Friso Kramer Decorative Objects
Through both his bold furniture designs and his teaching and administrative positions within the architecture and design industries, the solution-oriented Friso Kramer helped elevate industrial design to a venerated place in the modernist canon.
While the mid-century years saw no shortage of function-minded modernists, Kramer may have been the most extreme of them. “If form does not contribute to the function, it has no right to exist,” the Dutch designer once said. Born in Amsterdam in 1922 to the pioneering architect Piet Kramer, Friso studied architecture, industrial design, electrical engineering and interior design. He cut his teeth in the studios of architect Jan Piet Kloos and interior designer Frans Paulussen, then, in 1948, went to work as a designer at the steel furniture manufacturer De Cirkel (part of the Ahrend group), where he would design some of his best-known work.
The 1953 Revolt chair, which is among his most celebrated seating and a darling of Dutch mid-century modernism, embodied Kramer’s function-first design; its skeletal, industrial form provides for maximum comfort and ergonomic support with minimal material. He joined forces with Wim Rietveld, son of celebrated Dutch modernist Gerrit Rietveld, for the 1958 Result chair, which married elements of the Revolt with forms from Rietveld’s Pyramid series. Kramer found numerous ways to riff on and perfect his brand of minimalism: The 1960 Resort and Repose armchairs demonstrate how he slightly tweaked the skeletal frames for different postures and uses.
In 1963, Kramer left Ahrend to found Total Design Studio with Wim Crouwel, Benno Wissing and Paul and Dick Schwartz. The firm grouped graphic, industrial and spatial design under one roof with the shared belief in functionalism. Though Total Design Studio is still in business today, Kramer left the company to return to Ahrend in 1971, serving as art director until 1983. Following Kramer’s death in 2019, Ahrend teamed up with Danish design brand HAY to relaunch the Result and Revolt chairs.
Find vintage Friso Kramer chairs, sofas, tables and other furniture on 1stDibs.
Early 2000s Dutch Mid-Century Modern Friso Kramer Decorative Objects
Plastic
Early 20th Century Italian Black Forest Friso Kramer Decorative Objects
Wood
20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Friso Kramer Decorative Objects
Teak
Late 20th Century American Post-Modern Friso Kramer Decorative Objects
Acrylic
Late 20th Century Mexican Modern Friso Kramer Decorative Objects
Aluminum
Mid-19th Century French Victorian Antique Friso Kramer Decorative Objects
Bronze
1950s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Friso Kramer Decorative Objects
Teak
Mid-20th Century Czech Mid-Century Modern Friso Kramer Decorative Objects
Plastic
1920s Austrian Folk Art Vintage Friso Kramer Decorative Objects
Bentwood
Early 20th Century American Industrial Friso Kramer Decorative Objects
Leather, Wood, Paint
Early 20th Century American Industrial Friso Kramer Decorative Objects
Leather, Wood, Paint
Early 20th Century North American Primitive Friso Kramer Decorative Objects
Wood
1790s French Baroque Antique Friso Kramer Decorative Objects
Nutwood
