Cranbrook and the Power of Beginnings
Design’s household names, like Knoll, Eames, Saarinen, and Bertoia, have something in common: they all studied at Cranbrook Academy of Art. Their collective works are synonymous with Mid-century design and hold a substantial presence in spaces where people live and work. A surprising number of influential designers in the field of contract furniture have continued to emerge from Cranbrook. What is it about this school that attracts and delivers such talent? What ethos or DNA exists there that unifies this remarkable group? Finding out means revisiting the school’s beginnings. Established in 1906 by George and Ellen Booth on a 319-acre campus in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, Cranbrook was “a full-fledged school of art and a meeting place for artisans and craftsmen.” That description from Antonio Román’s 2003 monograph, “Eero Saarinen: An Architecture of Multiplicity,” continues by telling of Eero’s father, Eliel, associating with Cranbrook, eventually becoming the Architect-in-Residence from 1932 until …
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