Richard Ten Eyck

Ten Eyck recounted that in addition to redesigning items to make them more functional, ergonomic, and visually appealing, one of his design goals was to eliminate “mischievous annoyances, the discomforts, the awkward aspects of a product.” [4] His fan designs for Vornado in the 1940s and 50s were inspired by the turbines in jet engines and became icons of Mid-century modern design.

[5] The company stopped manufacturing fans in 1959 but was revived thirty years later.

The owner of the new company collected vintage Vornado fans [6] and hired Ten Eyck to consult on new designs.

[7] Works by Ten Eyck and archival material from his practice are held in the collection of Art Institute of Chicago.

[8][9] Fans based on Ten Eyck's designs are sold at Target, Lowe's and Bed Bath & Beyond.