Martin Ballendat

‘Good design only gets created when your ideas are fully realized.’

Recognized worldwide for his elegantly simple and timeless styles, Martin Ballendat has been an influential force in interior/industrial design for more than 20 years. Born in Bochum, Germany in 1958, Ballendat received his Industrial Design degree from the Folkwang University Essen in 1983, and within several years was heading the Department of Design/Product Development for a major Austrian furniture manufacturer. Since the 1995 launch of his own firm, Design Ballendat, Martin has produced a large portfolio of important pieces.

Dozens have earned top honors in international design competition, including the 1999 Best of NeoCon in Chicago; the 2002 Focus in Gold LGA Stuttgart; and Cologne’s recent Best of the Best Interior Award. Like the essence of his work, Ballendat’s approach to design is expressed in clear, uncomplicated form Good design must be simple very simple, he says. But simplicity can only be achieved through an intelligent and creative balance of technical, practical and artistic factors.