Status symbols that define the spirit of the age Designers of genius. Le Corbusier and Emile Jacques Ruhlmann. Charles Eames, Ettore Sottsas and Philippe Starck. At their hands furniture came into its own. The twentieth century transformed interiors into sets - and on those sets the creations of these designers played the star parts. This is a book about status symbols that express the character of their owners but, more than that, define the spirit of the age.