Christopher Guy Harrison (3 September 1960 – 19 August 2020) was a British luxury furniture designer. He was the founder and head designer of the international furnishings brand. Originally known for a wide range of decorative mirrors, the Christopher Guy brand grew into a collection of upholstery, chairs, dining tables, sofas, headboards, and office furniture. In 2017, Christopher Guy partnered with rug manufacturer Nourison to create a new line of luxury area rugs.[1] Christopher's signature design includes the patented Chris-X (pronounced kris-krôs) leg design.[2]
Biography
Christopher Guy Harrison was born in Britain and raised in Spain and France. He drew on his international background to fuse design influences from around the world.[3] In 1993, Christopher formed Harrison & Gil. The company then expanded by offering a complete lifestyle and luxury furniture collection in 2005. It re-launched under the brand name Christopher Guy.[2] In 1999, Christopher designed and built a one million square foot workshop complex in Java to accommodate the 1,400 carvers, woodcarvers and specialist finishers that craft his designs.[2][4] Christopher resided in Singapore where he has his headquarters and travelled around the world particularly to Java and Los Angeles.[3]
Christopher Guy Design Lounge in Beverly Hills
Harrison died on 19 August 2020 from lung cancer, at the age of 59.[5]
USA Flagship Design Lounge
In October 2009, Guy opened his 2,400-square-foot (220 m2) USA Flagship Design Lounge in Beverly Hills. The lounge, complete with plasma TV's mounted on the walls for interactive viewing, showcases his newest collection of the year.[4]
Chris-X leg design is patented across the USA, China and Europe.
Design philosophy
Guy's furniture designs reflect a contemporary mood with Timeless values.[3] His Chris-X leg design is patented across the USA, China and Europe.[2] This design is seen throughout his collections and was inspired by the corseted waistline of Scarlett O'Hara in Gone with the Wind and the crossed legs of a ballerina.[6] “My aim was to design a chair that was simple, sophisticated and flexible enough to work with a variety of style categories,” said Guy.[2]
Awards
The British Interior Design Association awarded Guy the Outstanding Design award in 2004.[2] The World Market Center Las Vegas and Las Vegas Design Center recognize Guy as the 2011 Design Icon on 27 January 2011. The Design Icon award celebrates modern-day design legends and gives them a platform to share their stories and inspire others. Past Design Icon recipients include Juan Montoya, Vicente Wolf, Roger Thomas, Vladimir Kagan, and Larry Laslo.[7] In May 2014, he was awarded an honorary doctorate from Otis College of Art and Design.
