Everything but the walls

Jasper Morrison's name is not associated with spectacular consumer design products. Instead, he has chosen to align himself from the start with an approach that designers often return to after careers spent otherwise: simple and durable forms that remain functional and true to their materials, and retain an unmistakable and exciting modern formal language. His success in the European design landscape over the past decade is without parallel, perhaps because his first furniture and interior designs appeared at a time when the overwhelming nature of flashy decor had become underwhelming. Arguing against "Uselessism" and for "Utilism," Morrison equates the decorative content of a design with a lack of understanding of design's utilitarian purpose. Likewise, he continues to apply himself to doorhandles and doors, bottles of beer and busstops, regarding no aspect of daily life as unworthy of consideration as a design problem. Everything But the Walls provides a much needed survey of Morrison's working methods and their results, as well as an exploration of the sources of his inspirations and ideas.