For all the people who think designer objects need to make bold statements with attention-grabbing forms and materials, the revered British designer Jasper Morrison has a message: The quieter objects are often the better products.
Some of Morrison’s earliest creations, such as the 1986 Thinking Man’s chair, with its snaking tubular steel armrests, and the 1991 3 sofa deluxe, whose sculpted seat resembles an enormous wave (both produced by the Italian manufacturer Cappellini, one of the planet's preeminent producers of cutting-edge home decor), display the eye-catching moves that were expected among his contemporaries.
At the same, Morrison was clearly searching for a different language. In 1988, just three years after he graduated from London’s Royal College of Art, he stunned many in the design world with “Some New Items for the Home,” an exhibition in Berlin featuring simple plywood furniture he had designed and made himself as a direct rebuke to the over-the-top colors and geometries of the Memphis movement. As Morrison increasingly came to see statement-making design as flawed and wasteful, he began producing the subtler objects that eventually became his greatest hits and inspired a new generation of designers.
Morrison’s Glo-Ball lamps for FLOS, for instance, feature opalescent blown-glass diffusers that resemble ever-so-slightly squished spheres with a striking visual softness. Designed in 1998, the pieces were instantly popular and have remained a best seller for the legendary Italian lighting maker. Morrison’s Cork Family stools for Vitra, designed in 2004, have proved similarly timeless, with simple silhouettes reminiscent of thread spools whose unexpected material — solid cork — makes them particularly alluring.
By 2005, Morrison had befriended another designer working in a similar manner — Japan’s Naoto Fukasawa. That year, Fukasawa introduced his Déjà-vu stool for Magis at the Salone del Mobile in Milan and was dismayed when fairgoers barely noticed it. Crestfallen, Fukasawa talked to Morrison, who saw the scenario differently: The fact that people instinctively used the stool meant that it was successful. To cheer up Fukasawa, Morrison described his design as “super normal.” Morrison and Fukasawa latched onto this phrase as an ideal term for what they were up to.
Launched in 2006, Morrison and Fukasawa’s “Super Normal” — a traveling exhibition and a book that served as a visual manifesto — documented more than 200 utilitarian yet beautiful objects, ranging from a paper clip, a plastic bucket and a ballpoint pen to an Alessi citrus basket, Vitsoe’s 606 universal shelving system by Dieter Rams and Vitra’s Joyn office system by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec. That same year, Morrison began playing with extreme simplicity and introduced the Crate, a wooden bedside table for Established & Sons that was modeled on an old wine crate he used for his own bedside table.
Today, Morrison delights in finding the correct balance in his designs, turning out products that seem appealingly natural and precisely what they should be.
Find Jasper Morrison chairs, lighting, stools and other furniture for sale on 1stDibs.
Oblong sectional sofa designed by Jasper Morrison for Cappellini
By Jasper Morrison, Cappellini
Located in Offenburg, Baden Wurthemberg
Oblong sectional Sofa designed by Jasper Morrison for Cappellini, Italy. Jasper Morrison creates his furniture with a light touch and yet perfectionally functional. He counts they’...
Fabric, Polystyrene, Foam, Plywood
Jasper Morrison for Vitra Chocolate Brown Leather Soft Sectional Modular Sofa
By Jasper Morrison, Vitra
Located in Chicago, IL
Jasper Morrison for Vitra Chocolate Brown Leather Soft Sectional Modular Sofa (2016) Designed by Jasper Morrison, this low-slung modular sofa features balanced proportions, exception...
Steel
$1,320Sale Price / set|20% Off
H 27 in W 17 in D 13.5 in
Jasper Morrison Hi Pad Counter Stools for Cappellini - Set of Three
By Jasper Morrison, Cappellini
Located in Miami, FL
Set of Three Hi Pad counter stools with foot rests designed by Jasper Morrison for Cappellini. The Hi Pad stool features a seat in beech plywood padded with multi-density polyurethan...
Steel
$27,919
H 25.99 in W 36.62 in D 36.62 in
De Sede DS-88 Modular Sectional Sofa in Brown Patchwork Leather 1970s Swiss
By De Sede
Located in Krefeld, DE
Exceptional De Sede DS-88 modular lounge set, handcrafted in Switzerland in the 1970s and upholstered throughout in beautifully patinated brown patchwork leather. One of De Sede’s m...
Leather
Vintage 1970s 9-Piece Curved Modular Sofa Sectional
Located in Chattanooga, TN
Remarkably well preserved nine‑piece modular sofa sectional from the late 1960s–1970s. The set includes seven standard modular chairs and two wedge‑shaped corner modules, offering a ...
Velvet
$4,843 / set
H 31.89 in W 114.18 in D 106.3 in
Postmodern 'Sity' Modular Sectional Sofa, Antonio Citterio for B&B Italia, 1972
By B&B Italia, Antonio Citterio
Located in Zagreb, HR
An amazing, rare and early production, three-piece modular Sity sofa designed by Antonio Citterio for B&B Italia. Original upholstery, leather pole armrests, loose back and seat cushions, pink upholstered frames. Original B&B Italia labels. This sculptural Memphis sofa...
Leather, Fabric
Carsons 5 Piece Post Modern Modular Sectional Sofa
By Carsons
Located in Lutz, FL
Being offered AS-IS for reupholstery. 5 piece Carsons of High Point post modern modular sectional in white wave upholstery. Frames are solid and in great condition, upholster to your...
Fabric, Wood
Vintage Ralph Lauren Upholstered Modular Sectional Sofa
By Ralph Lauren
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
This vintage modular sectional sofa by Ralph Lauren exemplifies the brand’s hallmark balance of timeless sophistication and relaxed comfort. ...
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood
$12,500 / set
H 24 in W 45 in D 45 in
Restoration Hardware RH Cloud Luxe Brown Leather Modular Sectional Sofa, 5-Piece
Located in Rochester, NY
Restoration Hardware Cloud Luxe five-piece modular sectional in dark chocolate brown full-aniline leather. This oversized, low-profile grouping reflects the relaxed, deep-seat look of the RH Cloud collection and includes five pieces: three corner chairs...
Leather
Vintage Postmodern Beige Leather 6 Piece Modular Sectional Sofa
By Lane Furniture, Cassina
Located in Lutz, FL
Lane HTB custom ordered 6 piece modular Post Modern Sectional Sofa. Single owner, custom ordered in cream/beige leather in 1987 and rarely used. Great lines and silhouette similar It...
Leather, Fabric
$15,726 / set
H 24.81 in W 37.41 in D 37.41 in
Chocolate Brown COR Trio Sectional Sofa Germany Switzerland 1972 NEW UPHOLSTERY
By COR, Team Form AG
Located in Pijnacker, Zuid-Holland
Vintage COR Trio Sofa in new Dark Chocolate Brown Velvet. The velvet can be brushed to give it a different look, with lighter and darker brown tones (see different looks in the image...
Fabric, Velvet
$20,750
H 24 in W 126 in D 36 in
De Sede DS-88 Modular Patchwork Leather Sectional Sofa, Switzerland, 1970s
By De Sede
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A DS-88 modular patchwork leather sectional sofa by De Sede, handcrafted in Switzerland in the 1970s. De Sede was founded in 1965 in Klingnau, Switzerland, growing out of a family-ru...
Leather
$2,849 / set
H 30.71 in W 80.71 in D 34.26 in
Laauser Vintage Leather Patchwork Sectional Sofa Modular, 1970s
Located in Munich, Bavaria
Original from the 1970s Laauser Modular Leathersofa in black anthracite Aniline Leather. This sofa consists of 3 elements that can be individually adjusted. Soft and comfortable seat...
Leather, Upholstery, Plastic, Wood
$13,675
H 24.81 in W 37.41 in D 37.41 in
COR Trio Sectional Sofa in Chocolate Brown Velvet 1972 NEW UPHOLSTERY
By COR, Team Form AG
Located in Pijnacker, Zuid-Holland
Vintage COR Trio Sofa in new Dark Chocolate Brown Velvet. The velvet can be brushed to give it a different look, with lighter and darker brown tones (see different looks in the image...
Fabric, Velvet
Vintage 1970s 7-Piece Modular Suede Leather Sectional Sofa
Located in North Hollywood, CA
A fabulous vintage 1970s seven-piece modular sectional sofa upholstered in wonderfully soft tan suede leather. With its generous proportions, deep plush seating, low-profile silhouet...
Leather, Suede
$4,400 / set
H 26.78 in W 35.44 in D 35.44 in
Vico Magistretti for Cassina 'Fiandra' Modular Sofa in Brown Leather
By Vico Magistretti, Cassina
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Vico Magistretti for Cassina, ‘Fiandra’ sectional sofa, leather, plastic, Italy, 1975 This elegant and understated sofa was designed by renowned Italian designer Vico Magistretti (...
Leather, Plastic
$725 / item
H 30.5 in W 13.75 in D 17 in
2015 Hi-Pad Bar Stools by Jasper Morrison for Cappellini in Grey Leather
By Cappellini, Jasper Morrison
Located in Philadelphia, PA
This is a Hi-Pad Bar Stool, originally designed by Jasper Morrison for Cappellini in 1999. The listed price includes one stool, and we have several availabl...
Steel
Sold
H 22.84 in W 127.96 in D 61.03 in
1st edition Super-Oblong sectional sofa design Jasper Morrison for Cappellini
By Cappellini, Jasper Morrison
Located in Offenburg, Baden Wurthemberg
1st edition Superoblong sectional Sofa designed by Jasper Morrison for Cappellini, Italy. First edition with inlets filled with polystyrene spheres. Measurements: 325 cm x 155 cm...
Fabric, Polystyrene
Sold
H 21.66 in W 78.75 in D 35.44 in
1st edition Superoblong sectional sofa design Jasper Morrison for Cappellini
By Cappellini, Jasper Morrison
Located in Offenburg, Baden Wurthemberg
1st edition Superoblong sectional Sofa designed by Jasper Morrison for Cappellini, Italy Jasper Morrison creates his furniture with a light touch and yet perfectionally functional....
Fabric, Polystyrene