Constantin Boym
Master's in Product Design
Year of Graduation: 1985
Current role: Designer and Architect
Country: Russia
Constantin Boym was born in Moscow, Russia, in 1955, where he graduated from Moscow Architectural Institute. In 1984-85 he earned a Master Degree in Design from Domus Academy in Milan. In 1986 he founded Boym Partners Inc in New York City.
Constantin Boym was born in Moscow, Russia, in 1955, where he graduated from Moscow Architectural Institute. In 1984-85 he earned a Master Degree in Design from Domus Academy in Milan. In 1986 he founded Boym Partners Inc in New York City.
His studio’s designs include tableware for Alessi and Authentics, watches for Swatch, lighting for Flos, showrooms and retail displays for Vitra and exhibition installations for many American museums, including Museum of the City of New York and Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum.
His studio is currently based in Doha, Qatar. From 1987 to 2000, Boym has been also faculty and program coordinator at Parsons in New York.
“Domus Academy in the 1980s was the time when everything seemed possible. These were the glory years of New Italian Design, when Memphis was still sizzling hot. We sat in our studio space, fueled by visits by the likes of Philippe Starck or Jasper Morrison, who were still young and not-too-famous guys, and we dreamed of following in their steps. One thing that the school taught us well was the ability to dream. All in all, for me Domus Academy was a life-changing experience, in the most literal sense of the word. I arrived there as a Russian architect from Boston, and when I left a year later I became a designer and headed for New York. I lost my first wife along the way. Yet I felt that the vast world of objects has opened up for me. It was as if I learned how to speak their language. As a professor, now I often try to explain to my students the meaning of ‘design culture’. In my time at Domus Academy, design culture needed little explanation: it simply was in the air. This amazing design culture filled our class discussions, and it extended far into furniture galleries and showrooms of the city. Learning how to breathe it was one of the greatest gifts I received from Domus Academy.”
