Peter Schlumbohm

Who was Peter Schlumbohm?

Peter Schlumbohm was a German inventor, best known for creating the Chemex Coffeemaker. In a eulogy for Schlumbohm shortly after his death in 1962, the notable design author Ralph Caplan described the typical Schlumbohm invention as “a synthesis of logic and madness”. Caplan, like hundreds of thousands of Americans, was particularly fond of the Chemex Coffeemaker, describing it as “one of the few modern designs for which one can feel affection as well as admiration.” The Chemex was also one of the few products from any designer or inventor of the time to achieve a truly iconic role in popular culture, becoming part of the permanent collections of art and design museums, including New York’s Museum of Modern Art.