CGD

If we were to name a designer who has been appearing with unshakeable regularity among the finalists of the Czech Grand Design Awards in design categories and nominee shortlists, it would certainly be Jiří Krejčiřík. Three times already he has entered the finals – in 2021 for his Nouveau furniture and Luna collection of lightings, in 2023 for his The Roots Altar cabinet (Futuro), the Arnaud Bench and Lunae lighting, and in 2024 for his Fold-able table and chairs (BUDU), the Scene21 modular kitchen (Futuro Studio, Towárna), the Bor21 office desk and YKB commode. Is he set to break his position of “all-time finalist” this year?

Jiří Krejčiřík has chosen a wholly unique and bold creative position for himself, one based on noblesse and self-confidence, and he has perfected a sophisticated, eclectic and stylish design language full of citations and original forms. Jiří emphasizes attention to detail, balance of form, meticulous craft and intoxicating color schemes. These are the ingredients from which he composes his virtuosic designs that are then produced by top-notch craftspeople. Since his personal debut at Designblok festival six years ago (2019), he has become a successful and sought-after designer both at home and abroad, and has successfully exhibited his works at prestigious galleries.

In the Czech environment, his approach is in many ways unique and refreshing. He does not let himself be tied down by trends or the limits of the market and serial production. Krejčiřík’s furniture designs fall under the category of collectable design while having immense use-value; yet his strict aestheticism tends towards complex gesamtkunstwerk and pushes his works into the category of art. There are not many authors with a similar focus working on the Czech scene today. In contrast to his visually vibrant and decorative furniture inspired by various sources – e.g. Italian postmodernism, art of classical Greece, European Art Nouveau, the works of František Bílek, Jože Plečnik and Josef Hoffmann, not to mention traditional folk furniture – Krejčiřík’s lighting designs remain subdued and formally austere. This emphasizes his uncompromising sense for composition, detail and balance of form which pushes his functional objects closer to the kinetic mobiles and lighting objects of Alexander Calder.

Such aspects have been the DNA of Krejčiřík’s work and offer a possible answer as to why a multiple finalist has not received a CGD Award just yet – his work is, after all, impeccable. But his singular, individualist and tensely aesthetic and complex approach has so far taken a back seat to the exploration of materials and technologies, and has tended towards formally austere, economical and democratic designs, usually produced in smaller series. In his lamp designs of last year, he has proven that he is a universal designer who is able to curb his rich individual style in service of the brand without being disingenuous to himself or his work.

Maybe this year’s Czech Grand Design Awards will finally appreciate the values that Jiří Krejčiřík has brought to Czech and European design. He is an authentic creator and a unique player on the scene, a designer whose heart is passionate and full of emotion while remaining firmly based in tradition. His work is among the best Czech design has to offer, and 2025 was no exception.

Michaela Kádnerová