CARL GUSTAV MAGNUSSON
Carl Gustav Magnusson was born in Sweden in 1940, raised in Canada, and now resides in New York. He studied engineering at the University of Idaho, then architecture at the Chalmers Institute of Technology in Sweden before joining the Office of Charles and Ray Eames in Venice, California in 1968. A short time later, he opened his own design studio in Rudolf Schindler’s house in West Los Angeles, attracting such clients as Warner Bros. which commissioned his graphic designs.
In 1976, Magnusson joined Knoll where he worked first as a Director of Graphics and Showroom Design, and soon after Director of Design, first in Europe and then worldwide. Over nearly three decades at Knoll, Magnusson led the design of almost 100 products. In addition to his own designs, among them the Magnusson Desk and RPM Chair, he also commissioned Ettore Sottass, Maya Lin, Frank Gehry, Ross Lovegrove and others to collaborate with the brand. Throughout his tenure at Knoll, Magnusson extended the vision of the brand. In the 1990s, he initiated the annual Knoll Design Symposium at The Cranbrook Academy of the Arts, and in 1997 he co-founded the Knoll Design Museum in East Greenville, Pennsylvania to showcase iconic Knoll products and share the story of the influential, evolving brand.
In 2005, Magnusson left Knoll and founded his own studio, CGM Design. Inspired by Magnusson’s definition of design: “Design is function with cultural content, ” the studio designs products for clients ranging from Knoll, Spinneybeck, Teknion, Allseating, and MoMA, to exhibitions for BMW and humanitarian projects. A highly respected figure in today’s design world, Magnusson serves as a lecturer, design juror, and expert witness. Since 2005, his work has been celebrated with over thirty-nine awards, including the Design Legend Award from Contract Magazine in 2012.
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