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Born in 1979, Tomas Kral has decided to work on a smaller scale than his father architect and urban planner.

Kral graduated from the Ecole cantonale d’art de Lausanne (Ecal). After finishing his bachelor in industrial design in 2006, he obtained at Ecal his Master degree in product design in 2008 and « MAS » Diplôma in luxury design in 2009.

Since 2010 Kral is teaching design at ECAL in the department of industrial design and he is also following design workshops withs students in the department of Design for Luxury & Craftsmanship. In addition, he give industrial design lessons to students from EPFL.

Tomas Kral established his product design studio in 2008 in Lausanne, Switzerland. In the context of industrial production and research, Kral’s approach to design is characterized by a clear preoccupation for materials and processes. In glass, cork or ceramic, Tomas Kral work on various projects ranging from products to lighting, furniture and accessories. He often takes inspiration in the tradition and ordinary situations and translate them with a touch of poetry and humor to simply, innovative solutions and clever everyday objects. In order to find a new creative approaches, shapes, details, assemblages and purposes he frequently observes and experiment with craftsmanship and the knowledge of manufacturers.

Tomas Kral exhibited his work in several museums and galleries like Libby Sellers Gallery (London), Gallery Kreo (Paris), The Aram Gallery (London), Helmrinderknecht (Berlin), Gallery Krehky (Prague), Museum of design (Zürich), Sm’s Stedelijk museum in the Netherlands, MUDAC in Lausanne or Quartier Général in La Chaux-de-Fonds.

He work for international companies specialised in design like PCM (Spain), Christofle (France), Foundry (Singapur), Praxis (Hong-Kong), Petite Friture (France), Safilo (Italy), Super-ette (Luxembourg), Nespresso (Switzerland), Somethinggood (Italy), Field (USA), Hartô (France), Nude glass (Turkey), Issey Miyake (Japan), Lapeyre (France)…

Recently, his work receives several awards and prizes including Leitz innovation & design award ; « Excellent prize » in the 9th International bicycle design competition, Swiss federal design award in March 2010 and Red Dot Design Award in 2018.

Exhibitions

  • OCT 2015
    L’Univers des Petits Objets – solo exhibition at La Fabrique h2, Monthey, CH
  • SEP 2015
    Il guste del design, Centro Culturale Svizzero di Milano, with Espaces contemporains, IT
  • JUN 2015
    Krehky Mikulov festival, CZ
  • NOV 2014
    Istanbul Design Biennial – with Glass is tomorrow & Pasabahce, TR
  • OCT 2013
    Ceramique I – Exhibition at Kissthedesign Gallery, Lausanne, CH
  • SEP 2013
    «Young Swiss Design Kaleidoscope 2013», China & Hong-Kong
  • JUN 2013
    Exhibition «Swiss Design Award», Basel, CH
  • DEC 2012
    «Werkstadt Vienna» Exhibition at MAK, Vienna, AT
  • DEC 2012
    «Kama, Sesso e Design» Triennale di Milano, IT
  • NOV 2012
    Exhibition «The common roots» Design museum Holon, Israel
  • OCT 2012
    «The mirror exhibition» Designblok with Okolo, Prague, CZ
  • MAY 2012
    Exhibition «Bauhaus live», The Aram Gallery, London, GB
  • APR 2012
    Art Design Project with Krehky gallery, Bratislava, SK
  • SEP 2011
    «Passionswege», Vienna Design Week, AT
  • JUN 2011
    Il-Lacion gallery, Barcelona, with PCM
  • MAY 2011
    Galeria Gloria, Madrid, with PCM
  • JAN 2011
    Galery KREO in Paris with ecal – A new generation of lights
  • DEC 2010
    Museum of Design in Zürich – Swiss federal design award
  • NOV 2010
    End of incandescent light_Triode design gallery, Paris, FR
  • NOV 2010
    Blickfang Zürich, CH
  • OCT 2010
    Designblok in Prague with Okolo
  • OCT 2010
    Ecal luce – Galeria Babuino Novecento Roma, IT
  • APR 2010
    Centro Culturale Svizzero di Milano, exhibition with Ecal
  • JUN 2010
    DMY Berlin with Swiss federal office of culture
  • OCT 2009
    Designblok – Milky way – Prague design week, Profilmedia
  • SEP 2009
    Design September in Bruxelles, La Cambre, with Ecal
  • JUN 2009
    Repeat please – Exhibition at SM’S Stedejlik museum, NL
  • JUN 2009
    Designer’s days in Paris – with Ecal, Gallery Lafayette
  • APR 2009
    Milan design week_exhibition with Ecal
  • FEB 2009
    Exhibition Prototypes & Experiments 2, The Aram gallery
  • OCT 2008
    Exhibition Mytopanton_Designhaus Darmstadt
  • SEP 2008
    Beau Sauvage_Libby Sellers gallery
  • SEP 2008
    100% Design_ Earls courts with BEDG, London
  • JUN 2008
    100% Design in Rotterdam with Creater
  • MAY 2008
    DMY international design festival in Berlin – with Creater
  • APR 2008
    Centro Culturale Svizzero di Milano, exhibition with Ecal
  • OCT 2006
    «Intensive science exhibition», La maison rouge, Paris
  • OCT 2006
    Diploma exhibition, ELAC, Lausanne
  • MAY 2006
    Made for Solingen, Exhibition with Ecal
  • AUG 2004
    Tendance lifestyle /TALENTS/, Frankfurt, DE
  • MAY 2004
    Design Mai 04, Berlin, DE
  • NOV 2002
    International biennale of design, Saint-Etienne, FR

Awards

  • 2018
    Red Dot Design Award
  • 2010
    swiss federal design award
  • 2007
    mention - d&ad global student award
  • 2005
    mention - electrolux design lab «home in 2020»
  • 2004
    «excellent prize» 9th international bicycle design competition
  • 2004
    mention «inside the bathroom», competition
  • 2004
    4th prize «macef design award 2004»
  • 2003
    4th prize «leitz innovation & design award»
  • 2002
    special prize of the jury «young packaging»

Clients