Design Duos Then and Now: Legendary Partnerships in Modern Design

The history of modern design is, in many ways, a history of remarkable partnerships. Design duos whose collaborative vision reshaped our material world. One of the most iconic, Ray and Charles Eames, revolutionized furniture through their seamless integration of technical brilliance and artistic sensibility. The Campana Brothers transformed Brazilian craftsmanship into a global design language. Hans and Florence Knoll merged European modernism with American industrial capacity, while Anna Castelli Ferrieri and Giulio Castelli reinvented our understanding of plastic through their pioneering work at Kartell.

These legendary partnerships established powerful precedents for how creative collaboration can transform design. Their success challenges the persistent myth of the solitary genius, revealing instead how the dynamic between two minds can generate extraordinary innovation. Today, a new generation of design duos builds upon this collaborative legacy while addressing contemporary challenges. Through ADORNO’s 10 TALENTS: Design Duos campaign, we explore ten contemporary partnerships that continue to demonstrate how creative collaboration catalyzes possibilities beyond individual capability.

Historical Design Duos

Ray & Charles Eames

The partnership of Ray and Charles Eames stands as perhaps the most influential design collaboration of the 20th century. Their work—spanning furniture, architecture, film, and exhibitions—emerged from Charles’ technical precision and Ray’s artistic vision. Their Pacific Palisades studio functioned as both laboratory and playground where work and life intertwined completely. Their iconic designs include the revolutionary molded plywood chairs, fiberglass-shell chairs, wire mesh chairs, and the famous Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman. Their experimental Case Study House #8 and film “Powers of Ten” further demonstrated their expansive thinking.

Campana Brothers

Brazilian siblings Humberto and Fernando Campana began collaborating in 1983 in São Paulo, bringing together Humberto’s sculptural vision and Fernando’s architectural training. Their breakthrough came with the 1991 Favela Chair, constructed from scraps of wood found in São Paulo slums. The Vermelha Chair, featuring a meticulously crafted nest of red rope, became their best-selling design. The brothers gained international recognition in 1998 as the first Brazilian designers exhibited at New York’s Museum of Modern Art, demonstrating how creative partnership can transform cultural context and material limitations into a distinctive design vocabulary.

Knoll by Hans & Florence Knoll

When German-born Hans Knoll met Florence Schust, their combined perspectives catalyzed a revolution in American modern design. Florence’s architectural training complemented Hans’s business acumen, creating a company that transformed both furniture and interior space. Under their leadership, Knoll produced some of the most iconic furniture of the 20th century: the Barcelona Chair by Mies van der Rohe, Saarinen’s Tulip Chair and Womb Chair, Bertoia’s Diamond Chair, and Florence’s own designs that defined corporate modernism. Florence’s “total design” approach revolutionized office planning and established new standards for modern interiors.

Kartell by Anna Castelli Ferrieri & Giulio Castelli

The partnership behind Kartell integrated technical innovation with aesthetic vision. Giulio Castelli’s expertise in plastic manufacturing provided the foundation for Anna Castelli Ferrieri’s formal explorations, resulting in iconic pieces that redefined plastic furniture. Anna’s Componibili storage units (1967) remain in production five decades later, while her innovative chairs demonstrated how plastic could be both structural and elegant. Under their leadership, Kartell collaborated with designers like Philippe Starck and Joe Colombo, democratizing good design through industrial production.

The Legacy Continues: Contemporary Design Duos

These historical collaborations established powerful precedents for creative partnerships in design. Today, a new generation of design duos builds upon this legacy while responding to contemporary challenges. The partnerships featured in ADORNO’s 10 TALENTS campaign demonstrate how the dynamics of creative collaboration continue to evolve.

ASSIMPLY STUDIO

In Rio de Janeiro, Victor Xavier and Søren Hallberg Søndergaard transform creative friction into material innovation, much like the Eameses before them. Their experimental approach to terrazzo, incorporating construction waste and unconventional materials, continues the tradition of material exploration while addressing contemporary environmental concerns. The productive tension between Xavier’s methodical precision and Søndergaard’s rapid-fire creativity echoes how complementary skills can elevate a design practice beyond what either partner could achieve alone.

STUDIO VON SCHOENEBECK

Munich-based Magdalena Shterianova and Johannes von Schoenebeck’s partnership recalls how the Knolls integrated different domains of expertise. Their creative process, described as “a fluid open-ended conversation that knows no specific place nor time,” breaks down traditional boundaries between work and life in ways that recall Ray and Charles Eames’ integrated studio-home. Their narrative-driven objects merge Magdalena’s art historical insight with Johannes’s material expertise, creating work that bridges scholarly understanding and physical craft.

COSEINCORSO

Marzia Cerio and Marwann Frikach’s focus on local materials and regional narratives continues the tradition of cultural specificity exemplified by the Campana Brothers. Their methodical approach—beginning each project with analog photography and deep research—reimagines how design can serve as both cultural preservation and innovation. Like the Castellis of Kartell, they demonstrate how different perspectives can combine to create a unique design language.

Studio S II

Brooklyn-based Erica Sellers and Jeremy Silberberg channel the experimental spirit of the Campanas while pushing boundaries in new directions. Their work, merging art, architecture, and subculture, challenges conventional aesthetics through a seamless collaboration where their complementary skills form what they describe as a perfect “Venn diagram” of abilities. Their House of S II project embodies the comprehensive approach to design that Florence Knoll pioneered.

Deya

Turkish co-founders Defne Arıkoğlu and Yasmin Karamolla’s work with traditional glassmaking reflects how the Castellis transformed industrial materials into objects of desire. The balance between Yasmin’s creative vision and Defne’s technical precision demonstrates the same productive integration of different mindsets that made Kartell’s innovations possible. Their evolution from glasswork to furniture parallels how the Eameses expanded across multiple design disciplines.

Urbs Studio

Alyson and Matt Beaton’s partnership bridges architectural thinking and product design, reminiscent of how Charles and Ray Eames moved fluidly between scales and disciplines. Their approach to color, drawing from urban environments, and their renovation project that transformed a modest bungalow into a multifunctional space echo the Eameses’ comprehensive vision of design as a holistic practice integrating multiple scales and functions.

D’ARK Atelier

Operating between Venice and Copenhagen, this studio embodies the cultural fusion that defined Knoll Associates. Their work with marble and stone, merging Italian craftsmanship with Scandinavian minimalism, continues the tradition of cross-cultural design exchange. Their commitment to material integrity across geographical boundaries demonstrates how different design traditions can combine to create something entirely new.

PROSA

Julia Rovigo and Gabriel Pesca’s embrace of “agonism” as a creative method recalls how the productive tension between technical and creative perspectives drove innovation at Kartell. Their willingness to experiment with forms and techniques, exemplified in their Yara chair, demonstrates the same fearless approach to materials that made the Campanas’ work revolutionary. Their Brazilian context provides a cultural foundation for radical experimentation similar to their predecessors.

Studio Tooj

Stockholm-based Johan and Ashley Wilén-Jong challenge Scandinavian design conventions while maintaining connections to craft traditions. Their partnership balances Johan’s expertise in traditional craft with Ashley’s background in brand design, creating a dynamic reminiscent of how the Knolls combined design vision with business acumen. Their experience navigating professional development alongside major life changes echoes how the great design partnerships of the past integrated personal and professional realms.

Studio DO

Dana Seachuga and Octave Vandeweghe’s work with stone cutting in Antwerp connects to historical craft traditions while pushing boundaries of contemporary design. Like Kartell’s revolutionary approach to plastics, they are reimagining how traditional crafts can adapt for contemporary markets. Their approach to modernizing traditional techniques while maintaining their essential character offers valuable insights into how historical practices can evolve in contemporary contexts.