interview and studio visit with defne koz and marco susani of koz susani design studio

interview and studio visit with defne koz and marco susani of koz susani design studio

defne koz and marco susani met in milan, their creative practice largely influenced by the aesthetic sensibilities of italian design and the years they spent in the city studying and working under the likes of andrea branzi, alberto meda and ettore sottsass, to name a few. while their work is still strongly rooted in their respective italian and turkish cultures, the couple is now based in chicago, USA where they run koz susani design. the small studio works across a span of disciplines — from product design to interiors to interaction design, from craft to hi-tech gadgets — with a portfolio of international clients that include alessi, bernhardt, gaia&gino, motorola, seiko, unilever and xerox. designboom visited the chicago studio of defne koz and marco susani and spoke with the duo about what particular aspects of their background have shaped their design principles, and how they keep their ideas fresh.

‘justaddwater’ nutrition ecosystem by defne koz and marco susani
see more about this project on designboom here

designboom: what particular aspects of your background and upbringing have shaped your design principles and philosophies?

defne koz / marco susani of koz susani design (KSD): our studio culture is half turkish, half italian, half global, and the fourth half is probably from planet future — a place we didn’t discover yet, a place we’re shaping right now with our designs. so, the overlapping of these different cultures is what molded us, our way of looking at the world and our way of doing design.

‘aurora coffee set’ by defne koz and marco susani for verreum

tea&coffee set by defne koz for 1400mitterteich

DB: what would you say is your strongest creative asset, and how have you developed this skill over time?

KSD: more than an asset is probably a goal: we’re constantly in search of ‘calm beauty’. we like the term beauty because we don’t think it’s at all reductive: with beauty, or, better, with high aesthetic quality, you can influence quality of life, not only the visual landscape. but we also hate glamour, we don’t like to over-design, we hate superficial formalism. so, we focus on finding the right balance between something surprisingly new and engaging, and something familiar and quiet. something that moves your emotions without shouting at you.

tea cup and teapot by defne koz for lipton

‘liquids’ stemware by defne koz for gaia&gino

DB: what themes are you currently interested in, and how are they fueling your creative process? what do you consider to be the most interesting developments in the field of design today, and why?

KSD: we like the fact that one can design….everything — from objects traditionally related to design, like furniture, or tableware, or lamps, to things that until yesterday wouldn’t even be associated with design, like…medical equipment, transportation services, water bottles, or…food itself. actually, that’s exactly how varied the projects we’re working on right now are. in the US, where we’re based now, design is finally becoming mainstream and diffused into every day life at all levels: you can work with small design-oriented companies, or tech start-ups, or large corporations. that’s something new and exciting.

now, if we talk about something more specific like the tools of our profession, of the evolution in the way we work, we’re very interested in what we would call ‘new geometries’, like parametric shapes. last year we launched a collection of lamps with parametric textures, 3D-printed on-demand. we called the collection ‘one-off-infinity’ because it is close to an art collection, launched in a gallery and sold first as single, one-off pieces; but it’s also designed to be printed in large quantities and in more versions, each customized for a different client. we still don’t know if this is a limited edition or an industrial production. probably we’ll never know, and we don’t care, because these definitions don’t make sense anymore. it’s neither: it’s ‘one-off-infinity’.

‘dove mirror’ by defne koz and marco susani for unilever

DB: are there any particular designers working today that you admire? and those from the past?

KSD: we were formed in milano in a period where most of the first-generation ‘maestros’ were still active and very influential, so the designers who inspired us are the…usual suspects, with an obvious emphasis on ettore sottsass because we worked with him for a long time. what’s nice to notice today is that, 30 years later, italian designers that at the time seemed to be so different, are clearly associated with one consistent approach, one of incredible professional skill, a wonderful creative mind, and the ability to capture the times, or, better, anticipate them. the fact that their expression, their designs, looked so different is secondary, because they clearly belonged to a common sensibility and culture.

‘triple planner application’ by marco susani for xerox

seiko watches by marco susani

DB: how do you try to keep your ideas fresh?

KSD: curiosity, curiosity, curiosity. constantly looking around in search of inspiration is both the best thing of being a designer and a curse, because you tend to re-design in your mind everything you see; and you suffer when you cannot, and you cannot stand the ugliness around you. so, every walk in a familiar city, or every trip in places we never saw before, help us keeping our minds fresh. and, of course, having very diverse projects: we’re really against specialization, because we’ve experienced more than once that cross-fertilization can happen across the most different domains, and that’s always inspiring and refreshing. 

‘moai’ light by defne koz for leucos 

‘laine’ stool by defne koz for bernhardt

DB: what is the best advice you have received?

DK: immediately after getting my masters in italy at domus academy, I was already packed to go back to turkey, and many of my ‘maestri’, like andrea branzi, alberto meda, ezio manzini, told me I was crazy to leave milano, and they convinced me to stay. that’s the best advice I have had. today I live and work between chicago, milano and istanbul, but no matter where I am, I consider myself an ‘italian designer’, because the culture of these years in milano shaped my way of thinking and working.

MS: I was a young designer working with ettore sottsass, and I was sketching coffee-makers and breakfast appliances. during a review with ettore, in front of my desperate attempt to repeat forms and details from what I thought was his ‘repertoire, he got mad for two reasons: he was the first one to deny having a ‘repertoire of shapes’, a set language, and he told me ‘do you think that in the morning, just immediately having woken up, people would want to look at your pseudo-artistic expression?’. that was a lesson to refrain from being formulaic, and to design with the life of people in mind, and not just your artistic expression. after so many years, I hope to have learned the lesson.

inside the chicago studio of defne koz and marco susani
image © designboom

the small studio works across a range of disciplines — from product design to interiors to hi-tech gadgets
image © designboom

defne koz and marco susani’s portfolio of work is on display throughout their studio
image © designboom

a number of the studio’s past products adorn the wall in the meeting area of the office
image © designboom