Richard Pandiscio's one to watch

Austrian-born Annette Hinterwirth started her career in furniture design after working as an assistant to the set designer on such films as Seven Years in Tibet (1997) and The Peacemaker (1997). As it turned out, Hollywood proved a magnificent training ground for her current profession. On the movie set, Hinterwirth had come to understand a number of things about objects captured on film: that their visual effectiveness is altered by the camera angle and lighting conditions; that the way an object is framed will alter how it is seen. In other words, every object brought on set must be considered in a variety of ways. This recognition of the way multiple consciousnesses can affect how a piece of furniture is viewed, and ultimately used, proved an important lesson for Hinterwirth, one that today imbues every decision she makes as a furniture designer.

Hinterwirth designs objects with something she calls "positives" - her way of describing the extra, often completely unexpected functions most of her designs offer. So the wall with the window is not just a barrier against the outside world but a transportable room divider, as well. Likewise, a bench designed for an entry foyer is not just a place to sit; it's also a floor lamp. What makes Hinterwirth's work so contemporary is that it frees us from having to cram a room with lots of different things, each with their own particular purpose. As Hinterwirth says: "Most of us live in small spaces, so why have two pieces when one will do just as well?" - and serve just as many functions.

Consider her spectacular version of the "sputnik" chair. Hinterwirth designed the chair for herself, envisioning both a comfortable place to relax and a means by which she could give her imagination free reign. Upholstered in white quilted leather and supported by chrome feet and wheels, the chair is fully wired for sound. With speakers embedded at either side of the chair's interior, Hinterwirth can listen to music through the chair's tiny radio. There is, of course, no better impetus for imagining than music - be it old or new - and Hinterwirth uses the chair as a means to remember the past even as she imagines the future. In this way, her chair is not just a place to sit and rest but a time capsule, as well.

Beyond the nods to the 1950s and '60s space-age design apparent in her work, Hinterwirth is also inspired by the streamlined architecture of the 1920s and '30s. This can be seen in her juxtapositions of organic curvilinear shapes with crisp geometric lines, forms that are reminiscent of the work of another designer committed to coming up with something that would change the way we viewed the objects around us: Le Corbusier. In the '20s Le Corbusier called many of his revolutionary designs "machines for living," and many of Hinterwirth's creations also seem to embody this idea. Her "sputnik" chair, for instance, is good for sitting, reading, napping, whatever, but it is equipped with the very technology that makes it perfect for dreaming, as well.