Ron Arad graduated from the Jerusalem Academy of Art in 1973 and the following year enrolled in the Architectural Association school in London.

In 1981, after working under architect Peter Cook, Arad launched his own design studio, One Off Ltd., on Neal Street in London. The studio produced the work of a new wave of designers, including Tom Dixon, who made shocking, decadent objects that stood in deliberate contrast to the blandness of much mainstream furniture. Arad's Rover Chair, for instance, fuses two found objects: a car seat pulled from a Rover, a classic British auto, and a frame of tubular steel scaffolding originally designed in the 1930s.

The next phase of Arad's career began with his Well Tempered Chair. Designed in 1986 of steel mesh, it represents his shift toward a smoother, minimal aesthetic. His experiments with manipulating metal continued through the 1990s, and can be seen most recently in the Lo-Void (2005) and Bio-Void (2006) chairs, both made of "superplastic" aluminum.