Architect Johanna Grawunder succeeded in interiors and in subject design, but she was especially glorified by her workshop with light. In March 2018, she was named Designer of the Year at Collective Design in New York.

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She considers Ettore Sottsassa to be her main teacher. Large-scale light installations of Joanna can be seen in the Chanel Goldbar in Madrid (the author of the interiors is Peter Marino), in the courtyard of the University of Geneva, on the facade of the Fendi boutique in Miami.

Joanna Grahdowner. Object Permanence.

Joanna Gravunder was born in 1961 in California. She studied at the California State Polytechnic University, in 1984 she received a degree in architecture. Immediately after graduation, she began working at Sottsass Associati. There, for sixteen years from 1985 to 2001, she received first-hand the invaluable experience, connections and design skills that cult designer Ettore Sottsass had by the mid-80s.

Red Devil Call Table No Whining on the Yacht. Cветильник Big Sky. Glowing benches I'm bringing sexy back.

At first she was engaged in architecture and interiors, then in the design of objects. In 2001, Joanna felt that she could embark on an independent voyage and opened her own studio.

Crack, Glass Italia, a collection of tables of glass with built-in light.

At the age of 8, Joanna Gravunder knew that she wanted to be an architect. Interest in design came later, when she realized that by designing things smaller in size than at home, you can quickly realize your ideas.

Installation Freeport in Luxembourg, project 3BM3.

Design has become for her the search for his voice in a more convenient scale. Then she noticed that every now and then she received orders for the design of lamps. In general, the design was faster, cheaper and made it possible to cooperate with people more pleasantly.

Gravunder believes that the lamps designed by people are the soul of the design of the XX-XXI centuries. Without a good light, we would have to go to bed much earlier than we can now allow it. Modern light makes it possible to get interesting phenomena and give people an unusual experience. Gravunder insists that it is very important to use artificial light for good and not for harm.

Among the predecessors who influenced her style and aesthetics, Gravunder calls Le Corbusier, of course, Sottsass, Rothko, Judd, Neutru, Tarrell, Prince, Barragan, Miles. Recently, she was interested in the work of American vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson.

Dining in the house on the Cote d'Azur. Collection of Tempest tables for a private yacht. Show-room Gigi / Panepinto, Milan. Show-room Gigi / Panepinto, Milan.

“There are many important artists for me, but the mix, a collage of techniques and plastic ideas that I can draw from all of them together is valuable,” says Gravunder.

Object Street Glow.

Her main activity is designing for various companies. She has 19 luminaries, existing in a single copy, 26 light installations, 12 architectural and interior realized projects and 11 collections and objects made for famous factories.

Fixtures call. Wan, Flos.

Gravunder belongs to the designers who can make a series, and a limited edition, and unique. “Of course, mass production dictates some design rules, in addition, industrial production a priori implies that a large number of people should like this thing. Unikaty and limited items can be more conceptual, provocative or special. Of course, these things can end up in warehouses, turn out to be unclaimed, but an original artistic idea can be embodied in them. ”

Mirror Light, Boffi. Light installation for Fendi, Tokyo-Beijing. Installation Lucepiatti at the University of Geneva, project 3BM3. Коллекция Sunset, B&B Italia.

Joanna Gravunder is in love with Milan. She likes a high concentration of people who are passionate about design, art, fashion. “Here the air is full of ideas, everyone proposes something, searches, thinks, experiments.” Everyone is infected with the enthusiasm that drives people to invent and produce things. Therefore, arriving in America, Gravunder is constantly looking for a reason to return to Milan.