Ron Arad is a British-Israeli industrial and architectural designer, who was educated at the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design in Jerusalem from 1971-3, before moving to the Architectural Association School of Architecture in London from 1974 - 1979.
In 1981 he founded the iconic design and production studio One Off, originally in Covent Garden, with Caroline Thorman where design classics such as the Rover Chair – a leather Rover p6 car seat mounted on a tubular steel base – were created. Ron Arad Associates was formed in 1989, followed by Ron Arad Architects in 2008.
Arad is known for is constant experimentation with the boundaries of materials, whether metal or plastic, and his exploration of the structure of objects, furniture and buildings, which has pushed the boundaries of design with a radical reformation of form.
His preoccupation with curves and form are seen in a number of his iconic furniture designs including The Big Easy Chair, Voido Rocking Chair and Bookworm Bookshelf, which has led him to design for the majority of international furniture design brands including Vitra, Alessi, Kartell and Cassina.
From 1997 to 2009 he was professor of furniture and industrial design at the Royal College of Art in London, in 2013 was elected a Royal Academician and was also awarded the prestigious title of Royal Designer for Industry in recognition to his ‘sustained excellence in aesthetic and efficient design in industry’.
