Liba Side Chair by Bořek Šípek for Driade, 1980s

Designer and glass artist Bořek Šípek was born in Prague in 1949. At the age of fifteen, Šípek was orphaned and subsequently raised by the famous Czech glass artist René Roubíček (b. 1922). With Roubíček as his mentor and guardian, Šípek gained an early appreciation for glass, which ultimately led to a successful career in the field. Today, he is internationally known for his whimsical and colorful neo-baroque glass realizations.

Šípek began his studies in furniture construction in Prague. Following the Soviet invasion of then Czechoslovakia, he immigrated to Germany in 1968. While in Germany, Šípek continued his studies in cabinetry, later going on to study architecture at the University of Applied Arts in Hamburg (he graduated in 1974) as well as philosophy at the Technical University in Stuttgart. In 1979, he earned a Doctorate in Architecture from the Technical University of Delft.

Šípek moved to Amsterdam in 1983, where he established his own architecture and design studio, Aletrego. By the mid-eighties, he had caught the eye of Italian design brand Driade, and Šípek began designing furniture, cutlery, glass vases, lamps, and other home accessories for the company. Šípek became one of the brand's core designers alongside contemporaries Antonia Astori (b.1940), Philippe Starck (b. 1949), and Oscar Tusquets (b.1941). His new collaboration with Driade helped promote his designs and earned him international acclaim.

Sometime in the late 1980s, Šípek, glass technologist Libor Fafala, and master glassblower Petr Novotný founded the Ajeto glass factory in the Czech Republic. The company’s goal was to preserve traditional Bohemian glassblowing. Šípek’s Czech identity was very much tied to his artistic aesthetic, and his glass pieces played a pivotal role in saving the glass tradition in his homeland after the Velvet Revolution—a period of rapid transformation and uncertainty. Šípek was also appointed court architect of Prague Castle by former Czech president Václav Havel—a position he held from 1990 to 2003.

Šípek has designed pieces for companies such as Alessi, Cleto Munari, Maletti, Sawaya & Moroni, Vitra, Scarabus, Wittmann, Swarovski, Leitner, Quartet, Sèvres, Saint-Gobain, and Rosenthal. His pieces are highly sensual and sculptural. Notable design include the Bambi Chair (1983), Jansky Chair (1986), the rattan Liba Chair (1988), Maletius Chair (1992), the Paris boutique of fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld (1995), various lighting fixtures for the Skoda stand at Volfsburg’s World EXPO (2000), Olga Vase (2001), and a chandelier for the Beograd Opera House (2005).

Over the course of his career, Šípek taught design at universities in Hannover, Essen, Vienna, and Prague, and in 2005 he became the Dean of the Faculty of Architecture at the Technical University in Liberec, Czech Republic. He was honored with multiple awards, including the Kho Liang Ie Prize for Design (Netherlands, 1989); the title of La Croix Chevalier by the Order of Arts and Letters (L’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres) from the French government (1991); and the Prince Bernhard Fonds Prize for Architecture and Applied Arts (Netherlands, 1992).

Šípek passed away in February 2016 at the age of 66 in Prague.

Italian furniture manufacturer Driade was founded in 1968 by designers Enrico Astori, Antonia Astori, and Adelaide Acerbi. The company was built on three important principles: project planning, execution and advertising. Enrico established himself as art director, while Antonia was the designer and architect, and Adelaide was in charge of the brand’s image and communication. Their ultimate goal was to introduce experimentation into mass-produced products. Driade's early successes came through collaborations with cutting-edge Italian designers like De Pas, D’Urbino & Lomazzi, Enzo Mari, Nanda Vigo, and Lella and Massimo Vignelli. As the company grew, the roster of designers expanded internationally.

During the 1980s, Driade hired prolific French designer Philippe Starck, who designed many iconic pieces and influenced the company's general aesthetic. Iconic Driade designs by Starck include Miss Dorn Chair (1980), the three-legged Costes Armchair (1984), J. Série Lang Chair (1986), Lola Mundo Chair (1988), and Vicieuse Coffee Table (1992), to name a few.

In 1983, Driade published its first furniture manual, which was sold at news-stands. In 1988, the company moved its headquarters to a new building designed by Antonia in Fossadello, near Piacenza. In the mid-1990s, the DriadeStore collection was introduced as a collection of items for everyday living targeted at a younger demographic.

Since the beginning, Driade aimed to work with designers who were able to anticipate new lines of research and trends in order to design unique products for the home, gardens, and public spaces.  Over the course of the company’s history, Driade has collaborated with a wealth of high-profile designers, such as Atelier Oï, Ron Arad, Claudio Bellini, Iluis Clotet, Toyo Ito, Fabrio Novembre, Bořek Šípek, George Sowden, Oscar Tusquets, and Marco Zanuso Jr., among others. Notable designs include Antonia Astori’s Oikos (1972); Enzo Mari’s Delfina Chair (1979, winner of Compasso d’Oro); Alessandro Mendini’s Sabrina Sofa (1982); Bořek Šípek’s Jansky Chair (1986); Enzo Mari’s LegatoTable (2001, winner of Compasso d’Oro); Dong’s Adelaide Tableware (2008); Arad’s MT3 Rocking Chair (2008, winner of Compasso d’Oro); and Novembre’s Nemo Chair (2010).

In 2013, Driade was purchased by Italian Creation Group, an Italian industrial holding company. In 2014, architect David Chipperfield was appointed the new Art Director. In 2016, Chipperfield introduced the Driade Living Room 2016. Designers for the collection include Philippe Starck, Konstantin Grcic, Naoto Fukasawa, Lievore Altherr Molina, Fredrikson Stallard, and Ludovica+Roberto Palomba.