Jaime Hayon

Background

Jaime Hayon was born in Madrid in 1974. Industrial design was his subject, first at Madrid's European Institute of Design and then at ENSAD in Paris. In 1997 he joined Fabrica, the Benetton-funded design and communication academy in Italy, where he led the design department until 2003. He founded his own studio in 2000 and devoted himself fully to his own projects from 2003.

Signature Style

Hayon works across furniture, lighting, ceramics, interiors, installations, sculpture and painting. His visual language plays with shapes, colours and recurring motifs; Wittmann describes it as eclectic, Mediterranean Baroque and yet timeless, and notes his passion for traditional handicraft techniques and his habit of redefining time-honoured forms with lightness and humour.

Notable Works

He has designed collections for Baccarat, Fritz Hansen, Cassina, BD Barcelona, Magis, Bisazza, Lladró, &Tradition and Wittmann – for Wittmann the Vuelta series and the Wittmann Hayon Workshop collection. Installations include the Swarovski Carousel at Swarovski Kristallwelten and The Tournament in Trafalgar Square, and interiors include The Standard in Bangkok and the Groninger Museum info centre.

Legacy

Hayon has received Spain's National Design Award and awards from Wallpaper*, Elle Deco and Maison&Objet (Designer of the Year 2010). His work is held by museums including the Groninger Museum, the Museo del Disseny in Barcelona, MAD New York, the Design Museum Holon and the High Museum of Art in Atlanta.