Magis is the brand that has given a novel twist to domestic design. Founded in 1976 in the bustling north eastern corner of Italy by a newcomer to the furniture business, Eugenio Perazza, Magis is today a giant international design laboratory that constantly puts itself to the test, seeking technological sophistication and employing a highly diversified workforce. The company even earned kudos from the trendsetter’s bible, Wallpaper, which placed Perazza on top of its list of “Ten who will change the way we live”.
The Magis Furniture company catalogue is heterogeneous, often divided into technology families entrusted with a clear cut strategy to different designers. Magis’ pace setting reinterpretation of mundane household plastic articles is a case in point: “Step” (1984) is a folding stepladder designed by Andries and Hiroko van Onck. “Bombo” (1997) is Stefano Giovannoni’s playful bar stool – a product that reaped massive revenues for the company.
For example, the “Air Chair” (2000) by Jasper Morrison combines deceivingly simple design with a sophisticated gas-assisted injection molding process. “Chair One” (2003) is a die-cast aluminum chair skeleton born of the talent of Konstantin Grcic, a design that propels the brand towards new manufacturing goals, and decrees “the end of the dictatorship of plastic”. One of the latest additions to the company’s classic collections is a new line called “Fuoritema”, which forms a creative bridge into new worlds, such as products for pets; Michael Young “Magis Dog House” (2002) is an example. The challenge lying ahead of Magis is perhaps that of returning to simplicity, through the complexity of advanced technology.
