Emanuela Frattini Magnusson is an architect and multi-disciplinary designer who believes that good design creates true value. She co-founded EFM Group with two other partners in 2023, where she believes the quality of their retail collections in high end furnishings, fabrics and architectural interior finishes will speak for themselves.
Having graduated in architecture from the Milan Politecnico, Emanuela practiced in her father’s office while studying, learning a typically Italian approach to the profession – viewing design in its broadest sense as a thought process that is applied at different scales, from urban planning to product design. She believes that every detail matters and every component contributes to the success of the end result. “I have learned to work with this fluidity between scales, with a particular focus on interiors. Materials, lighting and furniture all contribute to the quality of life in a space by defining not only the visual/ esthetic attributes but also the immaterial qualities – like light, temperature and sound,” she shares.
“My fathers’ designs fit seamlessly into today’s environments from an esthetic point of view, as we at EFM believe that designs that possess their own integrity can always coexist, irrespective of the period in which they were created.”
Emanuela Frattini Magnusson
Known for the timeless, classic qualities of his work, Gianfranco Frattini’s creations continue to resonate with the contemporary needs of today’s world. Says Emanuela, “My fathers’ designs fit seamlessly into today’s environments from an esthetic point of view, as we at EFM believe that designs that possess their own integrity can always coexist, irrespective of the period in which they were created. Where we need to intervene with updates is in the technologies that we use, which does not contradict the original creator’s intention. I know that my father was very interested in technological advancements, which in his time were plastics and halogen lights to name just two. Today he would certainly embrace LED lights and new upholstery foams as improvements – and this is how we can reinterpret designs that preceded our era.”
Ultimately, the essence lies in creating things that are timeless. Emanuela elaborates, “Design at all scales straddles art and science. A design responds to a need, to specific functional requirements, but how the solution is defined depends on the designer (or architect). This is where the functional response meets the emotional one, which is shaped by the designer’s background, experiences, preferences and beliefs. A purely emotional response without function steps into the realm of art. I believe it shows when there is competence in the functional response and honesty in the emotional one, creating products (or interiors / buildings) that are useful and in turn generate an emotional response in the user. These qualities will last and contribute to defining a classic.”
Acknowledging the future trends for commercial design spaces, Emanuela says, “We are seeing a different use of the shared space for different types of activities from individual “phone booths” to social gathering areas to learning spaces. Acoustic control, flexible use of space, and visual separation are important aspects of planning and can be offered in creative ways without compromising on aesthetics. The collections at EFM Group we carry can straddle various uses, from commercial to hospitality to residential.”
Editor
Emily Hui and Nikey Cheng Photo Courtesy of EFM Group
