Modern Living: Those Designing Europeans

<em>TIME,</em> February 17, 1975

European designs, from French fashion to Italian furniture, had long been highly regarded by American consumers. This fascination continued into the postwar period even as European designers adopted some American industrial design traditions.

“On the Continent today, art, architecture and artisanship are aimed at luring the consumer in addition to rewarding the creator. Reaching out from their venerable tradition of studio work, European designers, handling new materials and technologies, are raising the quality of life….What makes European design so successful? Is it because, as Italy’s Giugiaro immodestly claims, ‘the level of taste is higher in Europe than anywhere else in the world’? Perhaps, though many Europeans concede that in some other realms involving taste on an even more rarefied level – painting, for example – the center of action has left Europe for the U.S. or elsewhere.”

Read more (subscription required)

“Modern Living: Those Designing Europeans.”TIME Magazine, Feb. 17, 1975.

Citation Information

The following information is provided for citations.

  • Article Title Modern Living: Those Designing Europeans
  • Author
  • Website Name Transatlantic Perspectives
  • URL
  • Access Date May 30, 2023
  • Publisher German Historical Institute
  • Original Published Date
  • Date of Last Update July 29, 2018