This September, Herman Miller will become the exclusive distributor in the United States and Canada of Italian furniture company Magis. Since the 1970s, Magis has created itself as a “brand that has given a novel twist to domestic design.” They concentrate on technological and intellectual innovation, relying on famous international designers to push the aesthetic envelope. Magis’ reference material has been and continues to be plastic, which they manipulate in novel ways.

Magis Proust Armchair. Designed by Alessandro Mendini for Magis. Distributed by Herman Miller.

Modern Italian Furniture Highlights the Possibilities of Plastic

Some of their notable products include the armchair Magis Proust, the side chair Vanity Chair, and the Troy Family Dining Set. Magis Proust, designed by Alessandro Mendini, is a re-edition of his 1978 armchair, which Mendini describes as “the collage of a mock-ancient armchair and of a detail from the garden by the French painter Signac.” The contemporary incarnation is made of rotational-moulded polyethylene.

Magis Proust Armchair. Designed by Alessandro Mendini for Magis. Distributed by Herman Miller in the US.

Vanity Chair by Stefano Giovannoni is another Magis piece that features the possibilities of plastic. It combines a traditional silhouette with a modern material. Then there’s Marcel Wanders’ Troy Family. This ensemble consists of a dining table and matching stackable chairs. Constructed of beech plywood and finished in a thick matte lacquer in cherry red, the chairs also incorporate a high relief pattern on the back side, “subtly reminiscent of motifs from ancient Greek mythology.”

Vanity Chair. Designed by Stefano Giovannoni for Magis. Distributed by Herman Miller in the US.

Troy Family Dining Set. Designed by Marcel Wanders for Magis. Distributed by Herman Miller in the US.

Distributing Magis will add another plethora of choices to Herman Miller’s already grandiose line-up of furniture.

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About the Company: Founded in 1976 by Italian businessman Eugenio Perazza, Magis is “a giant international design laboratory.” By hiring “leading global designers” such as Zaha Hadid, Tom Dixon, and Phillipe Starck, Magis maintains its reputation for “technological sophistication” and “good intellectual capital.” As one of the first furniture companies to highlight plastic, Magis still continues to research the possibilities of this material while also experimenting with others such as die-cast aluminum and wood. A factory-free organization, Magis is able to continually work on R&D activities by outsourcing its manufacturing. Magis also produces a line of furniture and accessories for children called Me Too.