Stefano Marzano, Philips Design: Eindhoven, The Netherland--Rounding corners

With a swoop and a swerve, a billow and a bend, Stefano Malrzano has turned stodgy Philips into the purveyor of the curviest consumer gadgets on the market. Since taking over as senior design director of this Dutch-based multinational in 1991, Marzano has overseen the redesign of myriad products. Now Marzano is thinking about the next millennium, and how these humble artifacts can help "create a harmony between the artificial and the natural."

The 47-year-old Marzano was trained as an architect at Milan Polytechnic before moving into a series of positions with large consumer product companies. He worked for Philips's Italian division, for Whirlpool and for several industrial design firms...