Whether one thinks of phonographs, kitchen appliances or razors – since the 1950s Braun has been developing innovative devices that often became the prototypes for whole product groups. But even insiders sometimes have no idea of how closely the ascent of Braun design was tied to the ideas of what the modern domestic lifestyle should look like. Following the death of company founder Max Braun in 1951, his sons Artur and Erwin took the helm at the family company, which had been producing its own radios since the 1930s. The new FM device was the first national symbol of German prosperity. But these bulky pieces of “music furniture” also stood for the spirit of historical restoration. An early opinion survey revealed that the desire for a more contemporary lifestyle reached all the way down to the middle class, whereupon Braun set out to deliver the kind of modern devices that would go with the new furniture of the times, thereby tapping an as yet unoccupied market niche. Close collaboration with companies such as Bofinger, Knoll International and Rosenthal reflected this new commercial approach, as did co-operations with progressive furniture designers including Hans Gugelot and Herbert Hirche. Connections were also forged to the Academy of Design in Ulm, which by way of Braun first put its program into industrial practice.