Marc Newson gives Mandi Keighran his honest views at the Magis stand in Milan.
April 24th, 2012
On Milan
I find it so killing. It really makes you want to go to a monastery or something. It’s always the same thing every time I come, does the world need this much shit. I haven’t had a chance to get around the city yet. I went to a few things last night. I always end up doing not even half the things I say I will.
On new work with Magis
With Magis I’m launching the rocking horse, the ‘Bunky’ bed has been put into production, and some big pot plants. They’re really quite simple, generic, pot plant holder things. It’s kind of hard to buy decent pot plant holders. They’re not designed to be a big statement. They’re just things to hide in the corner or outside. Magis asked me to design a pot plant holder, but the rocking horse and the bunk bed were both my idea.
The rocking horse came from having kids. Magis have this range of kids’ things – ‘Me Too’. When you have kids, you discover there’s just horrible, soul-destroying shit out there. And, you have to spend money. You can’t avoid it. You have to buy beds and things. I thought it would be fun to make a rocking horse. This is the first time I’m seeing them. It took ages to get that [rocking mechanism] to work properly – nightmare. But it seems to work quite well.
The whole idea of ‘Me Too’ is that it’s all rotationally moulded, so it’s low tech, low tooling costs. It’s a really simple, recyclable, fun thing.
On future work
I’m working on some furniture, chairs and stuff for Magis that should be ready next year. I went through a period of not designing much furniture, except for Qantas.
I’m doing a very big project with Knoll – a serious office program. It’s a task chair, so it has to tick all the boxes, it has to do everything. It’s very technical. It’s generally just me and one other guy. I generally tend to do things just me and one other person. But, having said that, it’s no more technical than a seat for an airplane. I’ve come from a good place. It’s a long-term project. It won’t be ready for a couple of years.
Magis is available in Australia through Table & Chair & Corporate Culture.
Marc Newson
marc-newson.com
Table & Chair
tableandchaircompany.com.au
Corporate Culture
corporateculture.com.au
A searchable and comprehensive guide for specifying leading products and their suppliers
Keep up to date with the latest and greatest from our industry BFF's!
Channelling the enchanting ambience of the Caffè Greco in Rome, Budapest’s historic Gerbeaud, and Grossi Florentino in Melbourne, Ross Didier’s new collection evokes the designer’s affinity for café experience, while delivering refined seating for contemporary hospitality interiors.
The Sub-Zero Wolf showrooms in Sydney and Melbourne provide a creative experience unlike any other. Now showcasing all-new product ranges, the showrooms present a unique perspective on the future of kitchens, homes and lifestyles.
Marylou Cafaro’s first trendjournal sparked a powerful, decades-long movement in joinery designs and finishes which eventually saw Australian design develop its independence and characteristic style. Now, polytec offers all-new insights into the future of Australian design.
Sub-Zero and Wolf’s prestigious Kitchen Design Contest (KDC) has celebrated the very best in kitchen innovation and aesthetics for three decades now. Recognising premier kitchen design professionals from around the globe, the KDC facilitates innovation, style and functionality that pushes boundaries.
Australian wallpaper design company reveals black on black is ’the new black’ in 2009.
Returning for the first time in years, the NAWIC Great Debate was a forceful, no-holds-barred tête-à-tête between the local design industry’s most critical thinkers.
The internet never sleeps! Here's the stuff you might have missed
Art, design, architecture and hospitality all combine perfectly at The Ritz-Carlton, Melbourne by BAR Studio and Cottee Parker.
Esoteriko has embodied a new lease on beauty within Double Bay’s latest cosmetic clinic, overlayed with modern eclecticism.