What Significance Do Material and Colour Have?

Eva Marguerre and Marcel Besau are among the rising stars of the German interior design scene. Their interior design for the Elbphilharmonie has cemented their place among the leading figures in German design.

The design duo, who have been running STUDIO BESAU MARGUERRE in Hamburg together since 2011, have developed their very own signature style, which finds expression through the interplay of materials, form and colour. At the start of every project, the two industrial designers develop an overall concept. In the case of the Elbphilharmonie, it was the inversion of the White Cube: as architecture and music take centre stage here, the furniture is kept in subtle shades of white, yet unfolds its own depth and warmth through its materiality. In other projects, the duo works with bold colours. In doing so, they always consider the experience within the space and generate an idea from this that tells a story.

In conversation with Jörg Thadeusz, Marguerre and Besau – who are also a couple in private life – talk about living and working under one roof, about design as a profession and a calling, and about the fact that they never argue.

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