Mid2Mod: Cees Braakman

Cees Braakman (1917-1995) was a Dutch designer. At age 17, he started his career with the furniture manufacturer UMS Pastoe, where his father was manager and head draftsman. There he learned the basics of furniture design.

In 1947, he was sent to the United States to study American design and production processes. He visited 12 companies but was particularly influenced by the designs of Charles and Ray Eames at Herman Miller. He took their bent plywood technique back to Pastoe, where he created their first line of modern furniture.

His clean, forward-thinking designs were a success for Pastoe during the 1950s and 1960s, and he headed their design department until 1978. Some of his best known work included a series of modular cabinets that were self-assembled.

From deconet.com and r-and-company.com