While designers often reimagine the standard forms of kitchen tools for aesthetic reasons or to utilize new materials, these works demonstrate ergonomic changes intended to make familiar objects more accessible. Most of them were featured in MoMA's 1988 exhibition Designing for Independent Living, which highlighted the efforts of designers to meet the needs of the elderly and people with physical disabilities. Since 1969 Ergonomi Design has specialized in this area, reflecting through its award-winning products and its motto "Innovation for People" an outstanding commitment to diverse user needs. Their work from the 1970s and '80s, much of which is still in production today, represents the progressive “democratic” design that has long been associated with the historically equality-driven culture of Sweden.

Gallery label from

Counter Space: Design and the Modern Kitchen, September 15, 2010–March 14, 2011.

Manufacturer AB Gustavsberg, Sweden
Medium .1: Stainless steel and polypropylene .2: Plastic
Dimensions .1 (knife): 3 1/2 x 4 x 1" (8.9 x 10.2 x 2.5 cm) .2 (cutting board): 5 1/4 x 15 1/16 x 5 3/8" (13.3 x 38.3 x 13.7 cm)
Credit Gift of RFSU Rehab
Object number 437.1983.1-2
Department Architecture & Design

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