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.
More Swiss Designers
-
Max Ernst Haefeli (1901-1976) – Swiss architect and designer
Max Ernst Haefeli (1901-1976) was a Swiss architect and designer born in Zurich. He worked in the Otto Bartning studio in Berlin between 1923-24.Read More →
-
Mattia Bonetti (b. 1953) Blurring Boundaries between Art and Design
Bonetti worked as a stylist and photographer before becoming a furniture designer. He began creating furniture in 1979. Every piece he creates starts with a freehand sketch that is subsequently constructed. Read More →
-
Hermann Obrist (1862-1927), Swiss Sculptor and Designer
Hermann Obrist was a Swiss sculptor and designer. He was most active in Germany. A leading figure in the evolution of Jugendstil in Munich, Obrist was inspired by the Arts and Crafts Movement, which he had experienced when he visited Britain in 1897.Read More →
-
Max Bill (1908 – 1994) – Swiss painter, sculptor, architect, designer, teacher, and writer
Max Bill (1908 – 1994) was a Swiss painter, sculptor, architect, designer, teacher, and writer. He studied at the Bauhaus from 1927 to 1929, then returned to Switzerland, primarily in Zurich. He saw himself as primarily an architect, but he worked in several fields, with the ultimate goal of bringing the various branches of the…
-
Jean Dunand: A Master of Sculpture, Metalwork, and Lacquer Artistry
Jean Dunand is a Swiss sculptor, metalworker, and artisan. He was born in 1877 in La Chaux-de-Fonds and died on the 27th of December 1942.Read More →
-
William Lescaze: A Journey Through Architecture and Design
William Lescaze, a Swiss architect and designer, revolutionized the field of architecture and design with his visionary approach and innovative creations. He established his own practice in New York City in 1923 and collaborated with architects like George Howe, creating groundbreaking projects like the Philadelphia Savings Fund Society building. Lescaze also excelled in furniture and…
-
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 UlmRead More →
-
Kurt Thut (1931 – 2011) Swiss Designer and Manufacturer
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 improved his carpentry skills.Read More →
-
Mario Botta (b.1943) Swiss Architect and Designer
While the space arrangements in this structure are inconsistent, its relationship to its site, separation of living from service spaces, and deep window recesses echo his stark, robust and towering style. Read More →
-
Alpine Eagle XL Chrono – Design Classic 🥇
The Alpine Eagle collection of sporty-chic timepieces stretches its wings, embracing a flyback chronograph in a new 44 mm diameter case for the first time. The Alpine Eagle XL Chrono clock with the integrated bracelet is inspired by the might of the eagle and the beauty of the Alps, as is the complete series.Read More…
-
Hannes Wettstein (1958 – 2008) Swiss Furniture Designer
He started to work for Cassina in 1994 with his Juno bed, and some more recent projects were presented in 2003. Since 1991 he also taught; he was a lecturer at the ETH of Zurich and taught at the Hochschule fur Gestaltung in Karlsruhe.Read More →
-
Penguin Book Covers (1946 – 1949) Designer: Jan Tschichold
Tschichold created new standards of text arrangement and style that inspired all of the British postwar graphic design, although only working for the publication for three years. Then, with the formulation of the “Penguin Composition Rules,” he was able to apply Modernist theory to the requirements of book manufacturing.Read More →
-
Wolfgang Weingart – Swiss Typographer and Designer
He was dubbed “the father” of New Wave or Swiss Punk typography . LEARN MORERead More →
-
Johannes Itten (1888 – 1967) Swiss designer colour theorist
Itten was a founding member of the Weimar Bauhaus, along with German-American painter Lyonel Feininger and German sculptor Gerhard Marcks, under the guidance of German architect Walter Gropius. TELL ME MORERead More →
-
Jan Tschichold (1902 – 1974) – Swiss Typographer
German-born, Tschichold is one of the most outstanding and influential typographers of the 20th century, He cleared away the old typography of pre-1925 and made room for a modern, structured and regulated new typography. His work is characterised by rigorous structure, asymmetrical placement of contrasting elements, and layouts based on horizontal and vertical underlying grids.Read…
-
Carl J. Jucker (1902 – 1997) Swiss metalworker
Carl J.Jucker was a metal worker from Switzerland. He studied at the Kunstgewerbeschule, Zürich, from 1918-1922. He studied under Muche between 1922 and 1923. He studied at Bauhaus with Christian Dell, Paul Klee and László Moholy-Nagy.Read More →
-
Sigfried Giedion (1888 – 1968) – Swiss art historian and designer
Sigfried Giedion (1888-1968) was a Swiss art historian and designer. He was born in Prague. Read More →
-
Marianne Straub Swiss weaver and designer
Marianne Straub began weaving as a child and later trained under Heinrich Otto Hürlimann Between 1928-31, at the Kunstgewerbeschule, Zürich. Between 1932-33, she was involved with machine production, at Bradford Technical College.Read More →
-
Gertrud Preiswerk 🇨🇭 Swiss textile designer
Gertrud Preiswerk was a Swiss textile designer she was born in Basel. Between 1926 and 1930, she trained in-the weavingRead More →
-
Herbert Matter (1907 – 1984) Swiss Designer and Photographer
Herbert Matter (April 25, 1907 – May 8, 1984) was a Swiss-born American photographer and graphic designer known for his pioneering use of photomontage in commercial art.Read More →
You may also be interested in
Gustave-Louis Jaulmes (1873 – 1959) – Swiss architect and designer – Encyclopedia of Design
Gustave-Louis Jaulmes (1873 – 1959) was a Swiss architect and designer. He was born in Lausanne. He was professionally active in Paris. At first, an architect turned to decorative painting in 1901, to furniture design in 1910, and tapestry design in 1915. He received important commissions including for the Musee Rodin, Paris.