Markus Jehs and Jürgen Laub met while studying industrial design at the Schwabisch Gmund University in Germany. Both graduated in 1992, but their collaborative partnership began around 1990 during an internship in New York, where they discovered an aesthetic affinity that, some four years later, coalesced into the Stuttgart-based Jehs+Laub Design Studio.

1. Halm/Reed Chair for Brunner

NYC is a fitting locale for the beginning of this beautiful friendship, as many of its landmark buildings exemplify the International Style of architecture-the pared-down approach that emphasized plane surfaces and the use of new materials like steel and glass.

2. Crown Chandelier for Nemo

Jehs+Laub are powerfully influenced by both the Bauhaus and the International Style, applying the "form follows function" dictum to create forward-thinking designs that eschew ornamentation while emphasizing "lightness," a somewhat ineffable quality present in both an emphasis on negative space and the use of lightweight materials that accomplish more with less.

3. Graph Chair for Wilkhahn

Here’s another prime example of how the aesthetic emerges organically from the materials: the sublime Tune Table series for Davis Furniture Industries. The collection includes tables for meetings, conferences, and modular use–each intriguing incarnation employs slim, tech-wise materials like wood grain veneers and sculpted metal frames.

4. Tune Table for Davis Furniture Industries

While the duo most typically lets the aesthetic emerge from the intention, there's yet room for play and whimsy in many of their designs, as in the Space Lounge for Fritz Hansen, which could very well be the Captain's Chair for the next iteration of youthful interstellar explorers.

5. Space Lounge for Fritz Hansen

Occasionally, Jehs+Laub seem to stray beyond the confines of the sharp, sculptural aesthetic. The Mell Lounge, for instance, is plush yet also precise, striking a nice balance between comfort and innovation: "Comprised of deep seating surfaces and cozy cushions resting on slender steel skids, the sofa, easy chairs, stools and tables seem to float, lending the seating landscape a special lightness."

6. Mell Lounge for Cor

Though very much steeped in the German Modern tradition, Jehs+Laub readily embrace outside influence, ever sensitive to trends or innovations emerging from Italy or Spain or the U.S.: "We always want to learn more. We are curious. In knowing others, we develop ourselves."

7. Cloth Chair for Cassina

Jehs+Laub have received multiple accolades and various design recognitions, including the Best of NeoCon Editor's Choice Award, the German Design Award, the Red Dot Design Award, and the Compasso d'Oro Design Prize.

See Jehs+Laub to find out more.