Kristian Solmer Vedel (1923 - 2003) graduated from the Danish School of Arts and Crafts and Industrial Design and continued to lecture at the same institution. After having been professor at University of Nairobi 1968-72 he returned to Denmark and became part of the Scandinavian Design movement. Influenced by Kaare Klint and the German Bauhaus school, his classically modern designs are characterized by a creative use of materials, especially plastics and wood, and with a strong sense for ergonomic and functional requirements. A typical example is his children's furniture, which could be adapted to a growing child and turned over to be used as a toy. In all respects, the furniture was designed for children according to their particular needs, rather than just being a miniature version of adult furniture. In an interview, Kristian Vedel stated his position as follows: The starting point for an architect's work must always be that he, from his own point of view, and as objectively as possible, takes a position with regard to what he perceives as the needs of society and his fellow man; he must personally take a stand with regards to existing possibilities and responsibilities. Among many other awards, Kristian Vedel received the silver medal at La Triennale di Milano for children's furniture (1957), a gold medal at La Triennale di Milano for his line of stackable melamine dishes and containers and the Lunning Prize (1962).