STEEN ØSTERGAARD

ARCHITECT & INDUSTRIEL DESIGNER

Born: 21.12.1935 DENMARK
Address: Nice, France

Spouse: Ina Buchhave Ostergaard, Interior Architect – Redacteur
Children: Sanja – Research & Innovation Design Manager
Tim – Operating Manager DK, GB

Education:
Educated Cabinetmaker and Imagery Carver – Bronze Medal 1957.
Graduated from the SCHOOL of ARTS & CRAFTS, Copenhagen, Denmark 1960, with certificate – Highest Marks.
Officer in the Royal Danish Army 1960-1962.

Activities:
Own Design offices in Denmark, respectively England, Germany and France.
Main activities – Furniture design – Industrial Design – Professional product development.
Designer and inventor of worlds first chair injectionmoulded in one piece.
Developer and designer of the first Action Recliner furniture with built-in footrest.
Worked for the famous Danish furniture architect Finn Juhl 1962-1966.
Chief designer and developer for architect Poul Cadovius, Cado, France & Son and Abstracta 1970-1975.
Manager in Wiltax – the largest factory of carpets in Denmark 1978-1981.
Planed the collection and designs of carpet patterns and construction of tufted carpets.

Awards & Prizes:
1st prize 1960 at the International Furniture Competition, designs for the Danish Upholstery Guild, on the occasion of their 500 years Jubilee.
The Museum of Art and Design, Copenhagen, Denmark.
1st prize at the International Furniture Competition, Cantu, Italy 1963.
Awarded by the Danish Cabinetmakers Guild 1964 and 1965.
Selected by The Danish Cabinetmakers Guilt to represent the
“THE FURNITURE OF THE FUTURE” 1965.
Highest bursary from Johs. Kroiers Fond, Denmark, 1966.
Scholarship at the Cloister San Cataldo, Amalfi, Italy 1966.
Assigned the “POLY AWARD OF MERIT”, from the Society of Plastic Industry, USA 1984.
1st prize – certificate of Achievement – “MOST INNOVATIVE USE OF KD HARDWARE”, KDesign, New York, USA 1984.1st prize – Certificate of Achievement – “BEST KD MERCHANDISING PROGRAM”, KDesign, New York, USA 1984.

Exhibitions:
Odd Fellow Palace, Copenhagen, Denmark 1960.
Gallery d’Arte, Cantu, Italy 1963.
Museum of Arts and Crafts, Copenhagen, Denmark 1962,1964,1965.
Art Center, Eriksholm, Copenhagen, Denmark 1965.
Milano, Italy 1971.
Technical Museum, Munich, Germany 1972.
Heals, London, Great Britain 1973.
La Boutique Danoise, Paris, France 1973.
Museum of Modern Art, New York, USA 1974.
Den Permanente, Copenhagen, Denmark 1979.
Christianshus, Copenhagen, Denmark 1968-1980.
Bella Center, Copenhagen, Denmark 1981-2008.
Cologne, Germany 1970-2010 .

Steen Østergaard 1969

Steen Østergaard was born in Denmark 1935.
After his schooling he apprenticed as Cabinetmaker and Imagery Carver.
He started his education as furniture architect at the famous School of Arts & Crafts in Copenhagen, Denmark in 1957 and obtained certificate with honour and highest degree.
Already before SO finished his education he won the 1st prize for his furniture design in the international competition, on the occasion of the 500-years Jubilee of the Danish Upholstery Guild in Denmark, presented at the ‘Kunstindustri’ museum, The famous Museum of Arts and Design, Copenhagen Denmark.
SO has always been in advance of his time, already as 5-years old he constructed and build his own models of air-planes.
In 1965 he was selected: “The designer” of “THE FURNITURE OF THE FUTURE” – which manifest its self, as today, 75 years of age, his designs are still highly popular and he is up-to-date with his latest models of furniture ‘Alfa Lux’ and ‘Omega’ produced by Nielaus ApS, Denmark.
His classic A-series 290 & 265 of plastic (poly-amide) furniture from the sixties, are today in great demand worldwide at the International Auctions of Art.
SO constructed and designed the first plastic chair, injection-moulded in one piece in 1966, at a cycle time of only 132 seconds.
Today the chairs are represented in private homes as well as restaurants, churches, cloisters, the Nuclear Power-station, Basebäch in Sweden and the most feared prison Saint Quentin in USA.
The lounge chairs are in the rocket base in Houston, Texas, where they are moulded specially sealed to the floor, so under launching of rockets, they will not move.
In 1981 he constructed and designed the first “Action Recliner” chair with built-in footrest, since copied all over the world.
For SO is it of great importance to combine aesthetic designs with the human anatomy, so you are always ergonomic and comfortable seated in his furniture.
He is a perfectionist and never stops before having solved all kinds of technical problems.
As a hand-worker he often makes the prototypes of the products himself and he has solved many obstructions for the furniture industry, including furniture for elderly and disabled people.
Among other things he is the architect and Industrial designer of Garden grills, The Ship, Coffee dispensers, Electrical tools, Vacuum cleaners, Lawn movers, Whistling kettles, etc.
In 1986 the family moved to Oxford, England and later on to Flensburg, Germany. Now he lives in South of France, where he is still active as designer, and always has new ideas on the drawing board -he still spend most of his spare time skiing, playing tennis and especially working in the beautiful gardens he also creates.

The Ostergaard Design team, November 2010