Geoffrey Harcourt

Geoffrey Harcourt (1935-) is an English designer best remembered for his collaboration with the Dutch brand Artifort, for which he created a wide range of colourful and ergonomic seats focused on the contract and communal spaces market. His collaboration with Artifort dates back to the early 1960s, immediately after a training period that had led the young Harcourt to work for a few years in the United States thanks to a project awarded the silver medal during his studies at the Royal College of Art in London. It was precisely that project that attracted the attention of Harry Wagemans, owner of Artifort, who gave him the opportunity to create several Space Age-style seats for his brand throughout the 1960s and 1970s. His F500 series of armchairs was particularly popular, which went back into production in the early 2000s and is still very popular today. In 1978, at the height of his success, he was awarded the title of Royal Designer for Industry and had the opportunity to teach at several prestigious English universities. He also designed chairs for lesser-known English brands such as Williams Hands of Wycombe or the London-based Olivex; some of his creations have also been re-edited by the Italian company Emmemobili of Cantù.