Kurt Thut (b. 1931-2011) was born in Möriken, Switzerland. In his father’s workshop while attending the School of Art and Design in Zurich. Thut worked simultaneously as a designer, developer, design engineer and producer and made furniture that creates a positive impression thanks to its timeless and distinctive design.
Biography
He took over his Father’s workshop and turned it into a specialised industrial manufacturing company that exported products for the first time. This is how Thut Möbel AG came into being, playing designer, developer, engineer and producer. Thut belongs to that rare species of manufacturers who design their products.
Whatever sells is allowed.
Thut said about design concepts, “Whatever sells is allowed,” he explains. In 1958 Thut, Robert and Trix Haussmann and Hans Eichenberger founded Swiss Design. It was around this time that furniture from Switzerland began to achieve international fame. Thut drew inspiration for his work from the Bauhaus and met the design industry’s continually changing requirements with an approach that emphasised continuity, imagination, and functionality.
‘Foil cabinet 385’ with shelves
The renowned foil cabinet created by Kurt Thut made a significant design breakthrough in 1994. It is published and honoured everywhere. Robert Haussmann, a fellow architect, says of it, “What Thut does, Thut does well.” I completely agree because I love his inexpensive yet ingenious furniture pieces! The “Thut Foil Cabinet 385” has a very light appearance and a distinctly modern appearance. It fits a simplified style to the essentials thanks to its lightweight 26 kg design. But it also adds a lot of warmth and personality thanks to the wooden components made of natural beech. It hints at the lovely things it holds with its light transparency. However, the Dacron covering, a unique canvas, does not reveal too much.
KT-221 Bench
The KT-221 Bench, through applying steel to furniture, an iconographic, architectural construction, is objectively functionally designed. The bench, armchairs, sofas, benches, and tables are all part of a distinctive, aesthetically pleasing, seamless product family that can be used in various settings. The quilted seat and back cushions make the KT-221 Bench suitable for use in living spaces as well as lobbies and waiting areas.
Believing that good design must be simple and simple above all else, Thut’s best-known works remain true to his philosophy. The sideboard of the series 694 (1953) and the sofa KT-221 (1956) for the brand De Sede adhere to these principles.
Recognition
Thut Möbel won the Swiss Grand Prix of Design in 2009. He died in 2011.
Sources
Abendroth, U., & Polster, B. (1999). World design: 1 century, 400 designers, 1000 objects. Pavilion.
Polster, B. (2006). The A-Z of modern design. Merrell.
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