As Mansfield Monk celebrates it’s 25th year it got me thinking ‘what makes a design classic?’

Design classics are more often than not an object with timeless aesthetic value. Regardless of the year of its design, it remains up to date and serves as a standard of its kind.

A great number of iconic design items are revered – the Eames Lounge Chair, for example, commands a certain value because of its status as a ‘design classic’, but maybe the true success of a design classic is when it becomes so integrated into our everyday lives that it becomes almost invisible. Take, for instance, the Bic ball point pen, mass produced, disposable and universally recognised.

Then there are classic designs which work on the principle of ‘form follows function’.  The Anglepoise lamp, for example, was created by George Carwardine, a car designer who invented a balanced arm mechanism for the automotive industry. George recognised that his design could have other applications, in particularly, the desk lamp as its joints and spring tension would allow the lamp to be moved into a wide range of positions and be maintained without being clamped. 1935 saw the release of the 1227 Anglepoise, a revolutionary design, which proved as popular then as it is now. Anglepoise’s latest iteration of the 1227 sees it partnering with designer Paul Smith to combine the unmistakable form and function of Anglepoise with the quintessential style of one of Britain’s foremost designers.

During my years at Mansfield Monk, I have been involved in more office fitouts than I care to remember and have specified many classic design pieces along the way – Fritz Hansen Swan chairs, Artemide Tolemeo lamps, Eames Aluminium Group chairs to name but a few.  More recently I have been returning to clients, whose offices I designed at the outset of my time at Mansfield Monk, to update, refurbish and enhance their workspaces. Office interior design continues to adapt and evolve to the ever changing nature of the way in which we work – improvements in technology, agile working, wellbeing and a desire for company’s to attract and retain the highest calibre of personnel. And yet in amongst this continued change the design classics remain a steadfast reminder of what good design really is.

Gaynor Taylor

Interior Architecture, Senior Designer and Director at Mansfield Monk.

 To celebrate our 25^th year in the business, we are giving you the chance to win one of our classic design favorites the ANGLEPOISE® TYPE 75™ – PAUL SMITH EDITION. Visit our Twitter page @MansfieldMonk to find out more…

Good luck!