Celebrating Women in Design
To celebrate International Women's Day we're looking at some of the most influential women in furniture and interior design.
Ray Eames
Heal's, Ground Floor
Known as America's most famous husband and wife creative team, Charles and Ray Eames worked in just about every medium imaginable. They helped shape America's Mid-century Modern movement and produced a prolific range of designs including the Eames Lounge Chair (1956) and the DSW Chair (1950) which are still to this day heralded for their innovative use of new materials.
Bina Baitel
Roche Bobois, Ground Floor
Architect and designer Bina Baitel created the Perle model that features soft lines and a unique back.
Born in Paris in 1977, Bina Baitel graduated from the ‘École National Supérieure d'Architecture de Paris La Villette’ in 2002. A multidisciplinary artist, she founded her own studio in 2006 developing projects in art, design, set design, new technologies and architecture. Her work has been recognised with numerous French and international awards in the fields of art, architecture and design and is displayed in Paris and around the world.
Paola Navone
Heal's, Ground Floor
The Hepburn sofa designed by Paola Navone and exclusive to Heal’s, the Hepburn sofa features the designer’s trademark blend of classic and contemporary styles. Made to order in southern Italy, a solid frame is beautifully upholstered in designer St Moritz wool or a choice of semi-aniline or soft leathers complete with mid-century inspired button cushion detail.
Born 1950 in Turin, Paola Navone gained acclaim within the design world in the 1980s through collaborations with the radical design groups Memphis and Studio Alchimia.
Kajsa Strinning
Design Quarter, Ground Floor
The Architect couple Kajsa Strinning and Nisse Strinning debuted as designers with a humble plate rack using steel wire, a technique that would be refined over the years. In 1949, they created a Scandinavian design classic when the String® shelf won the Bonnier Folk Library competition. A few years later, in 1954, String® earned them their first international design prize, a gold medal at the Milan Triennial. As recently as 2020, String® was awarded the Long Life Design award in Japan.
Margaret Howell
Heal's, Ground Floor
In recognition of her extraordinary contribution to design, in 2007 esteemed British fashion designer Margaret Howell was made a Royal Designer for Industry and awarded a CBE. Margaret Howell has frequently championed the Anglepoise lamp, admiring the similar design qualities that are the essence of her men’s and women’s clothing: simplicity, functionality, authenticity and timelessness. Type 75™, designed in 2004 by British industrial product designer Sir Kenneth Grange, reinterprets the original 1930s Anglepoise design. Its clean lines combine with the perfect balance and range of movement made possible by the unique spring mechanism that defines the brand. Today, Anglepoise and Margaret Howell enjoy a successful and longstanding relationship
