Magis

Magis is an Italian furniture and design company founded in 1976 by entrepreneur Eugenio Perazza in Motta di Livenza, in the Veneto region. The company describes its beginnings as a family story built around a passion for design and a willingness to take risks. Its name comes from the Latin word “magis,” meaning “more,” a meaning reflected in its stated ambition to go beyond conventional design through experimentation with forms, materials, technologies and production methods. The company has developed into a design-focused business serving the home, outdoor, office and contract sectors. Its catalogue includes chairs and small armchairs, stools, benches, public seating, lounge seating, sofas, tables, storage and shelving, lighting and accessories. Magis works across materials including plastic, metal, wood, upholstery, glass, marble, stone and recycled materials. Rather than relying on a single design language or material, its profile emphasizes different approaches and production processes according to each project. Magis has built its identity through collaborations with international designers, including Jasper Morrison, Konstantin Grcic, Philippe Starck, Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, Thomas Heatherwick, Naoto Fukasawa and Marc Newson. Products such as Jasper Morrison’s Bottle rack and Stefano Giovannoni’s Bombo stool are cited in the company’s history as notable design successes. The company’s products and design heritage have received international recognition; its history page notes that Bottle entered the permanent collections of MoMA in New York and the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. The Italian Wikipedia entry reports that Magis has received the ADI Compasso d’Oro on six occasions. Magis remains associated with Italy: the supplied company profile describes it as founded in northern Italy, while the Italian Wikipedia entry says production is kept within Italy through a network of local manufacturing partners. Its commercial outlook is international, with the company profile describing it as globally recognized and the Italian Wikipedia entry noting an export focus. The brand established Magis Japan in Tokyo in 2006 and Magis Germany in Munich in 2019. The supplied sources do not identify a current parent company, owner or executive leadership team.

Magis began in 1976, when Eugenio Perazza founded the company in Motta di Livenza, then described in the company history as a small agricultural town in Veneto. Perazza’s aim was to use large-scale industrial production to bring design to a broader market while continually testing new visual languages, technologies and materials. The company name, taken from the Latin word for “more,” became a concise expression of its ambition to exceed the ordinary. Magis’s early development involved challenging conventional expectations and cultivating collaborations with designers. The company identifies work with Andries Van Onck and Marc Berthier as an important turning point, followed by collaborations with a wider group of young talents who later became established internationally. In 1994, Jasper Morrison’s Bottle stackable bottle rack became one of the company’s signature designs. Magis reports that it won international awards and entered the permanent collections of MoMA in New York and the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. The company’s history records the arrival of Barbara Minetto and Alberto Perazza in 1996, describing their participation as a further expansion of the company’s vision. In 1997, Stefano Giovannoni’s Bombo height-adjustable stool was launched; Magis describes it as a style icon and one of the most imitated design products. The company’s material and technical ambitions expanded beyond its long association with plastic and processes such as injection moulding and gas-assisted moulding. In 1999, Magis began working with German designer Konstantin Grcic on a die-cast aluminium project that resulted in Chair_One. This project marked a new chapter in the company’s design development and demonstrated its willingness to explore production techniques and materials beyond those with which it had become especially associated. Magis became a società per azioni (S.p.A.) in 2001, according to the Italian Wikipedia entry. Over time, its design collaborations grew to include figures such as Jasper Morrison, Konstantin Grcic, Philippe Starck, Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, Thomas Heatherwick, Naoto Fukasawa, Marc Newson, Ron Arad, Zaha Hadid and Stefano Giovannoni. The company describes itself as a design laboratory for home, outdoor, office and contract environments, and its catalogue spans seating, tables, storage, lighting and accessories. Its Italian Wikipedia entry reports six awards in editions of the ADI Compasso d’Oro. The brand also developed a direct international presence. Magis Japan, based in Tokyo, was established in 2006 as the company’s first foreign branch; Magis Germany, based in Munich, followed in 2019. Despite its international orientation and export focus, the Italian Wikipedia entry says production remains within Italy through a network of local production partners. Today the company presents its approach as a combination of design attention, project-specific choices of materials and production processes, and an interest in a sustainable, contemporary and timeless future. Its official website continues to position Magis as a design company founded in 1976.

• 2019

  Magis Germany established

• 2006

  Magis Japan established

• 2001

  Company becomes a S.p.A.

• 1999

  Chair_One project begins

• 1997

  Bombo stool launched

• 1996

  Barbara Minetto and Alberto Perazza join

• 1994

  Bottle rack introduced

• 1976

  Magis founded in Motta di Livenza

An Italian design-led furniture company that emphasizes experimentation, industrial production, material and technological innovation, and collaborations with established and emerging designers.

• Bottle

  A stackable bottle rack designed by Jasper Morrison, introduced in 1994.

• Bombo

  A height-adjustable stool designed by Stefano Giovannoni, launched in 1997.

• Chair_One

  A chair developed from Magis’s die-cast aluminium project with Konstantin Grcic, begun in 1999.

• Furniture and design catalogue

  The catalogue includes seating, stools, benches, tables, storage, lighting and accessories for home, outdoor, office and contract use.

• Emphasis on experimentation and project-specific productionOther

• Production retained in ItalyOther

1. 1Magis S.p.A. - Pushing the boundaries of design since 1976.magisdesign.com
2. 2History - Magis S.p.A.magisdesign.com
3. 3Profile - Magis S.p.A.magisdesign.com
4. 4Prodotti Archive - Magis S.p.A.magisdesign.com
5. 5Magisit.wikipedia.org
6. 6Magiswikidata.org