Creatora – a metaphor for the values we strive to have as designers. Curious eye – to see the world. Twinkle in the eye – to infuse our work with humor and wit. Gentle mouth – to communicate with kindness and ease. Big ears – to listen carefully. Flexible brain – to envision the non-existing. Antenna – to send out and receive messages, signs and symbols.

Method

How we work

We love philosophy, theories, manifestos, movements and crazy ideas. When it comes to our design, we use an innovative, playful and courageous approach without losing sight of the solutions needed for our client and how to best execute them. We see each project in context and respect its interdependency. Thats why we do furniture, surfaces, spaces and art – because for us it’s all one thing.

QUOTES

How we are perceived

„Markus in space. Sometimes you meet people in life who have such a passion for what they do that they make you feel boring. What I love about Markus ist that he is the first astronaut I have ever met. I have a feeling that one day in the future he will land in a spaceship in front of my studio and take me away to a better world full of fun and optimism. Let me know when you will be coming back to pick me up Markus, so that I can pack my suitcase in time.“

— James Irvine, Milan 2003

„Although we are quite different, I believe that Markus and me are of the same opinion when it comes to aesthetics. We communicate through objects and images rather than with words. Markus sends out messages without caring when they will be received … me too. That is why I understand his reflections, the ambiguity of his soul, his sense of doing the right thing, the stream of his ideas and metaphors … Markus is a person, who lives in another world, with another history and another cultural background, using corresponding signs, symbols and words.“

— Alessandro Guerriero, Milan 2004. Alessandro Guerriero founded the ALCHIMIA group in 1976. In 1982 he was awarded the Compassod`Oro for research in design. He founded Domus Aca- demy in 1987. Now he is president of NABA, Milano.

„There is no more need to slip inside a mirror to see Wonderland. Maybe there’s a dreary grey world on the other side of that mirror: the best is to be found on this side today, facing the reflections, inside spaces crossed by streams of patterns, replacing completely shapes and volumes. We are looking at a process of dematerialization of the matter and of complete absence of functions. Communication has become completely independent, towering the information it conveys and the means it uses. Colors cancel everything out, until when they themselves become an experience about the world,transcending the world itself. You get the impression that colored interweaves threaten volumes, transforming them into a pure perceptive experience. Maybe the “City of Experience” is similar to this chamber of mirrors, where there are no mirrors.“

— Andrea Branzi, Milan 2005. Legendary design and achitecture theorist of the last century.

„Markus Benesch employs forms, colors and materials in his objects and interiors, so as to elevate each item and each room, and lift them to another level: every encounter with his objects is a special experience. I love Markus' passion, which is apparent in all his creations – the twinkle in the eye, the playfulness. I particularily like to surround myself with his designs: they are all inspired and inspiring at trhe same time. One has the feeling that they just mark a beginning – and this is the most exciting issue for me when it comes to design.“

— Christiane zu Salm, Munich 2004

Markus Benesch Creates

Who is Markus?

            As a child he loved to invent things out of this world. The first concrete expression of his passion revealed itself by inventing a submarine when he was nine. After that he built furniture with a friend in his mother’s garage which they then sold. At seventeen, during a visit to the furniture trade fair Salone del Mobile in Milan, Markus Benesch came into contact with the world of design. Intrigued by the great Italian masters, the stucco worker started realizing his own ideas. Surprised by the possibilities offered by the computer, the autodidact wondered why the application of digital printing, capable of treating each surface of the products individually, had not conquered the furniture world yet.

            As at the time industrialized laminates for digital printing did not exist, Markus Benesch started to ingeniously experiment with color printing and resin. Spectacular multi-discipline projects and his own language regarding materials and shapes, made this wizard of colour and shape become famous very fast. According to his motto “The world needs greater optimism and courage when creating” he does not hesitate to use strong colors and wild designs.

            The refined fantasies of wallpapers, floors and laminates turn upside down spaces and perspectives and open new visual dimensions. Through the use of charming surface effects, innovative materials and decorations that do not respect any scale, Markus Benesch treats space in all its surfaces. He links it to objects and modifies all its proportions optically. His aim is to influence space and objects and therefore our perception of them both, through graphics and decorations. Space and objects remain the protagonists. Decoration becomes the skin and it is not simply applied to make the object more “beautiful”.

            The installations of Markus Benesch can be placed between art, design and fashion. He does not limit himself to the design of an object but aspires to invent a complex world with all its components. We therefore anxiously await the results of the present excavations of Fantabulosa. Further interesting findings will certainly come to light!