C. (1997). Twentieth-century design. Carlton.

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    Sinclair ZX80 microcomputer, personal computer, plastic/metal / electrical components, made by Sinclair Computer Ltd, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England, 1980. Sinclair ZX80 personal computer, or home computer, is a white plastic unit encasing a single printed circuit board. A small black keypad is located on the front of the unit. A QWERTY keyboard is formed by a…

  • Shoe Chair by Birgit Jürgenssen

    Shoe Chair by Birgit Jürgenssen

    Birgit Jürgenssen works with constellations and interactions influenced by gender-specific projections, physicality, and identification. Her affiliation in the feminist-oriented group DIE DAMEN (with Evelyne Egerer, Birgit Jürgenssen, ONA B., Ingeborg Strobl, and Lawrence Weiner) aided her in placing her objects between everyday life and role play. Read More →

  • Favela Armchair by the Campana Brothers

    Favela Armchair by the Campana Brothers

    They began designing products together in 1983, using waste, wood scraps, cardboard, rope, and other materials.Read More →

  • Coffee Machine 9090 – Alessi

    Coffee Machine 9090 – Alessi

    Designer: Richard Sapper The first espresso coffee maker that hasn’t been unscrewed for more than 30 years. With a handle,Read More →

  • Muffy VanderBear Portrait Chair

    Muffy VanderBear Portrait Chair

    Barbara Isenberg of New York inspected store inventories of soft toys in the mid-1970s and found them deficient. Isenberg wanted a teddy bear for her small kid that had the same quality, charm, and cozy textures as the ones she remembered from her youth. Read More →

  • Red Ball Rocking Horse by Creative Playthings

    Red Ball Rocking Horse by Creative Playthings

    This rocking “horse” was provided by Creative Playthings, an expensive educational toymaker, in the 1960s. This toy reduces the rocking horse to its bare essentials in a design that mimics Modernism, a prominent aesthetic in the mid-twentieth century. Read More →

  • Paulistano Chair by Paulo Mendes da Rocha

    Paulistano Chair by Paulo Mendes da Rocha

    A “pudding chair” that is comfortable to sit in and is flexible in all directions, including laterally. When designing this chair, the architect had that in mind. Read More →

  • Marquina Cutlery by Rafael Marquina

    Marquina Cutlery by Rafael Marquina

    The purpose of this cutlery is to avoid staining the tablecloth, the same idea that inspired Marquina to create his famous olive oil bottle. The unique handles of the knives, forks and spoons raise the part that would touch the table. The fish knife incorporates an ingenious prong for opening shellfish.Read More →

  • “Sitzmaschine” reclining armchair, model no. 670, Josef Hoffmann

    “Sitzmaschine” reclining armchair, model no. 670, Josef Hoffmann

    Josef Hoffmann’s Sitzmaschine armchair, introduced in 1905, is a symbol of modernity that blends functionality and design. The chair’s aesthetic, built in collaboration with J. & J. Kohn, is pioneer in bentwood furniture, showcasing Jugendstil’s geometric principles. The design represents an evolution in adjustable furniture, combining innovative materials with artful architecture.Read More →

  • Safety Bicycle for 19th Century Women

    Safety Bicycle for 19th Century Women

    The “safety” bicycle, initially introduced in 1887, propelled the late-nineteenth-century bicycling mania to new heights. While the regular bike needed great skill due to its giant front wheel and small rear wheel, safety bicycles could be ridden by anyone.Read More →

  • Tea and coffee set by Marguerite Friedlander

    Tea and coffee set by Marguerite Friedlander

    She designed the Hallesche Form tea and coffee set for KPM in 1930, which was a huge commercial success, especially with Trude Petri’s gold rings (1931) decor.Read More →

  • Paul Getty Center, designed by Richard Meir

    Paul Getty Center, designed by Richard Meir

    Paul Getty Center was designed by Richard Meir. It uses cutting-edge technology for book conservation, storage, and retrieval. READ MORERead More →

  • Robo-Stacker early example of ‘Recycled Design’ Movement

    Robo-Stacker early example of ‘Recycled Design’ Movement

    Robo-Stacker early example of the ‘Recycled Design’ Movement. Whirlpool washing machine drums were used to create general-purpose storage.Read More →

  • How High the Moon armchair (1986) by Shiro Kuramata

    How High the Moon armchair (1986) by Shiro Kuramata

    Shiro Kuramata’s inventive transformations of everyday industrial materials, including steel mesh, terrazzo, corrugated aluminium, and steel cables, pushed material technology to new design limits. Read More >Read More →

  • Red and Blue Armchair by Gerrit Rietveld

    Red and Blue Armchair by Gerrit Rietveld

    The Red and Blue Chair’s visual impact has ensured that it will always be a staple image in any history of twentieth-century design. It has become a metaphor for the Modern Movement along with the Schröder home.Read More →

  • Hanging Loop Chair by Lee Broom

    Hanging Loop Chair by Lee Broom

    Hanging Loop Chair by Lee Broom. Suspended from above, two brass plated steel circular hoops join to create – Hanging Hoop Chair. Read More >Read More →

  • Celebrating Timeless Design: Stellar Deals on Iconic Pieces

    Celebrating Timeless Design: Stellar Deals on Iconic Pieces

    Dwell magazine and Gear Patrol highlight iconic items in the Knoll Modern Comfort Sale, including the revolutionary Wassily Chair, innovative Bertoia Diamond Chair, and versatile Florence Knoll Coffee Table – embodying design history and forward-thinking functionality.Read More →

  • Russell Hobbs – Retro Style 2-Slice Toaster

    Russell Hobbs – Retro Style 2-Slice Toaster

    For premium toasting performance, retro styling meets modern functionality. This 2-slice toaster includes a countdown timer that displays the remaining time on the toasting cycle. The shade selector goes from 1 (light) to 6 (dark) to accommodate various tastes. Read More →

  • Table Lamp by Wilhelm Wagenfeld & Carl Jakob Jucker

    Table Lamp by Wilhelm Wagenfeld & Carl Jakob Jucker

    This object, known as the “Bauhaus lamp,” embodies the essential idea—form follows function—of the influential Bauhaus School, founded in 1919Read More →

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Le Corbusier Swiss born architect designer and theorist

Born Charles Édouard Jeanneret, Swiss-born architect, designer and theorist, Le Corbusier was one of the most influential artistic figures in 20th-century architecture, publisher of the Esprit Nouveau Modernist newspaper in 1920, author of several influential books including Vers une architecture (1923), L’art décoratif d’aujourd’hui (1925) and Les 5 points d (CIAM).

Hans Gugelot (1920 – 1965) Dutch-Swiss Product Designer

Hans Gugelot (1920 – 1965) began his career in engineering (1940-2) and architecture (1940-6) in Switzerland and was closely associated with the radical Hochschüle für Gestaltung (HfG) in Ulm, Germany, and the clean, systematic, and practical styling of Braun products in the late 1950s and 1960s.

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