Stefan Diez


Stefan Diez is a German industrial designer whose Munich-based studio, DIEZ OFFICE, develops furniture, accessories, and exhibition designs.
WWW stefan-diez.com

Early life and education

Diez was born in 1971 in Freising, Germany, to a family of "4th-generation carpenters". Diez grew up around carpentry and cabinetmaking, which influenced his design. He was introduced to furniture design in 1991, when he worked as a cabinetmaker for three years. After spending a year working in Mumbai, and Pune, India, he returned to Germany in 1996.
He matriculated at the State Academy of Fine Arts Stuttgart, where he earned a Bachelor of Industrial Design in 2002 while studying under Richard Sapper.

Career

Diez worked for Richard Sapper then Konstantin Grcic. He founded his own design studio in January 2003. Since then, he has worked in fields of design including furniture, tableware, industrial design, and exhibition design for companies like Brunner, e15, Gandiablasco, HAY, Herman Miller, Magis, Midgard, Moroso, Rosenthal, Thonet, Vibia, Wilkhahn, Wagner, and others. His "Upon Bench" debuted at imm Cologne in 2007 to critical acclaim. His Model No. 404 chair was influenced by the work of Michael Thonet and is produced by Thonet.
Many of his products have received international design awards, including the IF Gold Award and, for his 2024 Magis Costume modular sofa, Comapasso d'Oro.
Starting in 2007, he started teaching at the Karlsruhe University of Arts and Design, and in 2015 he joined the faculty of Lund University's School of Industrial Design in Lund, Sweden. Since 2018, he has served as the Head of Industrial Design at the University of Applied Arts Vienna.

Sustainability

Stefan Diez considers circular design to be a key principle of his product design philosophy, and his products often utilize a sustainable approach by incorporating multipurposeness and durability. His AYNO lamp, designed for Midgard, received the 2021 German Sustainability Award.

Selected works

  • MUDRA for BRUNNER chair family 2022
  • PLUSMINUS for VIBIA lighting system 2022
  • 4th WALL with VIBIA AND MANY OTHERS temporary installation 2021–2022
  • COSTUME for MAGIS modular sofa 2021
  • MOD for SAMMODE lighting system 2021
  • AYNO for MIDGARD lighting family 2020
  • SHIRO for SCHÖNWALD tableware 2019
  • HOUDINI 10 YEARS for E15 wooden chair family 2019
  • D1 for WAGNER office chair collection
  • FALLSTAFF for armchair 2018
  • NEW ORDER for HAY furniture system
  • 404 for THONET chair

Selected awards

2022

  • 2022 AW Designer of the year

2021

  • The Good Design Gold Award for Costume by MAGIS
  • German Design award 2022 for D2 by Wagner
  • Archiproducts Design Awards for Costume by MAGIS with special mention for sustainability

2020

2019

2018

  • 2018 Red Dot Best of the Best Award für Stuhl "D1"
  • Interior Innovation Award imm Cologne, winner of the "best of the best award" for the product "D1" by Wagner
  • German Design Award 2018 winner for the product "GUISE" by Vibia
  • Red Dot Best of the Best Award 2018 for the product"GUISE" by Vibia

2016

  • Red Dot Best of the Best Award für Kaminofen "Logastyle Lucrum"
  • German Design Award 2016 for the project "LOGASTYLE LUCRUM" by Buderus

2015

  • Red Dot Award 2015, for the product "YARD" Lounge chair by EMU
  • Wallpaper* Design Award, Best grid for the product "YARD" Armchair by EMU

2011

  • 2011 2 × Red Dot Best of the Best Award für "Chassis" und "Homme"

2007

2006

2004

  • interior innovation award der internationalen Möbelmesse imm cologne
  • Internationaler Designpreis Baden-Württemberg, GER »Genio« + »Tema«
  • Die Gute Industrieform / iF, GER »Genio« + »Tema«

2002

  • Bayerischer Staatspreis für Nachwuchsdesigner
  • Design Report Award

Selected publications

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