From Cutlery to Cardboard Furniture: Peter Raacke (b. 1928)

This article forms part of the Decorative and Applied Arts Encyclopedia, a master reference hub providing a structured overview of design history, materials, movements, and practitioners.

Education – Peter Raacke

He studied enamelwork, gold and silversmithing, and metalworking and glassware design at the Staatliche Zeichenakedemie in Hanau and metalworking and glassware design at the Werkschule in Cologne (The Kölner Werkschulen is an art school that offers vocational training in various artistic and craft disciplines, including painting, sculpture, design, metalwork, ceramics, and woodworking, among others).

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Biography – Peter Raacke

Hessische Metallwerke commissioned Raacke to produce metal cutlery, kitchen equipment, and cookware, most notably his “Mono-a” line (v-33), with silverware available in stainless steel and sterling silver. He also designed a line of cardboard furniture, the “Papp” series (1967), which included hexagonal-format modular seats, tables, and storage units, as well as stacking easy chairs (ill-69) made for Faltmobel using highly automated methods.

mono-Ring Flatware 1966 designed by Peter Raacke — Mono-ring flatware 1966 designed by Peter Raacke

Recognition

His work was featured at the Gewerbemuseum (Museum of Applied Arts and Crafts) in Nuremberg’s ‘Gold und Silber, Schmuck und Gerät’ exhibition in 1971. Mono-a flatware was awarded the Bundespreis ‘Die gute Industrieform’ in 1973.

Sources

Byars, M., & Riley, T. (2004). The design encyclopedia. Laurence King Publishing.

Hiesinger, K. B., & Bill, M. (1983). Design since 1945: published in conjunction with the exhibition “Design Since 1945”, Philadelphia Museum of Art, October 16, 1983, to January 8, 1984.