[ CREATIVE MINDS: M2ATELIER ]
Marijana Radovic and Marco Bonelli both graduated in architecture, Marijana at Belgrade and Marco at Genoa. After their international experience in various design areas they merged their knowledge and skills to form m2atelier.
The Milan-based design studio also handles yacht interiors, collaborating with Codecasa (the rendering shows the sundeck on the Codecasa 58), Vitters, Azimut, Conrad, Mangusta and others
ph. Giovanni Malgarini
With projects involving every area of design and architecture, from yacht-building to the residential sector, hospitality, retail and product design, the Milan-based studio stands out for its essential, elegant style, a sustainable minimalism chosen by many Italian and international yards for their interior design
LESS IS ENOUGH, IN ALL ASPECTS OF DESIGN
by Samuela Urbini ph. courtesy by m2atelier
The studio’s name, m2atelier, is inspired by the freedom to experiment that characterises the ateliers of artists and prestigious couturiers. Founded in 2013 by Marijana Radovic and Marco Bonelli and based on the pair’s previous activities, m2atelier expresses the idea of square metres or the square of the initials of their first names, because by combining the experience gained in their careers and lives up to that point multiplied their creative possibilities. Driven by decisive yet harmonious interactions, they explain how their personalities complement each other in the spontaneity of their design process. “Our creative process is intensely collaborative and involves a constant interaction between us, independent of the dimensions or importance of the project. We usually begin by comparing and contrasting our perspectives and ideas in an open, constructive dialogue. This encounter enables us to explore different approaches, often enriching
the creative process with complementary ideas”, says Radovic. The scope of the research carried out by m2atelier is very wide, and embraces a wide range of scales and contexts. Architects by training, their careers have taken in different international experiences. Marco (of Genoese origin) has experience on in the residential, hospitality, office, fashion and retail fields while Marijana (brought up in Belgrade but Milanese by adoption) worked mostly in the nautical sector. As well as yachts, the pair has designed high-rise buildings in Miami and private houses all over the world. “We like this multi-disciplinary approach”, says Bonelli. “We don’t want to have a single speciality, because we believe that an architect’s work should also be inspired by other fields, where one feeds into the other”.
The interdisciplinary studio is made up of an international team of around forty professionals, all engaged in a constant search to pare away
The elegant, minimal style of m2atelier can be seen in these interiors – above, a rendering of the owner’s suite on the Codecasa 58, flooded with natural light. Below, the spacious saloon on the catamaran Black Cat 75, where light once again plays a dominant role. Opposite page, the full-custom interiors of the third Mangusta 165 Rev, launched this year. Top, the owner’s cabin and bottom, the main saloon with extensive full-height windows
In these images, some examples of product design by the m2atelier for Visionnaire, a benchmark brand in the Made in Italy interior design. Top, the preparatory drawings for the angular, modular Ilario sofa, inspired by an elbow joint. Above, the Basket chair, winner of the Archiproducts Design Awards 2021, and its preparatory designs showing how the product evolved from the original idea of the nest to the final product
the superfluous and create a crisp, essential, minimal design that can be summed up by the motto Less is enough. This sustainable minimalism can also be seen in some of the interiors they have designed, like the Regina d’Italia, a 65-metre yacht presented by Codecasa in 2019, the Alea, a 56-metre sail yacht built by the Dutch yard Vitters in 2022, the Azimut Grande 30 and 44-metre models by Azimut and the 44.5-metre Conrad Ace, with its furnishings suspended above the floor, a feature that also appears on the latest yacht launched in May this year, the third Mangusta 165 Rev. As Bonelli says, “When we design we don’t concentrate on a particular special feature, we like to place focal points along the entire
hull and all the decks. You might not notice them at first, it may take a second look. Often house and yacht designs include spaces that are never used, but we start from the layout. We spend a lot of time on it, we try to make use of a space in all its aspects, ensuring that all the spaces are used effectively. In the nautical sector our style can be defined as a harmonious fusion of informal elegance and sustainability. Our architectural language draws from a number of fields, from residential to contemporary art. This enables us to create fluid, informal spaces to experience and use with deep relaxation and freedom, where time flows slowly and where the perception of light lies at the core of the experience”.