01 THE STORY
From Sketch to Table
The line begins with Don Wallance's study of proportion. In Magnum, the handle, transition and functional form are resolved as one continuous object.
02 THE DETAILS
The Details
Magnum is characterised by generous proportions, concave curves and an elliptical overall form. The broad silhouette gives each piece a strong, sculptural presence on the table.
A note from Don Wallance
Don Wallance was an American industrial designer whose work helped redefine the place of stainless steel at the modern table. Trained at the Design Laboratory School in New York, where Bauhaus ideas shaped a new generation of American designers, Wallance became interested in the point where craftsmanship, industrial production and everyday objects could meet. His career moved between furniture, public seating and tableware, but cutlery became one of his most enduring fields of experimentation. From the early 1950s, Wallance developed a series of stainless-steel flatware designs in which comfort, manufacturing technique and sculptural form were treated as one problem. His 1953 Design One was highly sculptural and deliberately modern; later collections continued this exploration of how an object could feel both industrial and sensuous in the hand. For Stelton’s Norstaal range, he designed Aztec in 1965 and Magnum in 1968. Magnum is defined by generous concave curves and an elliptical handle language conceived both for practical use and for the silhouette the cutlery creates on the table.
“Forms that are both pleasant to look at and to hold in the hand.” — Don Wallance
Don Wallance
Questions about Stelton Magnum Dessert Forks — 12 Pieces
What happens to Magnum’s generous proportions when the fork becomes smaller?
The dessert fork carries the same elliptical design language and concave curves that define the Magnum series, but in a more compact format. The smaller scale makes the relationship between handle, curve and functional end especially easy to appreciate.
Who designed Stelton Magnum?
Magnum was designed by Don Wallance and launched in 1968. The collection is characterised by generous proportions, concave curves and a distinctive elliptical form-language that gives the pieces both a strong silhouette and a practical presence in the hand.
Why is the elliptical handle so important to Magnum?
The elliptical form is more than a visual signature. Stelton describes it as practical in use while also giving the cutlery a distinctive silhouette when laid on the table. The same principle connects the different pieces throughout the Magnum series.
Why might the dessert fork be one of the best pieces for understanding Magnum?
Because reducing the scale concentrates the design. Magnum’s curves and generous proportions remain recognisable, but the smaller fork makes the transitions between the broad handle and the functional end more visible, revealing how strongly the collection depends on proportion rather than ornament.
When does a 1968 design stop feeling retro and start feeling architectural?
When its identity comes from geometry rather than decoration. Magnum is built around elliptical forms, concave curves and carefully controlled proportions, allowing a design created in 1968 to retain a clear, sculptural character without relying on period ornament.