The modular did not have to be invented: it can be found everywhere. We divide surfaces into grids, spaces into parts, and time into rhythmic units. Modular structures are also increasingly being recognized as a way of communicating, where the aim is not to construct a universal principle but to facilitate interplay between different systems. Building on the visionary design system that architect Fritz Haller and engineer Paul Scharer developed in 1965 for Swiss furniture company USM, Rethinking the Modular brings together specially commissioned essays and interviews with leading designers, architects and thinkers to present the wide-ranging importance and influence of modular design over the past fifty years. In revealing the broad possibilities created by balancing structure with flexibility, the timely publication redefines the place of modularity in modern design history, and offers a rich resource for designers today.

Although renowned for his work as a verrier, lamps did not form a significant part of Galle's repertoire in glass until immediately prior to 1900. Indeed, only in the last few years of his life does it appear that he realised the full aesthetic potential of opalescent glass viewed by transmitted light. In an Art Nouveau context, Galle's creations reached their apogee between 1900 and his death in 1904, a brief period during which he adapted the shape of much of his glassware to its theme. Vases decorated with lilies became lily-shaped in a marriage of form and function. Fully-ripened gourds pendent on their vines glowed from within at the touch of a switch. Mushroom lamps brought the concept to full embodiment in the metamorphosis of the giant fungi into light fixtures. This comprehensive volume catalogues the full range of light fixtures produced by the Galle cristallerie, from those made during his lifetime to those manufactured for more than twenty-five years after his death. Including table, bedside, hanging and wall models, 'Galle Lamps' reveals the extraordinary variety of thematic shade-and-base combinations introduced by the firm: butterflies, moths, dragonflies, swallows and eagles hover, flutter, glide or swoop over flora and mountain vistas in a seemingly endless interplay of Nature's decorative motifs. This volume is a companion to 'Galle Furniture' ISBN:9781851496624.

Influenced by the currently very popu-lar do-it-yourself movement, the contemporary design scene is increasingly shaped by a creative fusion of production and consumption. When it comes to the development of a self-made furniture culture, this book project combines for the first time design history research and consumerism theory with numerous historical and contemporary construction instructions and interior design recommendations. Across five chapters, design history and everyday culture are vividly and closely examined. What are their ori- gins? Which media and channels are used to pass on experiences and prac-tical instructions? Who exchanges in-formation with whom and under what circumstances? And what has changed since the advent of the era of digital modernity?