Johanna Grawunder

American architect, artist, and designer

Johanna Grawunder (born 1961, San Diego, California) is an American architect, artist, and designer known for her work in lighting.

Her work spans a broad range of projects and scales, from large-scale public installations, architecture and interiors, to limited edition furniture and lights and custom commissions. She also designs products for select companies including Flos, Boffi, and Glas Italia among others.

Notable designs include Robert, the restaurant atop New York City’s Museum of Arts and Design, and a lighting installation for the Luxembourg Freeport.

Grawunder attended California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, graduating with a degree in architecture in 1984. Soon after, she moved to Florence, Italy, to study and work for Gianni Pettena and Cristiano Toraldo di Francia of Superstudio. She then began working for Sottsass Associati from 1985 to 2001. She became a partner in 1989. At the Sottsass Studio she was involved primarily with architecture and interiors, co-designing many of the firm’s most prestigious projects with Ettore Sottsass. In 2001 she left to found a studio, where she has produced lighting object collections for different lighting companies and designed several private residences worldwide. read more

Grawunder’s lighting works are often large in scale, and incorporate technology and non-precious building materials. Her lights many times consist of obscured sources in vibrant colors, which lead to unique and interesting glows.

Grawunder’s architectural work and design art objects have been reviewed repeatedly by the New York Times and architectural publications like Dwell and Wallpaper.

Last updated: August 17, 2019

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