Carl Gustav Magnusson (born March 8, 1940) is an industrial designer, inventor, design juror and lecturer. Life and career Carl Gustav Magnusson was born in Malmö, Sweden, and grew up in Canada, including Innisfail, Alberta; Toronto, Ontario, where he attended St. Andrew's College, Aurora; and Vancouver, British Columbia, where he attended St. George's School (Vancouver). He studied engineering and architecture at the University of Idaho and architecture at the Chalmers Institute of Technology in Gothenburg, Sweden. In 1967 he joined the Office of Charles and Ray Eames in California and, in 1969, Magnusson opened his own design practice in Rudolf Schindler's studio on Kings Road in West Hollywood, California.
Magnusson's prototype for a wooden toy system and hardware for a hanging fabric room divider manufactured by Fortress Chairs, Inc., were featured in "California Design 11," published in 1971.
Knoll In 1976 Magnusson joined Knoll as Director of Graphics and Showroom Design and was named Director of Design for Europe shortly thereafter. He designed Knoll showrooms in London, Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Zurich, Florence, Rome, Amsterdam and Turin. In 1993, he was named Senior Vice President, Director of Design Worldwide, and, in 2003, Executive Vice President, Director of Design.profile knoll.com
As a design director, Magnusson widened the range of designers that Knoll commissioned work from—recruiting both established and younger talents. In the late 1980s, Magnusson rekindled Knoll's relationship with Florence Knoll and renowned designers such as esthetic theorist Ettore Sottass, which led to numerous iconic pieces, including the Mandarin chair and the Spyder table. Sculptor Maya Lin collaborated closely with Magnusson in 1998 to create Knoll's Maya Lin line of furniture that Knoll continues to sell today. Similarly, architect Frank Gehry worked with Knoll to create Knoll's Fog Collection. His work with Ross Lovegrove led to a number of iconic products.
Magnusson continued to contribute his own designs to Knoll as well, including the Magnusson Desk (1993), the RPM Chair (1997), and modular office systems, the Spelo desk collection; Dividends, with David Noel; Currents, with Robert Reuter; and Autostrada, with Robert Reuter and Charlie Rozier.
During his 29 years at Knoll, Magnusson was also active as a curator and educator. He established the Knoll Design Symposium at Cranbrook Academy of the Arts in Bloomfield Hills and in 1997; he co-founded with Albert Pfeiffer (AIA) The Knoll MuseumThe Knoll Museum in East Greenville, Pennsylvania. With over 60 years of Knoll furniture designs, the museum is considered among the most comprehensive display of archival collector items by any furniture manufacturer.
Ongoing activities Since retiring from Knoll in 2005, Magnusson has remained active as a designer, consultant and lecturer. In 2005, Magnusson founded CGM Design which serves furniture and automotive manufacturers in product development and design strategy. Today he continues in the fields of office design and environment, as well as lighting systems, automobiles, and household appliances, furnishings, and textiles. In addition to Knoll, he has designed products for Spinneybeck, Teknion, Stegner Engineering, Arexit, Momentum Textiles, Allseating, Nienkamper, and the MoMA Design Store (co-designed with his wife, architect Emanuela Frattini Magnusson).Official website for C.G. Magnusson
He has lectured on design matters for BMW, Knoll, Maharam, AIA, Waterworks, IIDA, ArtCenter College of Design, Yale Library, Michael Graves College and SCAD, among others. Magnusson is a frequent jury member for design competitions internationally including iF Product Design Award, Yale School of Architecture, ArtCenter College of Design, and Good Design Awards. He also serves as an expert witness on design matters.
In 2012, the design industry publication Contract named him the 2012 design "legend" of the year, saying of him: "he is an industrial designer, as well as a curator, lecturer, mentor, inventor, organizer, talent scout, and visionary. And his influence has spread out in multiple directions around the globe."
Personal life Magnusson is married to architect Emanuela Frattini Magnusson. He has four children, Kolin Erik Magnusson, Gregor Daniel Magnusson, Cecilia Helen Magnusson, and Oliver Marco Magnusson, as well as grandchildren. Magnusson is also a Porsche aficionado, and he and his 912 Outlaw are featured in the book, "Porsche Outlaws."
Design Awards Magnusson has garnered more than 50 design awards throughout his career: Year Award Organization Details / Product 2026 2026 Prize Designs for Modern Furniture + Lighting Winners Global Design News and Chicago Athenaeum For Silent-Lectern. 2025 A+ Awards Jury Vote Winner Architizer For Otto Screens. 2025 PD25 Winner Prize Designs for Modern Furniture + Lighting For Silent Silo. 2025 A+ Awards Finalist Architizer For Otto Screens. 2024 Best of Year Awards Interior Design (magazine) For Otto Screens. 2024 Prize Designs Award Global Design News For Otto Screens. 2024 Good Design Award Chicago Athenaeum For Otto Screens. 2021 Good Design Award Chicago Athenaeum For Acumen Screens (with Spinneybeck). 2020 Good Design Award Chicago Athenaeum For Silent-Silo. 2019 Good Design Award Chicago Athenaeum For PRATA Chair (with Allseating). 2018 NeoCon Significant Contributor Design Innovation Award NeoCon N/A 2018 IDSA Excellence Award Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA) For LYSS (with Allseating). 2018 Good Design Award Chicago Athenaeum For Zinc (now called Gemelli) and Exchange (with Allseating). 2017 Interior Design Best of Year Finalist Interior Design (magazine) For LYSS chair (with Allseating). 2017 Good Design Award Chicago Athenaeum For LYSS chair (with Allseating). 2017 A+ Awards Architizer For IVY umbrella stand (co-designed with Emanuela Frattini Magnusson). 2016 Good Design Award Chicago Athenaeum For IVY umbrella stand (co-designed with Emanuela Frattini Magnusson). 2015 Good Design Award Chicago Athenaeum For iDesk benching, work tables, and lounge system. 2013 Good Design Award Chicago Athenaeum For The Magnusson Collection (with Momentum). 2012 German Design Council Nominee German Design Council For Conflux (with Teknion). 2012 IDSA Design Award Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA) For MAST Monitor Arm System (with Teknion). 2012 Best of NeoCon Gold Award (Innovative Materials) NeoCon For e2e. 2012 ASID International Design Award American Society of Interior Designers For MAST Monitor Arm System (with Teknion). 2012 IDEA/IDSA Design Award IDEA / Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA) For MAST Monitor Arm System (with Teknion). 2012 Michigan Youth Arts Annual Innovation Award Michigan Youth Arts N/A 2012 Good Design Award Chicago Athenaeum For MAST Monitor Arm System (with Teknion). 2012 Contract Magazine Legend Award for Lifetime Achievement Contract Magazine Recognizing his roles as designer, curator, lecturer, mentor, inventor, organizer, talent scout, and visionary. 2011 German Design Council Nominee German Design Council For A-Fold. 2011 Interior Design Best of Year Honoree Interior Design (magazine) N/A 2011 Green Good Design Award Chicago Athenaeum For Conflux (with Teknion). 2011 International Forum Design iF Product Design Award For Conflux (with Teknion). 2010 International Forum Design iF Product Design Award For A-Fold tablet accessory. 2010 Buildings Magazine Grand Award (Innovation) Buildings Magazine For Conflux (with Teknion). 2010 NeoCon Gold Award (Lighting) NeoCon For Conflux (with Teknion). 2010 IIDA Circle of Excellence Award IIDA For Conflux (with Teknion). 2009 "MMQB Top Ten Products of the Decade" MMQB For Marketplace (with Teknion). 2009 IIDEX Silver Innovation Award IIDEX For FX Accessories (with Teknion). 2009 NeoCon Silver Award NeoCon For FX Accessories (with Teknion). 2009 FX International Interior Design Award FX International For FX Accessories (with Teknion). 2009 Interior Design and Sources Bloom Award (Best of Furniture) Interior Design and Sources For Synapse Chair (with Teknion). 2008 Good Design Award Chicago Athenaeum For Synapse Chair (with Teknion). 2008 Green Star Sustainability Award Green Star For Synapse Chair (with Teknion). 2008 NeoCon Gold Award NeoCon For Synapse Chair (with Teknion). 2007 International Forum Design iF Product Design Award For Marketplace System (with Teknion). 2007 IIDEX/NeoCon Canada Innovation Gold Award IIDEX/NeoCon Canada For Marketplace System (with Teknion). 1997 Lifetime Achievement Award Pacific Design Center Recognizing his contributions to design. 1978 Certificate of Excellence American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) The Poster Show 1978. 1972 N/A Industrial Design Magazine (now I.D. (magazine)) For Hanging Screen System. 1972 Ilo Liston Award La Jolla Museum of Contemporary Art (now Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego) "The Modern Chair: Its Origins and Evolution" 1969 N/A Industrial Design Magazine (now I.D. (magazine)) For the San Diego Blood Bank.
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