Supersedia’s chairs combine sculptural forms with emotional expressions

Growing up in his father’s metal workshop in Bressanone, Northern Italy, Markus Töll was exposed to tools and materials from a young age. Most importantly, he credits this time as giving him an understanding of ‘the constant dialogue between an idea and its immediate realization.’ After learning the craft, and studying architecture at Vienna’s Technical University, he naturally veered towards furniture-making. ‘I began developing prototypes that already hinted at chair-like forms,’ he says.

Supersedia: industrial and traditional manufacturing collide

He now works under the Supersedia aegis, a name he chose for his studio as the fusion of Italian works for ‘superlative’ and ‘chair’. It is a name that is also a mission statement: ‘I create what I consider superlative chairs; sculptural forms that follow emotional thoughts as much as the will of the material itself,’ he explains. ‘Every detail is shaped individually; nothing comes off the shelf. Even the screws are turned by hand.’

This method of working harks back to his origins, as he works primarily in metal, shaping it into designs informed by an industrial language with a futuristic soul. ‘My work revolves around building a personal cosmos,’ he says. ‘Traditional craft methods are translated into contemporary form, industrial materials like steel are refined until they become domestic, almost soft. Details turn into gestures, and a distinct visual language emerges – one that speaks quietly of luxury.’

The raw material is at the core of his practice and constantly influences his design thinking - he credits Carlo Scarpa, a fellow Northern Italian, as an inspiration to his work, for the way he ‘transformed the architectural detail into something almost mystical. There’s a kind of legitimate beauty in construction when it begins with the logic of matter itself.’

The boldness of Töll’s designs comes from a composition of primal forms: cylinders and metal bars intersecting with rigorously cut silhouettes, resulting in furniture that is both provocative and purely functional. His work was noticed by Stone Island, which approached him to create a piece for the Shanghai flagship. ‘When I saw the floor plan, I noticed the proportions didn’t fit their initial idea, so I proposed a new version.

The architects from OMA, who define the brand’s spatial language, were convinced. Since then, we’ve worked together on more than 20 flagship stores worldwide, with several more in progress,’ he says. ‘Stone Island’s technical mindset, their prototype-driven approach, and their focus on reduction to essential, high-quality materials, makes for a very natural collaboration.’

This collaboration also expanded Töll’s creative outlook into more spatial work. ‘I’m continuously exploring the space between object, sculpture, and furniture, where one dissolves into the other,’ he explains. ‘New materials and techniques are always of interest, but my focus remains on craft. It’s less about what comes next, and more about the attitude with which one continues.’

A version of this article appears in the January 2026 Next Generation issue of Wallpaper*, available in print on newsstands, on the Wallpaper* app on Apple iOS, and to subscribers of Apple News + from 4 December 2025. Subscribe to Wallpaper* today