Jørgen Rasmussen
A REINVENTION OF THE WHEEL
As a newly graduate from the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in 1955, Jørgen Rasmussen started his own studio together with his twin brother Ib. They kick-started their careers with a focus on single-family houses. With a keen eye for functionality and simplicity Jørgen Rasmussen also proved to be an excellent designer with the KEVI chair as his master piece. Jørgen Rasmussen designed the KEVI chair 60 years ago.
After he reinvented the double wheel in 1965 when he developed the double wheel caster, the demand for the KEVI chair exploded. The new double wheel caster made KEVI more manoeuvrable with less wear on floor surfaces. It was a great improvement for working conditions for many people.The KEVI chair has set the scene across the world from universities in the UK to primary schools in Denmark and design offices in Japan. After 60 years on the market, the chair is still as relevant today as it was in 1958.
The KEVI caster is brilliant because it solves a problem, and it does so in such a simple fashion that you say to yourself, "Yes, of course, that's what it should look like." The modest KEVI castor revolutionised office landscapes around the globe and has thus improved working conditions for millions of people around world, an accomplishment that few designs can boast of. I use it every day without thinking about it.
The wheel is to be found under furniture across the world, and it is one of the everyday design objects that we hardly think of, but appreciate every day. The KEVI caster was designed for the KEVI chair and produced by KEVI A/S and with several million KEVI casters and just as many copies the wheel is now synonymous with furniture wheels.
