Top 17 of the best designs through time – chosen by Jonathan Ive & Marc Newson

• Top 18 of the best designs through time – chosen by Jonathan Ive & Marc Newson. I thought these where quite interesting. I do think that they should also put other things on the list like: the wheel, invention of fire, the car and many more.. but these are good choices!
  

  A customized Mac Pro that is estimated to sell for $40,000 to $60,000.

• 

  Dieter Rams’ vintage Hi-Fi System for Braun is a pre-digital beauty. It will come with a certificate of authenticity signed by Rams (estimate: $10,000-$15,000).

• 

  Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni’s Snoopy Lamp was originally designed in 1967 and has been customized for the (RED) Auction. The classic lamp is estimated to sell for $15,000-$20,000.

• 

  This Rega RP8 Skeletal turntable boasts an electronically controlled low-vibration motor and a specially designed shelf (estimate: $5,000-$10,000).

• 

  This Olivetti Valentine portable typewriter comes in its original red carrying case. It remains one of the designs most emblematic of 1960s Italian design (estimate: $15,000-$20,000).

• This sofa from Dieter Rams’ 620 Chair Program is being auctioned off before it goes into production (estimate: $20,000-$30,000).
• 

  This “Zveda” cosmonaut suit was worn on a Soviet space agency mission in 1990. Newson says he and Ive chose items whose designers were not immediately obvious. In the case of this suit, a whole team was tasked with designing it (estimate: $50,000-$75,000).

• 

  newson 1

  

  newson 2

  
  

  This hardcover copy of Norman Mailer’s MoonFire sits in a custom-designed case by Ive and Newson. It comes with a lunar rock and a framed print signed by Buzz Aldrin (estimate: $60,000-$80,000).
  The lunar rock that accompanies Norman Mailer’s MoonFire (estimate: $60,000-$80,000).

• 

  This is an exact replica of Jimmy’s Lambretta from the film Quadrophenia, signed by Pete Townsend and Roger Daltrey (estimate: $30,000-$50,000).

• 

  This three-piece Valextra luggage set comes with custom-designed red tags and red inner belt straps. Well-heeled travelers can expect to shell out $25,000-$35,000 for the Italian-made set.

• 

  The Leica digital rangefinder camera that Newson and Ive designed together is expected to sell for $500,000-$750,000.

• 

  table

  

  table 2

  
  

  The desk designed by Ive and Newson is made from 2,600 lbs. of aluminum (estimate: $300,000-$500,000).

• The top is made from more than 100 hand-polished tiles.
• 

  A pair of bespoke Christian Louboutin boots (estimate: $20,000-$30,000).

• 

  Tom Dixon’s Punch XL is a geometric aluminum shade made from 12 panels, 30 ribs and 20 nodes. When lit, the light filters patterns onto the walls (estimate: $20,000-$30,000).

• 

  This Laser Nostra bike was signed by Cinelli President and bicycle designer Antonio Colombo (estimate: $15,000-$20,000).

• 

  Newson re-designed the famous Atmos clock, which was originally made by Swiss watchmaker Jaeger-LeCoultre in 1928. The clock requires no battery, electric current or winding—relying instead on temperature and pressure changes for power (estimate: $20,000-$30,000).
  

  Something unsurprising happens when you task two star designers to curate a catalog of their favorite objects: You end up with a collection of well-designed products. This is exactly what happened when Sotheby’s tapped Jony Ive and Marc Newson to pull together a list of goods to be auctioned off at the (RED) Auction, which is raising money for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

Ive and Newson were essentially given free reign to choose more than 40 of their favorite designs throughout history. As Newson told us earlier, the resulting catalog is an eclectic collection of objects that shrugs off the personality-focused world of contemporary design. “There are a lot of unsung design heroes out there,” Newson says. “A lot of the objects we chose for us in some way represent the antithesis of personality-driven design.”

Images: Andrew Zuckerman