From the impressive Pace Gallery in New York, in the heart of Chelsea, to the interior design of a hotel like the Edition in Ginza and Los Angeles, yachts for the Benetti trademark, flagship stores for fashion brands (Tod’s), as well as exclusive clubs, with the latest gem opened in the Meatpacking District by Audemars Piguet, and some of the most sophisticated private residences in Manhattan. The design vision of the New York-based studio founded by Enrico Bonetti and Dominic Kozerski takes on multiple forms, permeated by the duo’s passion: material, sublimated and shaped with mastery. Their in-depth research on materials – from the most humble to the most luxurious – is perceptible when you enter their new studio in Chinatown, where every detail reveals a specific idea of design, and their style which they like to define as “warm minimalism.”
Enrico and Dominic, what in your view does design mean in New York?
New York is a unique merger of cultures from around the world, which influence each other and give rise to different, unexpected artistic connections. We like to observe and experiment with these connections, and the way they influence design around the globe.
And what does the city of New York mean for design?
New York represents a particular energy, a place to try out new and different things. And that also applies to design.
What can design do to be useful to people, in a world that is increasingly “dematerialized”?
The function of design is to solve problems, to produce useful objects and to improve the quality of life of all the inhabitants of the earth, both humans and animals. In our particular era, design has power and should also be applied to bring changes to the way the world consumes natural resources, produces food and regenerates. This can happen in the form of the use of new kinds of energy, new types of technology for energy saving, and the creation of new, sustainable ways of living.
