Auteur and icon, Ross Lovegrove is among the most visionary designers of the past half century-for that matter, of the whole history of design. Admiringly dubbed "Captain Organic," Lovegrove's aesthetic might be characterized as equal parts Dalí and van der Rohe; his designs possess an unmatched fluidity and an inexorable form-a kind of "organic essentialism" that recognizes the inherent curvatures of both flora and fauna while demonstrating how these asynchronous shapes jibe with the sometimes rigid geometry of the manufactured world.

Emma Table for Herman Miller

Here's the Go Chair for Bernhardt. A magnesium frame exemplifies Lovegrove’s obsession with high-tech materials, while the shape and silhouette recall the internal structure of all manner of vertebrates, giving Go a highly stylistic and aesthetically shocking look. Go appeals to users on an atavistic level, subtly evoking our innate affinity with elemental forms.

Go Chair for Bernhardt

This one's about as sedate as Lovegrove gets. Designed for Knoll in 2004, Sprite is a Spritely bit of work that embodies the Modern spirit yet carves out its own aesthetic niche-note the enhanced curvature at the level of the lumbar. This stackable chair is available in four wood veneers and four painted options.

Sprite Chair for Knoll

Of course Lovegrove creates light. With such creationtist predilections, how could he not? A cosmic exploration into the potentiality of LEDs, the Andromeda Suspension Light is a spheroid internally decorated with mirrors. Moulded in monolithic fashion from a single material, Andromeda works by reflecting the light of its own integrated LEDs back onto itself, thus "becoming the source of ambient light within a room, vesting gentle forms like large roots onto adjacent surfaces to form extended relationships onto and into architectural dimensions."

Andromeda Suspension Light for Yamagiwa Corp.

Recently updated with a new vanity basin, The Istanbul Collection for VitrA is influenced by the history of Turkish bathing culture, yet stands on its own aesthetic footing. A diversity of shapes and sizes reflects the dynamism of the city. The pervasiveness of organic forms evokes both the fluidity of water and the synergistic architecture of this ancient society.

Istanbul Collection for VitrA

Biophilia seems like vintage Lovegrove. Comprised of a sofa, two chairs, and two tables, the collection embodies his affinity for inherent adornment. Put another way, "it combines the trend-setting natural design of the Sagrada Famila, expertise in advanced rotational moulding technology, and the ongoing line of research of digital transference into contemporary design." Indeed, Biophilia wears its very lovely form on its sleeve, the inescable shapes of nature as part and parcel of manufacturing technology.

Biophilia Collection for Vondom

A potent emblem for the enigmatic way the natural world imposes itself upon the constructed environment, the Mercury Suspension Lamp captures all the beauty and menace of this intriguing element. Fittingly, the piece lies right at the heart of Lovegrove's appropriation of elemental forms. Mercury is made of die-cast aluminum lighting units, die-cast aluminum reflectors, and injection-moulded thermoplastic reflectors.

Mercury Suspension Lamp for Artemide

The work of Ross Lovegrove is unfailingly provocative and inexorably enduring. His fascination with natural shapes, with the beauty and elegance of evolution, with inevitable forms and the way the world “just fits,” works its way into all aspects of his designs. His work spans industries and bisects sensibilities. Among his most iconic designs he counts the Alessandri Office System and Tubes Table for Knoll; the Sony Walkman; and the Mumm Grand Cordon champagne bottle. He has created products for Kartell, Cappellini, Moroso, Luceplan, Peugeot, Apple Computers, Issey Miyake, Vitra, Tag Heuer, and Herman Miller. His many accolades include the RedDot 2010 Best of the Best, the Vogue Traveller Ecology Prize, the Time Magazine/CNN World Technology Prize, and the ID Magazine Good Design Award. His work has been exhibited at MOMA, Guggenheim Museum NY, Pompidou Centre in Paris, London Design Museum, and Vitra Design Museum Weil Am Rhein in Basel. See Ross Lovegrove for more information.

Mumm Grand Cordon Champagne Bottle

Tubes Table for Knoll