Quick Facts
Biography
Matteo Thun, born in 1952 in Bolzano, Italy, is an architect and designer.
Early years
Thun studied at the Salzburg Academy under the supervision of Oskar Kokoschka. He then obtained a degree in architecture in Florence, Italy, in 1975. In 1978 he moved to Milan, starting to work with Ettore Sottsass.
Memphis Group
In 1981, he was one of the co-founders of the Memphis Group, a design movement that helped shape form and style throughout the 1980s. The following year, he was appointed the chair in product design and ceramics by the University of Applied Arts Vienna.
In 1984, he founded his Studio, in Milan, Italy. Between 1990 and 1993, he worked as the Creative Director at Swatch.
Design
Matteo Thun has worked for Artemide, Catalano, Driade, Illy, Philips Electronics, Fontana Arte, Missoni, Porsche Design, VitrA, Villeroy & Boch, Vapiano,Valli&Valli/Assa Abloy, Zwilling/Henckels, and Zucchetti, among others.
Work
- Watches for Bulgari and Swatch;
- Glasses for Campari,
- Espresso-Cup for Illy, Lavazza, Hausbrandt and Meinl;
- Lightning systems for AEG, Zumtobel, Flos and Artemide;
- Acoustic Panel "Pannello" for Ruckstuhl.
- Hotel Missoni Edinburgh, the first Hotel Missoni property in the world; opening June 2009
- Hotel Missoni Kuwait, a Hotel Missoni property in the world; opening Q3 2009
Awards
Thun obtained the prestigious ADI Compasso d'Oro Award for design excellence three times.
In 2001, the 'Side Hotel' he designed in Hamburg was selected as "Hotel of the Year". In 2004, the 'Vigilius Mountain Resort' won the Wallpaper Design Award while in 2005 the 'Radisson SAS' in Frankfurt became the "best hotel opened in the year" in the Worldwide Hospitality Awards.
In 2004, December, Matteo Thun was chosen for the "Interior Hall of Fame" in New York. He has also become a member of the Royal Association of British Architects (RIBA).