Carl Gustav Magnusson


Carl Gustav Magnusson is an industrial designer, inventor, design juror and lecturer.

Life and career

Carl Gustav Magnusson was born in Malmö, Sweden, and grew up in Canada, including Innisfail, Alberta; Toronto, Ontario, where he attended St. Andrew's College, Aurora; and Vancouver, British Columbia, where he attended St. George's School. He studied engineering and architecture at the University of Idaho and architecture at the Chalmers Institute of Technology in Gothenburg, Sweden. In 1967 he joined the Office of Charles and Ray Eames in California and, in 1969, Magnusson opened his own design practice in Rudolf Schindler's studio on Kings Road in West Hollywood, California.
Magnusson's prototype for a wooden toy system and hardware for a hanging fabric room divider manufactured by Fortress Chairs, Inc., were featured in "California Design 11," published in 1971.

Knoll

In 1976 Magnusson joined Knoll as Director of Graphics and Showroom Design and was named Director of Design for Europe shortly thereafter. He designed Knoll showrooms in London, Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Zurich, Florence, Rome, Amsterdam and Turin. In 1993, he was named Senior Vice President, Director of Design Worldwide, and, in 2003, Executive Vice President, Director of Design.
As a design director, Magnusson widened the range of designers that Knoll commissioned work from—recruiting both established and younger talents. In the late 1980s, Magnusson rekindled Knoll's relationship with Florence Knoll and renowned designers such as esthetic theorist Ettore Sottass, which led to numerous iconic pieces, including the Mandarin chair and the Spyder table. Sculptor Maya Lin collaborated closely with Magnusson in 1998 to create Knoll's Maya Lin line of furniture that Knoll continues to sell today. Similarly, architect Frank Gehry worked with Knoll to create Knoll's Fog Collection. His work with Ross Lovegrove led to a number of iconic products.
Magnusson continued to contribute his own designs to Knoll as well, including the Magnusson Desk, the RPM Chair, and modular office systems, the Spelo desk collection; Dividends, with David Noel; Currents, with Robert Reuter; and Autostrada, with Robert Reuter and Charlie Rozier.
During his 29 years at Knoll, Magnusson was also active as a curator and educator. He established the Knoll Design Symposium at Cranbrook Academy of the Arts in Bloomfield Hills and in 1997; he co-founded with Albert Pfeiffer The Knoll Museum in East Greenville, Pennsylvania. With over 60 years of Knoll furniture designs, the museum is considered among the most comprehensive display of archival collector items by any furniture manufacturer.

Ongoing activities

Since retiring from Knoll in 2005, Magnusson has remained active as a designer, consultant and lecturer. In 2005, Magnusson founded CGM Design which serves furniture and automotive manufacturers in product development and design strategy. Today he continues in the fields of office design and environment, as well as lighting systems, automobiles, and household appliances, furnishings, and textiles. In addition to Knoll, he has designed products for Spinneybeck, Teknion, Stegner Engineering, Arexit, Momentum Textiles, Allseating, Nienkamper, and the MoMA Design Store.
He has lectured on design matters for BMW, Knoll, Maharam, AIA, Waterworks, IIDA, ArtCenter College of Design, Yale Library, Michael Graves College and SCAD, among others. Magnusson is a frequent jury member for design competitions internationally including iF Product Design Award, Yale School of Architecture, ArtCenter College of Design, and Good Design Awards. He also serves as an expert witness on design matters.
In 2012, the design industry publication Contract named him the 2012 design "legend" of the year, saying of him: "he is an industrial designer, as well as a curator, lecturer, mentor, inventor, organizer, talent scout, and visionary. And his influence has spread out in multiple directions around the globe."

Personal life

Magnusson is married to architect Emanuela Frattini Magnusson. He has four children, Kolin Erik Magnusson, Gregor Daniel Magnusson, Cecilia Helen Magnusson, and Oliver Marco Magnusson, as well as grandchildren. Magnusson is also a Porsche aficionado, and he and his 912 Outlaw are featured in the book, "Porsche Outlaws."

Design Awards

Magnusson has garnered more than 50 design awards throughout his career:
YearAwardOrganizationDetails / Product
2025A+ Awards Jury Vote WinnerArchitizerFor Otto Screens.
2025PD25 WinnerPrize Designs for Modern Furniture + LightingFor Silent Silo.
2025A+ Awards FinalistArchitizerFor Otto Screens.
2024Best of Year AwardsInterior Design For Otto Screens.
2024Prize Designs AwardGlobal Design NewsFor Otto Screens.
2024Good Design AwardChicago AthenaeumFor Otto Screens.
2021Good Design AwardChicago AthenaeumFor Acumen Screens.
2020Good Design AwardChicago AthenaeumFor Silent-Silo.
2019Good Design AwardChicago AthenaeumFor PRATA Chair.
2018NeoCon Significant Contributor Design Innovation AwardNeoConN/A
2018IDSA Excellence AwardIndustrial Designers Society of America For LYSS.
2018Good Design AwardChicago AthenaeumFor Zinc and Exchange.
2017Interior Design Best of Year FinalistInterior Design For LYSS chair.
2017Good Design AwardChicago AthenaeumFor LYSS chair.
2017A+ AwardsArchitizerFor IVY umbrella stand.
2016Good Design AwardChicago AthenaeumFor IVY umbrella stand.
2015Good Design AwardChicago AthenaeumFor iDesk benching, work tables, and lounge system.
2013Good Design AwardChicago AthenaeumFor The Magnusson Collection.
2012German Design Council NomineeGerman Design CouncilFor Conflux.
2012IDSA Design AwardIndustrial Designers Society of America For MAST Monitor Arm System.
2012Best of NeoCon Gold Award NeoConFor e2e.
2012ASID International Design AwardAmerican Society of Interior DesignersFor MAST Monitor Arm System.
2012IDEA/IDSA Design AwardIDEA / Industrial Designers Society of America For MAST Monitor Arm System.
2012Michigan Youth Arts Annual Innovation AwardMichigan Youth ArtsN/A
2012Good Design AwardChicago AthenaeumFor MAST Monitor Arm System.
2012Contract Magazine Legend Award for Lifetime AchievementContract MagazineRecognizing his roles as designer, curator, lecturer, mentor, inventor, organizer, talent scout, and visionary.
2011German Design Council NomineeGerman Design CouncilFor A-Fold.
2011Interior Design Best of Year HonoreeInterior Design N/A
2011Green Good Design AwardChicago AthenaeumFor Conflux.
2011International Forum DesigniF Product Design AwardFor Conflux.
2010International Forum DesigniF Product Design AwardFor A-Fold tablet accessory.
2010Buildings Magazine Grand Award Buildings MagazineFor Conflux.
2010NeoCon Gold Award NeoConFor Conflux.
2010IIDA Circle of Excellence AwardIIDAFor Conflux.
2009"MMQB Top Ten Products of the Decade"MMQBFor Marketplace.
2009IIDEX Silver Innovation AwardIIDEXFor FX Accessories.
2009NeoCon Silver AwardNeoConFor FX Accessories.
2009FX International Interior Design AwardFX InternationalFor FX Accessories.
2009Interior Design and Sources Bloom Award Interior Design and SourcesFor Synapse Chair.
2008Good Design AwardChicago AthenaeumFor Synapse Chair.
2008Green Star Sustainability AwardGreen StarFor Synapse Chair.
2008NeoCon Gold AwardNeoConFor Synapse Chair.
2007International Forum DesigniF Product Design AwardFor Marketplace System.
2007IIDEX/NeoCon Canada Innovation Gold AwardIIDEX/NeoCon CanadaFor Marketplace System.
1997Lifetime Achievement AwardPacific Design CenterRecognizing his contributions to design.
1978Certificate of ExcellenceAmerican Institute of Graphic Arts The Poster Show 1978.
1972N/AIndustrial Design Magazine For Hanging Screen System.
1972Ilo Liston AwardLa Jolla Museum of Contemporary Art "The Modern Chair: Its Origins and Evolution"
1969N/AIndustrial Design Magazine For the San Diego Blood Bank.