Paul Mayén

Born in 1916 in La Línea de la Concepción, Spain, Paul Mayén brought a refined modernist sensibility to American design. After studying at Cooper Union and earning a master’s from Columbia University during World War II, he established himself as a multidisciplinary designer—fluidly moving between industrial design, architecture, and education.

Mayén taught at Cooper Union and The New School, while founding influential design firms including Habitat, Intrex, and Architectural Supplements, Inc. His furniture and lighting, defined by clean lines, honest materials, and functional form, earned a place in the Museum of Modern Art’s permanent collection. His work stood out not for making bold statements, but for its restraint, balance, and enduring usability.

His most significant architectural contribution came between 1979 and 1981, when he designed the visitor pavilion at Fallingwater. Seamlessly integrated into the wooded landscape, the café and gift shop are models of contextual modernism—supportive of Frank Lloyd Wright’s iconic structure, never competing with it. It’s a study in how architecture can quietly serve both space and people.

Mayén shared his life and creative dialogue with Edgar Kaufmann Jr., Fallingwater’s heir. In 1975, the two designed and built their own modernist home, Water Run, in Garrison, New York—another example of Mayén’s sensitivity to site, light, and proportion.

When Kaufmann died in 1989, Mayén scattered his ashes at Fallingwater. Upon his own death in 2000, his ashes were placed there too—marking the end of a career and partnership shaped by restraint, elegance, and a deep belief in modern design as a quiet, living art form.