Unknown Famous Designer was the name of Niko Kralj’s anthological exhibition highlighting the lifetime achievements of prolific Slovenian designer, architect and lecturer few years ago. I used it as the title of this story because it perfectly sums up the relationship we have with a pioneer of Slovenian industrial design who was often overlooked. Nearly every Slovenian has encountered objects designed by Kralj, whether in kindergarten or school, in waiting rooms or municipal offices, at work or at home… His work was all around us without us knowing who designed it. So who was Niko Kralj, and what is his legacy?

Milestone no. 1: Early Years

The fact that Kralj learned carpentry in his father’s workshop was very important for his professional career and later influenced his advocacy, both as a designer and a teacher, of shop work and direct contact with materials. After the Second World War, he decided to study architecture. In 1952, he graduated in the development of seating furniture. Before defending his diploma and on the recommendation of Prof. Mihevc, he was invited to undergo training at the Stol Kamnik furniture factory in Slovenia.

Rex (King in Latin) is named for its designer, Niko Kralj, whose last name also translates to King in Slovenian.

Milestone no. 2: Stol Kamnik Furniture Factory

His training days developed into a permanent position, and his years at Stol Kamnik became his prolific era. He was at his creative peak as a head of development and design services – the first in the former Yugoslavia. The purpose of the design office was to break through with one’s own idea and raise the level of design in the company and broadly at the national level. In 1957, he went on a six-month training course in Stockholm, where he became acquainted with Scandinavian design culture, which had a great influence on his approach to design and, as a result, on the development of design in Slovenia.

The most known of Kralj’s works from this era are his series of wooden chairs – the Rex and the Shell lounge chairs, the 4455 chair – and many other products from the Stol Factory. Although still very young (35), Kralj has already received numerous awards at international tenders and exhibitions.

Kralj developed the idea of plywood moulding and perforation further than the Eameses, by using it in a much more radical way. He took plywood that had been moulded in one direction and perforated it so densely with parallel cuts that it could also be moulded in a second direction. The form of the secondary moulding was determined and arrested by the two end laths using a shaped groove. This is how the basic shell of the Rex 120 chair was created.

Milestone no. 3: Lecturer Years and Innovation

In 1960, he was invited to become a lecturer at the Faculty of Architecture, Civil Engineering, and Geodesy, a newly established field of study in Slovenia. In 1966, he was made head of the faculty’s Institute of Industrial Design, where he lectured and was engaged in research and design in the wood industry. He founded and managed the Design Institute at the Ljubljana Faculty of Architecture, where he carried out several dozen research projects and contributed to the development of the theory of design. The most important achievements in the field of furniture systems include the Futura furniture system (1973), which became part of Slovenian history and collective consciousness. Systemic furniture was upgraded with modularly dimensioned furnishings, such as glass and ceramic dishes and pillows. Kralj applied for and registered 118 patents and models and produced 39 research essays. He was an innovator and inventor in various fields, but he particularly specialized in the construction and rationalization of production. In 1975, he received the Boris Kidrič Fund Award for his inventions.

His design principles—seeking problems and functionality, innovativeness, interdisciplinary teamwork, the use of natural materials, especially wood, the use of new materials and new technologies, and the adjustment to the needs of society—are still topical today.

Legacy

Niko Kralj is the most significant Slovene designer of all periods. His role can be compared to the Aalto’s in Finland or the Eameses in America. Through their modernity, Kralj’s chairs have come to represent a key part of Slovenian cultural identity. His career as a designer is long, and apart from several versions of the famous Rex armchair, it encompasses many other chairs, living room sets, wardrobes, and furniture programs. Innovative solutions used by Kralj in the design of furniture and other products have contributed to the recognition of the Slovene furniture industry and the development of the culture of living in Slovenia. They are proof of the designer’s vast knowledge and the social aspect of his work. Because of their timeless design, many of Kralj’s products are considered classics of world design. His work can now be found in numerous places around the world. But above all, Kralj was in favor of functionalism in the broadest sense of the word: not only concerning the functionality of the product, he also pursued aesthetics as a function, in the belief that an aesthetic object affects the well-being of the user.

In order to preserve Kralj’s most important work and show the world the timelessness of his great designs, the production of this legendary furniture from the 1950s and 1960s was revived under the brand Rex Kralj. The products are studiously loyal to Kralj’s vision. “We have not changed the original designs; they are our essence and we’d be crazy to touch them. Plywood is still essential to all our products and there is a touch of handiwork in all the pieces. But we have modernized the finishing techniques, paid great attention to many, often unseen, details, and adapted the chairs to today’s requirements. We have also added new materials—oak, walnut, and teak—to the collection to meet contemporary demands,” says Žiga Vrhovec from Rex Kralj.

Long live the King!

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