gioia meller marcovicz is a furniture designer with a past. from 1977 to 1991 she was a successful fashion designer in london. then she changed fashion for furniture, presenting an assured collection of work at the rca graduation show where issey miyake commissioned her distinctive sofa design on the spot.

from that starry point onwards gmm has continued to produce winning solutions. the bia floor light was an instant hit for its manufacturer classicon at cologne 1994. outstanding collections, winner of many prizes and eight productive years later the designer has launched gioia, a production company, to develop and market her own furniture and lighting.

in her approach to fashion lies her secret to success in furniture. “the decorating aspect of clothes was never interesting to me – for example, using patterned fabrics or adding extra pockets, bows or buttons. the importance lay in the cut, the fit, the shape, the structure. i designed multifunctional clothes to suit entirely different situations.” it was a natural progression from this to designing furniture. “ if only to have a larger choice of materials to work with…. with a simple movement by the user, the design can be changed to suit the individual need.” plain, simple wearable were her fashion career watchwords. it’s significant that her furniture also embodies these concepts, without relinquishing sensuality and movement. all her products are characterised by a timeless aesthetic, from the first gioia product, cia an elegant floor-light, that adjusts via two rotating white opaline glass shades, to earlier aia and bia lights, the saga lounge chair and dia indoor-outdoor furniture for classicon, and the plug-in sofa-bed for wittmann.

luckily, her gravitation to mass production has come without a compromise, as there have always been enough customers appreciative of her particular approach. it was for them that she launched gioia.

the head office is based in london, and since 2002 a design office is in venice, where she has the facility to work in close collaboration with her manufacturers.

“the italian understanding of the complexities of a design and their tireless and positive approach in achieving a near as perfect product” has been the motivation behind this move.

the gioia design concept is sensitive to life style evolution and timeless elegance.

the expanding collection includes a complete set of clip-on lights, desk lights, table lights, floor lights, suspension lights, wall lights and other complementary furniture. functional design, linear forms, and high quality are the basics of the production.


© lucy bullivant