From the visually seductive E-Type Jaguar to Giles Gilbert Scott's iconic red telephone boxes, British design is distinguished by a combination of casual elegance with practical functionality, with often a touch of British eccentricity thrown in for good measure. Masterpieces of British Design comprehensively surveys one hundred landmark designs spanning a period of 250 years - from Industrial Revolution period Coalbrookdale ironwork to William Mitchell's Spitfire to the latest designs by a roster of today's most celebrated designers, including Ross Lovegrove, Jasper Morrison and Ron Arad. Each featured design is not only beautifully illustrated but also accompanied by authoritative descriptive information and an in-depth explanatory text. From Pugin and Morris to Lovegrove and Morrison, this sumptuously illustrated book reveals the inherent characteristics of British design, while celebrating the remarkable influence of its long and illustrious output on the course of design history.
Unlike their continental counterparts, British designers never took on board the hard-edged Modernism of the Bauhaus but instead created (and still create) modern designs with a soft-edged sophistication that reflects an engaging and understated refinement...British design at its very best!