Biography

The success story of Czech designer Bořek Šípek reads like a modern fairy tale with a happy ending. His parents died when he was 15 years old. After training at the School of Arts and Crafts in Prague, he emigrated to Germany at the age of 19, studied architecture in Hamburg and philosophy in Stuttgart on a scholarship before taking up a position in Hanover as an assistant to the Chair of Industrial Design. As a lecturer in design theory, he taught in Essen from 1979 to 1983, followed later by a chair in Prague. A move to Amsterdam also brought Šípek commissions in the Netherlands.

If one wants to describe Bořek Šípek's style in words, one quickly reaches its limits. The designer mixes stylistic elements of various epochs, combines organic forms with corners and edges, mixes materials and negates all conventions of furniture construction, even if he refers to the importance of traditions in architecture and design. At first glance, many objects appear fluid, collage-like, or fleeting, as if glasses, plates, and bowls were passing from one state of being to another. However, the impression of intuitively designed artistic decoration is deceptive. There is calculation and technical innovation behind the objects. The function is always given.

Objects by Bořek Šípek