German design guru Dieter Rams, with his philosophy of “less is better” design, has influenced many generations in the field of product design. His creations all share a timeless quality, and with his role as Chief Design Officer at Braun from 1961 to 1995, it’s fair to say he brought brilliant ideas into the common household through his designs.

Auctioneer Wright will host the “The JF Chen Collection” sales in Chicago on 12 July, auctioning over 130 lots of products designed by Rams throughout his career. Ranging from furniture, audio systems and alarm clocks to juicers and shavers, some of the lots are clearly for die-hard collectors. For example, no gentleman would need ten shavers at the same time. Items such as the sofas and turntables clearly display the timeless quality of Rams’ designs as they would easily fit into a contemporary home. It is also interesting to come across items that were essential and meaningful at the time but have already disappeared in modern life, such as the various editions of slide projectors.