Montreal Biosphere (1967) by Buckminster Fuller
“Fuller wasn’t a trained architect, but he was dreaming of the future. It still looks very modern now, especially compared to [contemporary] buildings.”
Rover Safety Bicycle (1885) by J.K. Starley
“Starley [incorporated] the drive chain mechanism, and it remains mysterious to me how quickly you can travel with so little energy. I tend to go for things that are engineering eureka moments rather than mere design.”
Sacco Chair (1968) by Piero Gatti, Cesare Paolini and Franco Teodoro for Zanotta
“In the 1960s, people wanted to find new ways of socializing. I still remember sitting on my first beanbag chair and thinking it was a massive leap of imagination coupled with a new material (polystyrene balls), which is always what pushes design forward.”
Hippopotame II Bar (1978) by François-Xavier Lalanne
“Many designers are doing art-furniture today, but the Lalannes were doing it much earlier. It’s playful and Surrealist and yet beautifully crafted — in brass, a metal I’m obsessed with.”
“The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test” (1968) by Tom Wolfe
“I took a couple of acid tabs when I was a kid, and it was super mind-expanding. Wolfe’s writing is, too.”
This interview has been edited and condensed.
