Jonathan Olivares

Last updated
Jonathan Olivares
Jonathan Olivares Cropped Drew Altizer.jpg
BornDecember 1981
Boston, Massachusetts
NationalityAmerican
EducationPratt Institute
OccupationIndustrial Designer
Websitewww.jonathanolivares.com

Jonathan Olivares (born 1981) [1] is an American industrial designer and author. [2] Olivares's approach to design has been characterized research-based and incremental. [3] In April 2022 he became Senior Vice-President of Design at the Knoll furniture company. [4] [5] [6]

Contents

Early life and education

Olivares grew up in the metropolitan Boston area, and skateboarded as a teenager. [7] He attended Boston College and The New School, [7] before graduating with a Bachelor of Industrial Design (B.I.D.) from Pratt Institute in 2004. [8] While a student, Olivares interned at Maison Margiela in Paris, where he worked on objects and interiors. [9] He was an apprentice to the designer Stephen Burks, and in 2005 he also apprenticed for the industrial designer Konstantin Grcic in Munich. [7] [10] [11] In 2006 Olivares began practicing industrial design independently. [12] His first office was in his mother's garage in Boston, after which his design practice was based in Los Angeles. [13] [14]

Work and career

Furniture and product design

Olivares' early furniture designs are explorations in various forms of metal. In 2007 Olivares designed Smith, a multi-purpose cart made of sheet metal, [15] made by Danese Milano. [16] [17] Versatility, simplicity, and the use of a single, recyclable material deliver an environmentally friendly product. [18] The design is the result of balanced functions; a container, a side-table or seat surface, handles, wheels, and a geometry that allows stacking. [19] Writer and curator Su Wu states: "[Smith] has capacity instead of categories, in which a table could also be a seat, perhaps, if you chose to sit on it." [20]

Olivares 2012 Aluminum Chair for Knoll [21] is a technically advanced chair made of die cast and extruded aluminum. [22] The chair's seat shell is 3mm thick and has a shape that softens its metallic nature.” [22] and its contoured shape is slim and comfortable. [23]

The Aluminum Bench, made by Zahner in 2015, is made from architectural aluminum extrusions, [24] that are normally used to support curved metal building facades. [25] The extrusions provide the main structure, joining the seat plate and cast legs, and are rolled formed to any curvature. [26] In 2017 the Aluminum Bench was included in the Super Benches installation outside of Stockholm, curated by Felix Burrichter of Pin-Up Magazine. [27]

In 2016 Olivares turned his attention to textiles. [28] Twill Weave Daybed, commissioned from Olivares by the Harvard Graduate School of Design for 9 Ash Street, was realized in 2017 with the support of Kvadrat. [29] The daybed is composed of twill weave textiles, [28] with its legs and cross beams made of woven carbon fiber, molded on mast-making mandrels, and its wool cushion dyed the color of graphite. [12] [7] The daybed is strong enough to support the weight of a car. [7] This combination of materials results in a design that is simultaneously visually homogenous and celebrates the different materials used to make it. [12]

Interior design

Olivares has worked on commercial and corporate interiors, for Vitra, Dropbox, and in 2019 he designed a retail store for the Mallorcan shoe brand Camper at Rockefeller Center in Manhattan. [30] [31] The store furniture is milled from Indiana limestone, a nod to the building's iconic facade made of the same material, [32] and the stock is housed in openly in sliding storage racks. [33]

In 2022 Kvadrat's New York flagship showroom, designed by Olivares, opened. [34] Based on the square unit of a woven textile, the showroom is square in plan with a catwalk that allows bolts of textiles to be hung from it. [35] Square Chair, produced by the Italian manufacturer Moroso, was designed for the showroom and extends the spatial concept down to the scale of furniture. [36] The chair is made of two square foam blocks, upholstered with textile, that allow the user to sit forwards, sideways, and backwards. [37] With each block being upholstered in a different textile, the chair is a vehicle for larger compositions of color in space. [37]

In 2025 Pernilla Ohrstedt, Salem van der Swaagh, and Olivares collaborated on the design of Knoll's showroom on Park Avenue in New York. [38]

Knoll design head

In April 2022 he became Senior Vice-President of Design at the Knoll furniture company.

Writing and curation

In 2014 he co-curated (with Jasper Morrison and Marco Velardi) an exhibition called Source Material at the Vitra Design Museum. [39]

Reception

Interior Design magazine describes Olivares work in a 2018 article as “spare and formally rigorous, often concerned with high-tech manufacturing processes.” [40] The art and cultural critic Drew Zeiba describes Olivares works as carrying a “signature elegance and simplicity.” [41]

Writing in the International Herald Tribune about Olivares's 2011 book A Taxonomy of Office Chairs  [ d ], design critic Alice Rawsthorn remarked, "you'll never look at an office chair in quite the same way again." [42] Benjamin Pardo, who was the head of design at Knoll prior to Olivares and commissioned the work that led to Taxonomy, wrote in the foreword that "this book is important because it covers ground that has never before been documented in a systematic way. The taxonomic approach provides neutral, independent information without judgements, aesthetic or otherwise." [43] [44] [45]

Personal life

Olivares is married to Hannah Hoffman, a Los Angeles gallerist who is a daughter of businessman and philanthropist Robert Hoffman. [46] [47]

Grants and awards

Collections

Olivares's work is held in the following museum collections:

Publications

References

  1. 1 2 "Jonathan Olivares". The Art Institute of Chicago . 1981. Retrieved 2021-09-04.
  2. Rawsthorn, Alice (2011-04-24). "Taking a Zoological Approach to Chairs". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2021-09-04.
  3. Viladas, Pilar (2018-04-12). "How ship masts inspired this LA-designer's latest textile collection". Curbed. Retrieved 2021-09-04.
  4. "Jonathan Olivares". Knoll . Retrieved 2022-09-18.
  5. "Changes at the top for House Beautiful, Knoll's new SVP and more". Business of Home. 2022-06-06. Retrieved 2022-09-18.
  6. "2x2: Jonathan Olivares with Kersten Geers and David Van Severen". Harvard Graduate School of Design . Retrieved 2021-09-04.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 Stratford, Oli (Summer 2018). "Eventually everything connects". Disegno. 19: 90.
  8. "Prattfolio Fall/Winter 2011 "Generations Issue"". Issuu. 28 September 2011. p. 38. Retrieved 2021-09-04.
  9. "Jonathan Olivares and Dozie Kanu". Pin–Up. 24: 103. Summer 2018.
  10. Lanks, Belinda (January 1, 2008). "Multitasker". Metropolis Magazine. Retrieved 2023-06-10.
  11. Lasky, Julie (2011-04-21). "For Young Hopefuls, Milan Offers a Place to Break In". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2023-06-10.
  12. 1 2 3 "Jonathan Olivares's Twill Weave Collection for Kvadrat Conceptualizes Color". SURFACE. 2018-04-12. Retrieved 2021-09-04.
  13. Lasky, Julie (2011-04-21). "For Young Hopefuls, Milan Offers a Place to Break In". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2021-09-04.
  14. Suqi, Rima (2014-09-10). "Outdoor Heirlooms: Dining Tables". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2021-09-04.
  15. Hirst, Arlene (September 2007). "Store It". Metropolitan Home: 41.
  16. Hudson, Jennifer (2010). Design for Small Spaces. London: Lawrence King. p. 223. ISBN   978-1-85669-661-6.
  17. "Jonathan Olivares". Danese Milano. Retrieved 9 August 2025.
  18. Moratti, Dario (2011). 2011 ADI Premio Compasso d'Oro. Mantova: Edizioni Corraini. p. 64. ISBN   978-88-7570-308-0.
  19. Kim, Jong Jim (2007). Bodyscape. Seoul: Damdi. p. 96. ISBN   978-89-91111-27-1.
  20. Wu, Su (April 2016). "Jonathan Olivares". L'Uomo Vogue. 470: 151.
  21. Flaherty, Joe. "4 Years of Hard Work Yield a Comfy Metal Chair That's Crazy Skinny". Wired. ISSN   1059-1028 . Retrieved 2022-09-18.
  22. 1 2 Lange, Alexandra (19 September 2012). "A Chair for All Seasons". Domus. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
  23. Terragni, Emilia (2018). Chair: 500 designs that matter. London: Phaidon Press. p. 629. ISBN   978-0-7148-7610-8.
  24. Morris, Ali (2015-06-18). "Fabricate this: ShopFloor software heralds a new era of mass customised furniture". Wallpaper* . Retrieved 2021-09-04.
  25. "Aluminum Bench by Jonathan Olivares". Disegno. 8: 199. Summer 2015.
  26. "From the City to the Spoon". Domus. 985: 32. November 2014.
  27. Taylor-Foster, James (2017-05-02). "In the Swedish City of Järfälla, Ten Radical "Superbenches" Are Unveiled as Community Incubators". ArchDaily. Retrieved 2021-09-06.
  28. 1 2 Khandekar, Narayan (2017). Collecting Colour. Arnhem, Netherlands: Art EZ Press. p. 118. ISBN   978-94-91444-48-7.
  29. Quito, Anne (June 2018). "At All Scales." Metropolis. p.26.
  30. Peluso, Salvatore (14 May 2019). "Camper store is a tribute to 1930s New York". www.domusweb.it. Retrieved 2021-09-04.
  31. Burrichter, Felix, ed. (2022). "JONATHAN OLIVARES: AN INTERVIEW ON DESIGN AND SKATEBOARDING, QUOTES, AND THE PLACE OF THE CHAIR". PIN–UP . 33. Retrieved 2023-12-04.
  32. Burrichter, Felix (May 2019). "Interview: Jonathan Olivares on Designing His First Store at Rockefeller Center". pinupmagazine.org. Retrieved 2021-09-04.
  33. Messina, Rab (16 May 2019). "How Can a Shoe Store Compete with the Bright Lights of Radio City Music Hall?". Frame. Retrieved 2021-09-04.
  34. Silver, Hannah (2022-05-14). "Kvadrat's flagship New York showrooms encompass colourful design codes". Wallpaper* . Retrieved 2023-12-04.
  35. "An interview with designer Jonathan Olivares Jonathan about a new showroom for Kvadrat in New York". Disegno Journal. Retrieved 2023-12-04.
  36. Silver, Hannah (2022-05-14). "Kvadrat's flagship New York showrooms encompass colourful design codes". Wallpaper* . Retrieved 2023-12-04.
  37. 1 2 Gaimari, Caroline. "NOW YOU KNOW: AN ORAL HISTORY OF KVADRAT'S NEW YORK SHOWROOM BY JONATHAN OLIVARES". PIN–UP . Retrieved 2023-12-04.
  38. Howarth, Dan (15 February 2025). "Knoll opens New York flagship showroom on Park Avenue". Dezeen . Retrieved 9 August 2025.
  39. "Source Material". www.design-museum.de (in German). Retrieved 2025-08-10.
  40. "10 Questions With... Jonathan Olivares". Interior Design. Retrieved 2021-09-04.
  41. "Book Club: Jonathan Olivares – Selected Works". pinupmagazine.org. Retrieved 2021-09-04.
  42. Rawsthorn, Alice (2011-04-24). "Taking a Zoological Approach to Chairs". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2022-09-18.
  43. Olivares, Jonathan. A taxonomy of office chairs. Phaidon Press. Foreword. ISBN   978-0-7148-6103-6.
  44. "Recommended Reading: In Their Words; Benjamin Pardo selects several books penned by Knoll designers". Knoll . Retrieved 9 August 2025.
  45. Keh, Pei-Ru (19 April 2023). "Jonathan Olivares is working wonders at Knoll, as the brand's Salone pavilion attests". Wallpaper* . Retrieved 9 August 2025.
  46. "Dealer's Choice: Tour Hannah Hoffman and Jonathan Olivares' Los Angeles Home". W Magazine. 2016-01-04. Retrieved 2025-08-11.
  47. "The T&C 50: The Most Influential Families in Media, Art, and Culture". Town & Country. 17 October 2018. (See #25). Retrieved 2025-08-11.
  48. "Graham Foundation > Grantees > Jonathan Olivares". The Graham Foundation.
  49. "Premio Compasso d'oro 2011", Wikipedia (in Italian), 2021-08-08, retrieved 2021-09-04
  50. "Graham Foundation > Grantees > Jonathan Olivares". www.grahamfoundation.org. Retrieved 2021-09-04.
  51. "Good Design 2012: Awarded Product Designs and Graphics and Packaging" (PDF).
  52. "Introducing the #MetropolisLikes Award at NeoCon". Metropolis. Retrieved 2021-10-05.
  53. "Jonathan Olivares". collections.lacma.org. Retrieved 2021-09-04.
  54. "SMITH". ADI Design Museum. Retrieved 2024-10-30.
  55. "Source Material". www.design-museum.de (in German). Retrieved 2022-09-18.
  56. "Richard Sapper, Edited by Jonathan Olivares, Phaidon Press". www.phaidon.com. Retrieved 2022-09-18.
  57. "BOOK CLUB: JONATHAN OLIVARES – SELECTED WORKS". archive.pinupmagazine.org. Retrieved 2022-09-18.
  58. "Jonathan Olivares Selected Works, PowerHouse Books". powerHouse Books. Retrieved 2022-09-18.
  59. Olivares, Jonathan (2018-12-19). "A Life in Chairs with Industrial Designer Don Chadwick". Interview Magazine. Retrieved 2022-09-18.
  60. "Don Chadwick Photography 1961–2005—Apartamento Publishing". Apartamento Magazine. Retrieved 2022-09-18.