Tools for Living: A Sourcebook of Iconic Designs for the Home

by Charlotte Fiell, Peter Fiell (Editor)

Tools for Living is a book about excellence in domestic design--from chef knives and pots and pans, to door handles and bathroom taps, to home-office furniture and garden tools. Well-designed objects not only offer superior performance but also look better and last longer, which ultimately means that they are more sustainable and provide better value for money. They also give the user a satisfying sense of reliability--they are the household tools that we use on a daily basis, that we come to grow fond of, tools that enhance life. Among the design classics celebrated here are Tapio Wirkkala's Kurve cutlery (1963), Enzo Mari's Formosa perpetual wall and desk calendars (1963, 1967), Bjorn Dahlstrom's Tools cookware (1998) and Ross Lovegrove's Agaricon table light (2001) and Istanbul sanitary ware (2008). Many of the objects included in Tools for Living are famous design classics that remain in production today. This comprehensive sourcebook features these objects in full-color illustrations that are augmented with full descriptions of their historic relevance and design excellence. Manufacturers' web addresses are shown for each product, so that readers can easily locate where to buy them.

Genres: Art

768 pages, Paperback

First published September 30, 2010

About the author

Charlotte Fiell is a leading authority on the history, theory and criticism of design and, to date, has written 60 books on the subject.

Charlotte initially studied at Heatherley School of Fine Art in London and then later at the British Institute in Florence. She subsequently took a BA(Hons) degree in the History of Drawing and Printmaking with Material Science at Camberwell College of Arts (UAL), London. Following on from this, she trained at Sotheby’s Institute of Art in London.

Reviews

[Seven Pesos · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of beautiful designs, accompanied with brief write-ups on the context / history / trivia / info of the design. I skipped 99% of the text. Instead, I had a blast flipping through this hefty tome and rating items on a binary scale of "Iconic" or "Not Iconic" (This book claims to be, after all, a sourcebook of iconic designs. I'll be the judge of that, thank you very much.). There were too many fantastic items featured here, I won't go about listing my favorites.

[Yokusun Basi]

Tools for Living: A Sourcebook of Iconic Designs for the Home by Charlotte Fiell (2014)

[Jenni Rees · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a wonderful source for anyone studying design as the utensils chosen are still at the forefront of design.