magis, the italian design company, presents a temporary ‘pop-in’ exhibition at herman miller’s new york flagship (251 park avenue south). the magis way at herman miller is an experiential demonstration of the brand spirit – the most robust ever presented in north america – and is designed by swedish firm note design studio, encompassing nearly the entire second floor of the herman miller showroom.
“it is important to us that architects, designers and design lovers can see, touch and feel our products, says alberto perazza, ceo of magis. “for us, design is in our dna and we love sharing it with the public and international design community.”
the brand’s spirit and success are based on the desire to provide a wide array of users with access to highly functional, quality products manufactured with advanced technologies. to achieve this, collaborating with major international designers is essential –they have a vision of the resulting products that is ethical and poetic as well as aesthetic.
for the magis way exhibit at herman miller, note design studio has developed a pursuit of visuals and volumes through fascinating architectural arrangements within the renaissance-revival building (designed by neville & bagge in 1909) that herman miller calls home. the stockholm-based studio began working with magis in 2018, dreaming up their exhibition spaces for salone del mobile, stockholm furniture fair and more.
a welcoming setting, this space is an invitation to discover the new and iconic designs presented within it, including plato designed by jasper morrison, the officina collection by ronan and erwan bouroullec, bureaurama by conceptual artist jerszy seymour, chair_one by konstantin grcic, the famous spun chair by architect thomas heatherwick and many more. linking the products and vignettes are new rugs from the volentieri collection designed by inga sempé, featuring different types of yarns and weaves to balance color, texture, even light reflection through a mix of neutral and luminous materials. this is a new category for magis and the first time they will be on display in north america.
magis, founded in 1976, is proud of its “made in italy” quality and tradition and speaks an international language by combining craftsmanship with technical advances in manufacturing. the magis way exhibit at herman miller expresses the breadth of their portfolio in a meaningful demonstration.
“we want visitors to feel that they’ve just discovered magis, whether they already knew the brand before they visited the exhibit or this is their first exposure to it,” says tim straker, chief marketing officer, herman miller. “this is a chance to envision magis in one’s own space, whether it’s home or at work.”
among the values shared by magis and herman miller is a commitment to creating responsible design and a strong belief in design authorship. through this relationship and the pop-in exhibition, the two companies have woven a story of creativity and applicable authored designs for north america in a real and credible way.
architects, interior designers and design lovers can visit the magis way at herman miller by contacting (212) 753-3022 to schedule an appointment, or enter through the herman miller store, taking the stairs in the back to the second floor monday through friday 11:00am – 5:00pm.
german industrial designer richard sapper died on new year’s eve, 2015. he was 83. his iconic design solutions make him one of the most influential industrial designers of his generation. sapper’s creative gift was a distinctive style of formal simplicity and at times humor. from simple housewares to cars and boats many of his pieces reside in museum collections worldwide including 15 designs represented at moma in new york and london’s victoria & albert and design museum. his clients included alessi, artemide, b&b italia, fiat, heuer, knoll and magis.
rearview mirror | 1956 | for mercedes 300 sl roadster, sapper’s first design gone into production
doney | | 1962 | brionvega | with marco zanuso, wins prize compasso d’oro 1962 and included in the permanent design collection at the museum of modern art in new york
tizio | 1972 | artemide | prize grand prix triennale xv 1974 | features a transformer located in the base that powers a halogen lamp through rods and press button joints, which carry electrical current without the need for cables. most recent lamp offers led illumination
bus designed to store bicycles | fiat | 1976 | competition entry study for city traffic in milan
telephone booth | 1986 | for german post office | the first telephone booth built entirely of injection-molded plastic, consisting of four identical panels plus one for the roof
argo | 1988 artemide-litech | a low-voltage spotlight track-lighting system
9091 | 1983 | alessi | features a brass melodic whistle with two pipes tuned to the notes “mi” and “ti”
la cintura di orione | 1986 | alessi | developed in consultation with renowned cuisine chefs alain chapel, raymond thuilier, pierre and michel troisgros, roger verge, gualtiero marchesi and angelo paracucchi, and under the coordination of gastronomical expert alberto gozzi
from 9 to 5 | 1986 | castelli | prize compasso d’oro 1987 | part of an extensive office furniture system. adjustable desk surface heights
aida | 1998 | magis | stacking chair
zoombike | 2000 | elettromontaggi | an aluminum 3-speed folding metro bike. the design draws on aircraft technology rather than traditional bicycle mechanics
tosca | 2007 |magis | stacking chair
aida table | 2001 | magis
according to a phaidon statement, in june, phaidon publishes richard sapper, an in depth study packed with images from sapper’s own archive and featuring specially commissioned candid photography by ramak fazel that shines light on sapper’s personal life.
click > enlarge
Designers Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec hit the ground running early on in their career, snagging commissions from Cappellini, Issey Miyake, Vitra and later Magis, for whom they’ve designed two furniture collections including the Pila chair and Pilo table which debuted in Milan this week. It’s almost impossible to say that it resembles their other projects because with a portfolio that includes store design and iPad apps along with furniture, lighting and housewares their work is so diverse it defies categorization. The common link would be craftsmanship and intention of design, which the designs speak to:
“With Pila, our intention was to design a chair that would be brought down to its minimum, using the least quantity of material and assembling items. The plywood seat and back parts of the chair are supported by four very thin sticks in solid wood which are maintained together by a structure in injected aluminum that is almost invisible. The back of the chair, like the blade of a knife, subtly comes into the main frame while guaranteeing high support resistance. We wanted this chair to be as light as possible, to almost float in the space as if it would stay on its feet by magic.
“Pilo answers the same quest for lightness and additionally proposes an open system that allows to compose a table that goes with one’s needs and wishes. Pilo is a table reduced to its minimum: solid wood feet that support a wooden top thanks to discreet and strong aluminum connections.”
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about perrin drumm
amazingly similar and not by design. however, visually complementary so to speak.
Partnerships within the contract furniture industry may be commonplace. Here are two new “design-driven” big ones thus far in 2011.
Herman Miller | Magis
Beginning September 2011, Herman Miller will become the exclusive distributor of products in the U.S. and Canada for Magis, a leading Italian furniture designer.
Addition is a key theme in the partnership. Magis means “more than” or “to a greater extent” in Latin. For all who appreciate modern design, Magis means more choices for community spaces within workplace, education, and healthcare environments with its wide array of lightweight café seating, stools, tables, and outdoor products.
“Creating great design demands a delicate balance between craft and industrial production,” notes Ben Watson, Herman Miller Executive Creative Director. “Magis, like Herman Miller, understands this intuitively.” The meaning of Magis—”more than”—also captures the company’s approach to design and manufacturing. Magis employs innovative processes that maximize performance, while minimizing volume of material, energy use, and environmental impact.
“We add to Herman Miller because we are complementare, complementary,” explains Alberto Perazza, Co-Managing Director of Magis.” Like Herman Miller, Magis believes in authored design. They have produced many iconic products, such as the Bombo Stool by Stefano Giovannoni, Jasper Morrison’s Air Chair, and Konstantin Grcic’s Chair_One. [ herman miller ] [ magis ]
Haworth | Capellini | Cassina | Castelli | Poltrona Frau
In May 2011, Haworth introduced the Haworth Collection at the 2011 International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) which includes Haworth in partnership with Castelli; in June at Neocon 2011 select brands within the Poltrona Frau Group. In all, Haworth inherits a heritage of design that goes back to 1877 with Cesare Castelli, 1912 with Poltrona Frau, 1927 with Cassina, and 1946 with Cappellini. Haworth roots begin with Gerrard Wendell (G.W.) Haworth in 1948. The new carefully curated collection of furniture and lighting represents some of the best work by leading architects, industrial designers and artists.
[ haworth collection ] [ poltrona frau group ] [ neocon 2011 ]
