Magis’ offices, showroom, logists and production facility in Torre di Mosto, Venice

Founded in 1976 by Eugenio Perazza, Magis has succeeded in establishing itself as an innovator in the design scene.

Eugenio is a businessman who asks clear design questions that already provide a significant part of the answer, particularly when carefully formulated together with a talented designer

Eugenio believes that Magis‘ success resides in his ability to engage in a fruitful dialogue with designers, on the base of mutual respect, rather than in producing cheap copies.

alberto (l) and eugenio (r) perazza – having fun on Magis spun chairs

” Magis is transnational, ideas are not barriers, and Magis is proud of its’ Italian DNA. Everything that is ­produced here has the Magis logo and ‘Made in Italy’ label.

In fact, almost everything is ‘made within the Veneto region with a maximum distance of only 100 kms from Magis’ ‘Torre di Mosto ‘ HQ, which speaks volumes of the region’s industrial capabilities.

We have a very close and friendly relationship with our suppliers; they are mostly based in our neighbourhood. We tend to rely on subcontracted companies in several areas. We have metal and plastic suppliers in our very own neighbourhood and there are only a few specific cases in which we have to look a little further, but never outside Italy,

These companies have a very profound knowledge of both ­specialised materials and technology. There is a network of people who know each other and what each person is capable of. It might not be the cheapest option, but it enables greater ­quality control and is more sustainable.”……..……….. Alberto Perazza

In early 2010, Magis moved its Headquarters to a new production site near the small village of Torre di Mosto, just an hour from Venice, coexisting with a well-kept agricultural landscape within the Veneto region of North Eastern Italy

Occupying a site of some 98,000 m², the Headquarters include two separate buildings: –

1) An immense 15,000 sqm nave, which houses the assembly and logistics departments, (all individual furniture pieces are assembled at Magis headquarters.

The products are also packed in the huge hall behind the offices, ready for delivery to 90 countries )

and

2) A smaller, yet spacious and luminous 3,500 sqm building housing the company’s administration, R&D dept and the Trade showroom, where Magis welcomes visitors from around the world to view their most iconic collection pieces

Square in its plan, the buildings’ formation creates an inner courtyard that all of the internal spaces look out on to an inner courtyard where trees and some pieces from the outdoor furniture collections are positioned on a green meadow.

This envious workplace, has a generous interior courtyard garden and corridors display the production prototypes that made the house of Magis famous

Magis projects a way of thinking, and offers a place where one is given the courage to dare.

Magis’ success is based on the desire to provide a broad swathe of users with access to high functional and technological quality products for the home, developed in partnership with major international designers, with a vision of the resulting products that is ethical and poetic as well as aesthetic.

A Magis Victoria & Albert seating piece, prominently features at the entrance reception area

“The way we select the designers we want to work with is a process that demands great knowledge about what is happening in the world of design. We accompany their careers from a distance.

With some of them, we establish a ­relationship when they are at the beginning of their careers.

Marc Newson, for instance, was far from having the fame he has today. In this case, we have to have the ability to understand the designer’s potential. It is also a matter of feeling,” …………  Eugenio Perazza

“The idea is always born here, in house. When we talk to a specific designer we already have a very clear idea of what we want. It can arise from a very specific need, material or technology.

After the briefing, it’s like a game of ping pong. It turns into team work, and part of a process that can go on for several years.” ……….. Eugenio Perazza

Eugenio, Konstantin Grcic and support teams discussing product design concepts in the Magis R&D wing

Magis HQ Product Showroom

“We don’t have a style, rather we have a set of ­principles that rule over our work, like respect for materials, respect for the technology we ­employ, and above all, respect for the design,

If there is something that identifies our work it is that, if you look at it closely, you will see that apart from how it looks, there is also an underlying idea. We don’t know if that idea is good or bad,  but it is there, and that is the common thread of our work here at Magis.”  ………  Eugenio Perraza

Range options for the Cyborg chair collection by Marcel Wanders for Magis

Magis’ Offices and R&D Dept

“ What interests me today is which direction we want to take.

After 40 years of history, hundreds of awards, as many pieces that are part of the permanent collections of the most important museums in the world, I think it’s time to decide where to go

We will always go on to develop the design project in an industrial key, but with a share of craftsmanship that must take on an increasingly dominant percentage”.” ………..  Eugenio Perazza.

Today with 20 million turnover a year, over 80% achieved through exports, and a 6% growth Magis is ready to change skin, to face the future.

The starting point is to re-calibrate the percentage of craftsmanship in industrial products.

The Perazza Family

The story of Magis is not only the story of success, but also of a family and a solid network of local suppliers.

42 years after it was founded, Magis continues to be in the Perazza family’s hands and Eugenio Perazza continues to take part in the company’s daily routine alongside his son Alberto Perazza and Alberto’s wife Barbara Minetto ( who both trained in Business & Administration and officially joined Magis around 20 years ago, after ­completing their studies.)

While Eugenio is more concerned with the work of the international designers, Alberto, who joined the company in 1996, cares more about sales and general management, while Barbara is responsible for marketing and promotions

“ In a way, we grew with the business.

Magis continuing to be a family business has a great advantage, with things happening more easily and at a faster pace. It’s not necessarily better, but we are used to it.

Materials and technologies are preconditions for a new project. The range of materials and technologies adopted into the Magis product range could not be bigger. When we approach the designers, we have already settled on the material and the technology, be it traditional or never before used in the furniture sector.

The suppliers are very important to the company’s method of operating, in order for the development process to run without any obstacles. In a way, they are also consultants in the first stage of developing our project” ………………. Alberto Perazza

Back in 2000, Jasper Morrison’s gas-injection-moulded Air Chair was the first furniture ever made using this technology for plastics – and it changed the face of outdoor living areas.

Chair One

After being associated for a long time with the processing of plastic, specifically with the use of rotational and gas molding technologies, in 1999 the company opened a new chapter by starting the collaboration with the German designer Konstantin Grcic, who was entrusted with a project in die-cast aluminum, creating the Chair One.

Their close relationship with designers is well reflected in Magis’ recent and successful collections, ­Officina and Brut, both of which have iron in common.

According to Eugenio Perazza, it was not an easy choice for Magis to decide who to hand over these tasks to.

The most obvious option ended up being the Ronan brothers and Erwan Bouroullec, who had worked with Magis in the past.

Officina

“ It had to be someone who was truly interested in being in the office and getting to know the process. We had already had experience with them and we knew it was very ‘hands on. On the other hand, we had a defined supplier.

It was the first time we worked together and we knew it was important to have the ability to ­dialogue with the craftspeople, people with very particular ways of working.”  ……… Eugenio Perazza

“ We have been wanting to develop pieces with this material (forged iron) and ­technology for some time, which is interesting, because it incorporates artisan work.

This kind of iron is usually used in popular architecture and it is very decorative, so we decided to give it a more contemporary touch.”  …………. Ronan Bouroullec

The supplier, another local company, situated around 25 km away, is part of the network Perazza refers to.

A combination of artistic ­metalworking and industrial office, specialised in gates, handrails, beds and other artefacts, it entered an unexpected phase which brought new challenges as well as new horizons.

The ­Officina collection, a result of this new ­approach, combining forged iron and other ­materials like plastic and wood, led to the ­creation of more than a dozen pieces, including sofas, tables, chairs, chandeliers and coat racks, which establish an interesting dialogue between tradition and modernity, and led the Bourollec brothers to winning numerous awards for this collection

Brut

In 2018, Magis presented its collection Brut, in Stockholm, a continuation of its iron work, resulting from a cooperation with this metallurgic company.

To develop Brut’s pieces, the company invited one of its collaborators most familiar with the house, the industrial ­designer Konstantin Grcic, author of the ­celebrated Chair One.

The base material of this collection is forged iron, an alloy normally used for the construction of heavy machinery ­structures, with its characteristic roughness and unfinished look.

Grcic places this material in a completely different context. Alternated with materials like wood and marble, it seems clean and functional, while the austerity of the iron strongly contrasts with the comfort of the ­upholstering.

These two approaches use the same material as a starting point which, worked through ­diverse techniques, produce different results and reflect Magis’ characteristic eclecticism.