Marc Newson. Works 84-24 Castle, Alison

Design as a way of life

Marc Newson’s complete works to date
This volume covering Marc Newson’s design career can, if you are ambitious enough, read like a catalog of how to live. Imagine waking up in the morning, taking a bath, drying your hair, getting dressed, putting on your glasses, spritzing yourself with perfume, sitting down to eat a breakfast of tea with eggs and toast, checking your watch, packing your suitcase, driving to the airport, catching a flight, and sailing off on a luxurious yacht. What’s remarkable about this scenario, aside from its opulence, is that everything in it could be a Newson design: the bed, bathtub, hair dryer, clothes, shoes, glasses, perfume bottle, electric kettle, teapot, toaster, skillet, spatula, cooktop, plates, utensils, watch, chair, table, lighting, suitcase, car, plane, and even the yacht.

This encyclopedic tome covers all of Newson’s works to date, beginning with foundational early pieces such as the Pod of Drawers and the Lockheed Lounge (which has broken the world record for the highest price paid for a piece of furniture by a living designer), in encyclopedia-style entries ordered chronologically by category: Objects, Furniture, Interiors, Transport, and Jewelry & Timepieces. Each description explores the story behind and the making of the piece, and is amply furnished with quotes from the designer himself. The book is rounded out by a visual index of Newson’s complete works, a chronology of his life, a bibliography, and his exhibition history.