Ron Rezek
Encyclopedia
Ronald John Rezek is a design entrepreneur who started five successful companies and has designed hundreds of contemporary light fixtures and ceiling fans. He is an expert on design patents and copyrights, and is often used as an expert witness in court.
He earned his bachelor's degree in Industrial Design and a Master’s in Fine Arts in Industrial Design at UCLA. There, his professors included designers Henry Dreyfuss
, Charles Eames, Neils Different and Don Chadwick. In 1970, while still in graduate school, he designed an innovative lifeguard rescue device that is still being used today and he founded Surf-Saving International to manufacture and sell the device. In 1978, he started Ron Rezek Lighting in Culver City, CA, which he sold in 2004 but which continues to design original decorative light fixtures. In 1986, he designed the first contemporary-styled ceiling fan, which "quickly became popular in both commercial and residential settings," noted the New York Times. Later, he began the niche company, The Modern Fan Co., which is the only U.S. company to design and sell only contemporary ceiling fans. In 2008, he designed a line of ceiling fans inspired by American and European design movements of the 20th century and launched a new company, The Period Arts Fan Co.
, CA, Rezek realized that rotational molding was the perfect production process for a water rescue device because it produced a watertight seam. It was the toughest plastic available and the tooling was not expensive.
This molding technique also allowed for flexibility in the form so Rezek decided on a torpedo shape and added large side handles and a solid handle at the back to tow in the people being rescued. In 1971, his rescue can was accepted in the California Design show because judges realized it was “the first major design breakthrough in this type of equipment in 50 years.” The rescue can was later exhibited at the Pasadena Art Museum and was also published in House Beautiful
in March 1971 and Industrial Design Magazine in December 1971. Rezek sold the company in the 1980s, but his rescue can is still preferred by professional lifeguards and the actors carrying the red buoys under their arms on the show Baywatch
.
In 1978, Rezek started Ron Rezek Lighting to design and sell contemporary decorative lighting and furniture. He maintained a showroom in SoHo, New York and West Los Angeles, and an office and warehouse in Culver City. His steel-and-chrome desk lamp, hanging steel-and-aluminum desk lamp and chrome-steel-and-maple table were included in the 1976 California Design show. In 2004, he sold the company to the Italian lighting company, Artemide
.
While the majority of new furnishing products are adaptations of traditional styles, Rezek has focused his work on advancing the modern idiom. “Rezek’s philosophy has been to subtract as many of the details as possible and rely on what he calls ‘pure geometry,’” wrote Charlyne Varkonyi Schaub in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
In the late 1980s, the designer of contemporary products tackled the traditional ceiling fan
form. He had never owned a fan when he was hired by a ceiling fan company to create a contemporary-looking one, the New York Times wrote. “At that point, ceiling fans had never really been a design object,” Rezek told reporter Julie Scelfo. “Most of the fans on the market were reproduction Victorian fans, and if a guy had a Mies van der Rohe apartment in Chicago, he probably wasn’t going to put one in there.”
For a century (1882–1986), ceiling fans were made in Victorian or other traditional, ornamental styles. In 1986, Rezek created the first contemporary ceiling fan, the Stratos, “which introduced a more modern, stream-lined aesthetic”.
Rezek was granted patents in 1991 for the fan’s design and mechanical innovations. Rezek was the first to eliminate blade irons holding fan blades. With his patented invention of rotor slots, blades slip into the rotor. His rotor ended the out-of-balance problems and tedious assembly required with classic blade iron configurations. “His Stratos revolutionized the ceiling fan,” wrote Washington Post writer Patricia Dane Rogers.
Two years later, Rezek created seven more innovative fans and in 1997, he began The Modern Fan Co. in Ashland, Oregon
, which Architectural Record
cites as offering original, “graceful designs for normally clunky fixtures.”
Rezek has worked independently as an industrial designer, designing original products for his companies as well as Herman Miller
office equipment, Design Within Reach, Artemide
, Monarch Mirror, Del Rey Lighting, Fredrick Raymond Lighting, Halsey Lighting, Lavi Industries and others.
In his early career, he taught at UCLA’s art and architecture departments, the Art Center College of Design
and Southern California Institute of Architecture
.
In 1990, Ron launched Highlights, lighting showrooms in California -- Santa Monica
, San Francisco and San Diego – as well as Seattle and Miami. He designed each showroom to be a unique “gallery of lights” featuring the best in modern design. In 2002, he sold the showrooms.
His most recent notable designs include a line of ceiling fans for his company, The Period Arts Fan Co. Each of the fan models are inspired by American and Europeans design movements of the 20th Century, including Arts and Crafts movement
, Neoclassicism
, Art Nouveau
, Wiener Werkstatte
, Viennese Secessionism, Bauhaus
along with Futurism
and French Art Deco.
His designs have been exhibited in museums and have appeared in movies, TV shows, books and magazines.
He earned his bachelor's degree in Industrial Design and a Master’s in Fine Arts in Industrial Design at UCLA. There, his professors included designers Henry Dreyfuss
Henry Dreyfuss
Henry Dreyfuss was an American industrial designer.-Career:Dreyfuss was a native of Brooklyn, New York. As one of the celebrity industrial designers of the 1930s and 1940s, Dreyfuss dramatically improved the look, feel, and usability of dozens of consumer products...
, Charles Eames, Neils Different and Don Chadwick. In 1970, while still in graduate school, he designed an innovative lifeguard rescue device that is still being used today and he founded Surf-Saving International to manufacture and sell the device. In 1978, he started Ron Rezek Lighting in Culver City, CA, which he sold in 2004 but which continues to design original decorative light fixtures. In 1986, he designed the first contemporary-styled ceiling fan, which "quickly became popular in both commercial and residential settings," noted the New York Times. Later, he began the niche company, The Modern Fan Co., which is the only U.S. company to design and sell only contemporary ceiling fans. In 2008, he designed a line of ceiling fans inspired by American and European design movements of the 20th century and launched a new company, The Period Arts Fan Co.
Career
Ron Rezek's career began in 1970 while he was a graduate student at UCLA working on an MFA degree, studying industrial design and working as a teaching assistant. While experimenting with rotational molding of plastic, in particular cross-linking orange polyethylene to produce an extremely tough and seamless plastic vessel, he was approached by a Los Angeles county lifeguard to investigate an alternative for the spun aluminum rescue can. After meeting with Captain Bob Burnside at a lifeguard station at Zuma BeachZuma Beach
Zuma Beach is a County beach located at 30000 Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, California. One of the largest and most popular beaches in the Los Angeles County, Zuma is known for its long, wide sands and excellent surf...
, CA, Rezek realized that rotational molding was the perfect production process for a water rescue device because it produced a watertight seam. It was the toughest plastic available and the tooling was not expensive.
This molding technique also allowed for flexibility in the form so Rezek decided on a torpedo shape and added large side handles and a solid handle at the back to tow in the people being rescued. In 1971, his rescue can was accepted in the California Design show because judges realized it was “the first major design breakthrough in this type of equipment in 50 years.” The rescue can was later exhibited at the Pasadena Art Museum and was also published in House Beautiful
House Beautiful
House Beautiful is an interior decorating magazine that focuses on decorating and the domestic arts. First published in 1896, it is currently published by the Hearst Corporation, who purchased it in 1934...
in March 1971 and Industrial Design Magazine in December 1971. Rezek sold the company in the 1980s, but his rescue can is still preferred by professional lifeguards and the actors carrying the red buoys under their arms on the show Baywatch
Baywatch
Baywatch is an American action drama series about the Los Angeles County Lifeguards who patrol the beaches of Los Angeles County, California, starring David Hasselhoff. The show ran in its original title and format from 1989 to 1999, sans the 1990-1991 season, of which it was not in production...
.
In 1978, Rezek started Ron Rezek Lighting to design and sell contemporary decorative lighting and furniture. He maintained a showroom in SoHo, New York and West Los Angeles, and an office and warehouse in Culver City. His steel-and-chrome desk lamp, hanging steel-and-aluminum desk lamp and chrome-steel-and-maple table were included in the 1976 California Design show. In 2004, he sold the company to the Italian lighting company, Artemide
Artemide
ArtemideArtemis , in the religions of ancient Greece is the daughter of Zeus and Leto and twin sister of Apollo. She was one of the most revered gods of Olympus and its origin dates back to ancient times. [1] In Roman times she was associated with Diana, while the Etruscans with the name...
.
While the majority of new furnishing products are adaptations of traditional styles, Rezek has focused his work on advancing the modern idiom. “Rezek’s philosophy has been to subtract as many of the details as possible and rely on what he calls ‘pure geometry,’” wrote Charlyne Varkonyi Schaub in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
In the late 1980s, the designer of contemporary products tackled the traditional ceiling fan
Ceiling fan
A ceiling fan is a fan, usually electrically powered, suspended from the ceiling of a room, that uses hub-mounted rotating paddles to circulate air....
form. He had never owned a fan when he was hired by a ceiling fan company to create a contemporary-looking one, the New York Times wrote. “At that point, ceiling fans had never really been a design object,” Rezek told reporter Julie Scelfo. “Most of the fans on the market were reproduction Victorian fans, and if a guy had a Mies van der Rohe apartment in Chicago, he probably wasn’t going to put one in there.”
For a century (1882–1986), ceiling fans were made in Victorian or other traditional, ornamental styles. In 1986, Rezek created the first contemporary ceiling fan, the Stratos, “which introduced a more modern, stream-lined aesthetic”.
Rezek was granted patents in 1991 for the fan’s design and mechanical innovations. Rezek was the first to eliminate blade irons holding fan blades. With his patented invention of rotor slots, blades slip into the rotor. His rotor ended the out-of-balance problems and tedious assembly required with classic blade iron configurations. “His Stratos revolutionized the ceiling fan,” wrote Washington Post writer Patricia Dane Rogers.
Two years later, Rezek created seven more innovative fans and in 1997, he began The Modern Fan Co. in Ashland, Oregon
Ashland, Oregon
Ashland is a city in Jackson County, Oregon, United States, near Interstate 5 and the California border, and located in the south end of the Rogue Valley. It was named after Ashland County, Ohio, point of origin of Abel Helman and other founders, and secondarily for Ashland, Kentucky, where other...
, which Architectural Record
Architectural Record
Architectural Record is an American monthly magazine dedicated to architecture and interior design, published by McGraw-Hill Construction in New York City. It is over 110 years old...
cites as offering original, “graceful designs for normally clunky fixtures.”
Rezek has worked independently as an industrial designer, designing original products for his companies as well as Herman Miller
Herman Miller
Herman Miller may refer to:*Herman Miller , U.S. manufacturer of office furniture and equipment*Herman Miller , Hollywood writer and producer...
office equipment, Design Within Reach, Artemide
Artemide
ArtemideArtemis , in the religions of ancient Greece is the daughter of Zeus and Leto and twin sister of Apollo. She was one of the most revered gods of Olympus and its origin dates back to ancient times. [1] In Roman times she was associated with Diana, while the Etruscans with the name...
, Monarch Mirror, Del Rey Lighting, Fredrick Raymond Lighting, Halsey Lighting, Lavi Industries and others.
In his early career, he taught at UCLA’s art and architecture departments, the Art Center College of Design
Art Center College of Design
Art Center College of Design is a private college located in Pasadena, California, and was cited by BusinessWeek as one of the 60 best design schools in the world. The college’s industrial design program is consistently ranked number one by both DesignIntelligence and U.S...
and Southern California Institute of Architecture
Southern California Institute of Architecture
The Southern California Institute of Architecture in Los Angeles , California, is an independent, nonprofit school offering undergraduate and graduate degrees in architecture. It offers community design and outreach programs, and free public access to frequent exhibitions and lectures by leading...
.
In 1990, Ron launched Highlights, lighting showrooms in California -- Santa Monica
Santa Mônica
Santa Mônica is a town and municipality in the state of Paraná in the Southern Region of Brazil.-References:...
, San Francisco and San Diego – as well as Seattle and Miami. He designed each showroom to be a unique “gallery of lights” featuring the best in modern design. In 2002, he sold the showrooms.
His most recent notable designs include a line of ceiling fans for his company, The Period Arts Fan Co. Each of the fan models are inspired by American and Europeans design movements of the 20th Century, including Arts and Crafts movement
Arts and Crafts movement
Arts and Crafts was an international design philosophy that originated in England and flourished between 1860 and 1910 , continuing its influence until the 1930s...
, Neoclassicism
Neoclassicism
Neoclassicism is the name given to Western movements in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that draw inspiration from the "classical" art and culture of Ancient Greece or Ancient Rome...
, Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau is an international philosophy and style of art, architecture and applied art—especially the decorative arts—that were most popular during 1890–1910. The name "Art Nouveau" is French for "new art"...
, Wiener Werkstatte
Wiener Werkstätte
Established in 1903, the Wiener Werkstätte was a production community of visual artists. The workshop brought together architects, artists and designers whose first commitment was to design art which would be accessible to everyone...
, Viennese Secessionism, Bauhaus
Bauhaus
', commonly known simply as Bauhaus, was a school in Germany that combined crafts and the fine arts, and was famous for the approach to design that it publicized and taught. It operated from 1919 to 1933. At that time the German term stood for "School of Building".The Bauhaus school was founded by...
along with Futurism
Futurism
Futurism was an artistic and social movement that originated in Italy in the early 20th century.Futurism or futurist may refer to:* Afrofuturism, an African-American and African diaspora subculture* Cubo-Futurism* Ego-Futurism...
and French Art Deco.
His designs have been exhibited in museums and have appeared in movies, TV shows, books and magazines.
External links
- Rezek Lighting, archive of vintage Rezek Lighting designs.