This particularly dynamic duo thrives on creative conflict to create beautifully functional design

Creative conflict – it may not be the working practice of choice for many designers (who often seek a calmer chemistry) but it seems to work like a dream for German designers Markus Jehs and Jurgen Laub. Argument has been the magic ingredient in their partnership which in the last 15 years has seen them work for some of the biggest international contemporary furniture brands – Cassina, Knoll,Cor and Fritz Hansen to name but a few. “Someone in the office said to us recently: ‘Who forced you two to work together?’,” laughs Laub.

The tension has been there since the very beginning when the two sat side by side in their entrance exams for the Schwäbisch Gmünd design school. Jehs puts it down to their competitive natures but it was only thanks to a professor in the school that they started to cooperate rather than compete. He suggested they work together on the same project and they then went on to travel to New York together for work experience, sharing an apartment in Manhattan.

The working relationship was sealed there and the two returned to Germany and set up their design studio in 1995. It wasn’t long before they were commissioned by Cassina and they began to make regular trips south to Italy from their office in Stuttgart. The relationship with Cassina has continued throughout their career, and this year they showed a new seating product, Cloth, at the Milan Furniture Fair. This year they also launched products for Knoll and Cor.

Jehs + Laub have also built lasting relationships with other Italian manufacturers including lighting company Nemo, now part of Cassina, and furniture brand Ycami. Laub does have a wishlist of manufacturers he would like to work with but he plays his cards close to his chest. Their strategy is also to keep a carefully controlled portfolio of work. “There are five of us here,” he explains. “We can work on many projects at the same time but we don’t want to have too many clients. We want to keep the size right so we both still have time to fight a little.” Joking apart, both believe firmly in the benefits that differences of opinion bring to their work. “When we worked in America, people were very lovely and easy going but there were too many compromises in the product. Perhaps we are just too German!”

Among their arguably German characteristics is an insistence on the technical excellence of their design. Not for them the seduction of a beautiful form, at the price of perfect functionality. For Jehs + Laub function always comes first, and they are inspired by some key designers from the 20th century. “Arne Jacobsen, Antonio Citterio and the Eames – all have produced perfect products,” says Laub. “Even now, many years later you would not change anything – not the materials or the connections. Like in nature everything has to function perfectly, to be technically beautiful. We always try to achieve this in our own work.”

Open communication is important to their design process. “It’s very important to have personal relationships with each company,” says Jehs. “The human dimension is very important. At Cassina, for example, there are three guys who are important to us when we are working with them – Gianluca, the CEO, who we discuss the initial ideas with, Roberto who is responsible for the design projects and the technical guy who we can go to to talk about materials, technology, details.” Laub continues: “We want to meet the manufacturers in the middle, rather than trying to adapt to the company.” The two describe their role in product design as the father while the manufacturer is the mother.

Unlike some other contemporary designers, however, Jehs & Laub feel they don’t need to bring a strong identity to each collaboration: “It’s not so important for us to know what our design DNA is,” says Jehs. “At the beginning of our career we were speaking with the head of the Italian company Nemo about how we design things. He said we shouldn’t think too much about style as working as a designer is a growing process.”

This article was first published in IDFX Magazine.