A new twist to domestic design

MANILA, Philippines - It used to be that form won over function, and never the opposite.

That is, until the advent of Magis, the brand that has given a new twist to domestic design, applying the latest technology to wares for mass production. Founded in Italy in 1976 by a newcomer, Eugenio Perazza, Magis has grown to be a global giant in the furniture industry, churning out sophisticated products through a diverse workforce.

Magis affirms the creative talent of leading global designers (Richard Sapper, Jasper Morrison, Stefano Giovannoni, Marc Newson, James Irvine, Konstantin Grcic, Ron Arad, the Bouroullecs and many others) and harnesses the talent towards the making of cutting-edge pieces. This initiative has earned Magis’ founder Perazza a place on Wallpaper magazine’s list of “10 who will change the way we live.”

That change comes to the Philippines, as Dimensione, the exclusive distributor of Magis products in the country, brings the brand’s well-designed pieces that also stand the test of utility. The price tag justifies the quality, for when purchasing a Magis product, you are purchasing both a work of art and an investment in quality.

Take the work of Israeli-born industrial designer Ron Arad, who adapts the fluid forms of his famous biomorphic buildings, and applies them to his Raviolo and Voido chairs. While both polyethylene chairs are suitable for outdoor use in one’s yard, the former is a low chair while the latter is a rocking chair. Both are rendered in striking orange, similar to The Design Museum Holon, which he co-designed.

Cart your wares on wheels with the 360 Collection available in different colors.

The same biomorphic aesthetic applies to Australian industrial designer Marc Newson’s Nimrod chairs — polyethylene chairs with wool-covered polyurethane cushions, in Skittle colors of violet, red, orange and lime green.

The Italian architect Stefano Giovannoni, on the other hand, mixes edges with curved surfaces in his Boogie Woogie shelving system, which can be adjoined or placed back to back.

Finnish interior designer Eero Arnio, known for sixties mod furniture like the Ball Chair and Bubble Chair, created the toy-like Puppy chair, an abstract plastic dog in polyethylene.

The work of Valencian Spanish artist Javier Mariscal is a bit more on the synthetic side, with a few bold strokes and a surfeit of emotion. His work for Magis even errs on the comic side, which he explored early on in his career. In particular, the Villa Julia is a designer’s interpretation of a children’s playhouse complete with stickers for personalization.

Italian designer and architect Alessandro Mendini, co-founder of the prestigious Domus Academy (the first ever post-graduate design school), comments on the functionality of furniture, with a Baroque-styled polyethylene Proust armchair. Able to be displayed outdoors, the throne-like chair feels like a rightful indoor saloon piece, with its curlicue backrest and plush seating, but done up in modern mid-century favorites, charcoal and orange.

Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec are a design team of two brothers from Brittany. Designing what has been dubbed as poetic practicality; Erwan has been quoted as saying “We don’t want to make only functional pieces.” As such, their Steelwood chairs, stools, and tables combine resin-painted steel frames with natural or painted beech frames, invoking an almost Danish sense of design.

Ron Arad’s rocking chair is a delight in glossy black.

Konstantin Grcic’s 360 Container is another storage solution in glossy plastic, with joining aluminum tubes and drawers on wheels.

In 2004, Magis also launched a new collection of products for children between two and six years old, called the Me Too Collection. The name alone evokes the idea of furniture that is childlike yet forward-looking, pieces that stimulate their imaginations but also signal them to what the adult world will be like. This includes the Paradise Tree coat hanger by designer Oiva Troikka, a colorful coat hanger with cartoon-like branches.

Turn your home into a living museum with hip and well-made furniture, from Magis, exclusively available at Dimensione.

Dimensione stores are at Eastwood Mall, Home Zone, Bonifacio High Street, Alabang Town Center, SM Mall of Asia, SM Megamall, SM North Edsa, Robinsons Ermita, Rockwell, TriNoma and Greenbelt 5.