Mark Goetz is an award-winning designer, professor at Pratt Institute and founder of the design firm TZDesign. In his 20-year career, he has designed numerous collections of iconic furniture including the Goetz Sofa for Herman Miller and more than 60 unique chairs for Bernhardt.
What was the inspiration behind the Mark 2 collection?
The intention was to create something very simple: A pure modernist statement through the use of comfort. Many American seating companies import European parts with narrow frames and slim dimensions, but we designed Mark 2 with generous proportions and roomy dimensions. To give the chair a classically modern appeal, we added a strong, rectilinear frame and a dramatically curved plywood back.
How has the collection evolved?
It was first introduced to the market in 2008 as a non-stacking guest chair with a 20″ width seat. As of this fall, bar and counter stools were added to the line as well as a beautiful new wood finish in Whitewash Oak. Stacking and non-stacking models are both now available.
Have you designed any other products for Stylex?
I also designed the MG Lounge, which was the first lounge seating system for the company. It features arm and armless chairs, 2- and 3-piece sofas, upholstered benches and wood table benches that fit a wide range of interior environments.
Why did you choose to work with the company?
It’s a combination of seamless design, subtlety of detail, and consideration for the environment. Stylex is a company that truly values craftsmanship. They consistently invest the development time required to take products to the highest level of excellence, upholstering and engineering until they’re perfect. With Mark 2, they wanted to create an elegant and beautifully crafted modernist chair – not one meant for mass production. They spent a lot of time getting the frames exactly right – welding and polishing each piece, and especially the joints, until extremely smooth. To create such seamlessly jointed frames in regular production, with this degree of precision and consistency, demands a major commitment to quality and an uncommon attention to detail.