Dzek makes architectural materials, but only when we believe they are worth adding to the world. That is not a slogan — it is a problem we wrestle with every day. The world is already full of beautiful things. There are more tiles than we could ever count, more chairs than we could ever sit on. So what justifies making something new? What gives it value beyond the aesthetic, beyond the surface?
We are committed to working slowly — not according to lifestyle or product trends — and we approach resources and design systems with a critical eye, working in tension with material constraints, complex processes, tradition, and place, to make products reflective of conditional influences, rather than being led by an aesthetic outcome.
We are skeptical of anything that travels too far, too fast, of things that say too little, or promise too much. We prefer ideas that grow out of specific regions, cultures and making traditions; processes that are rooted in history and can be applied for a more positive materials future. We accept that some of the best ideas are the hardest to scale to a point where they can function. Our materials start from a set of non-negotiable priorities: honesty, authorship, and originality, a thoughtfulness that communicates quietly. Beauty doesn’t need to shout.
ABOUT
Dzek is an architectural materials studio based in Camden Town, London. It was founded in 2012 by Brent Dzekciorius.
Before starting the company, Brent worked in furniture and product design galleries—first at Johnson Trading Gallery and Moss in New York, and later at Phillips Auctioneers in London. These roles offered access to a wide spectrum of practices: from studio-based designers pushing materials into new expressive territory, to traditional European manufacturers with deep technical know-how. It was often the blurring of these worlds—the space between expressive intent and functional clarity—which felt most alive.
That world also came with its compromises, although materials innovation was everywhere. It was channelled into familiar object types—furniture, lighting, things meant to be photographed, collected, and flaunted—with seductive aesthetics, but the deeper potential of the materials often
got left behind.
Dzek was born from a desire to shift that energy into architecture. To take the risk, expression, and authorship of the gallery world and pair it with the rigour, utility, and accountability of industrial production. To make tools for architects and designers—materials that support creative work, rather than compete with it.
Our first collection, Marmoreal, developed with Max Lamb, reimagined the 15th-century terrazzo tradition using oversized marble aggregate in precast blocks. At the time, the terrazzo industry was in steep decline, with energy and investment moving into quartz-based technologies. We were told marble terrazzo was a dead industry. We ignored that advice. By 2014, Marmoreal was on the market; by 2017, it was being copied in every direction—on tiles, linoleum, clothing, even yoga mats. Its visual language had moved from innovation to pastiche in only a couple of years.
That tension remains at the heart of what we do. We try to make things that are genuinely new—but only when they feel genuinely needed. We work slowly, often imperfectly, and with the belief that materials carry responsibility along with their surface. They can reflect a place, a way of working, a set of values. They can become part of something bigger than themselves—something built to last.
SERVICES
We collaborate with architects, designers, brands, and developers to create architectural materials and products tailored to specific projects. Our work spans early-stage concept development, material research, fabrication support, and production oversight. We also help articulate the ideas behind a material—its narrative, its purpose—so it sits meaningfully within a broader context. Past collaborators include Hermès, Swarovski, and Loro Piana. If you are working on something and think we could help, we would be glad to hear from you.
By appointment 4 Camden Studios, 28 Camden St. London NW1 0LG
Registered in
Number: 08550634
England & Wales
VAT: GB167 8522 74
CAREERS
Dzek collaborates with designers to produce thoughtful, technical architectural materials. As we grow, we’re looking for people who care deeply about how things are made, where materials come from, and the impact they have once applied.
We are a small team, and we work slowly, carefully, and with intent. We don’t hire often, but when we do, we look for people who are curious, independent, and comfortable with ambiguity—people who value detail, context, and process, as much as outcomes. Our work spans research, development, production, and everything in between. There is no clear formula, and roles tend to overlap. If you are interested in contributing to the kinds of materials and ideas we are exploring, we would be glad to hear from you.
3daysofdesign: ExCinere at Petra Hotel by &Tradition
Petra, a boutique hotel by &Tradition, was unveiled at this year’s edition of 3daysofdesign. Originally built in 1943, it has been sympathetically restored, and reimagined to appeal to the same community of design lovers for whom the Danish furniture brand has become a go-to purveyor. The 40-room space occupies a central position in the capital’s Friedrieksstrassen, an area shaped by mid-century social housing projects by the Danish Functionalism-exponent Kay Fisker. Dzek worked closely with &Tradition to recreate the architect’s original vision and palette, helping our client with the selection of contrasting materials that add textural layering to the hotel’s main spaces. ExCinere volcanic-ash tiles clad the restaurant counter and the hotel reception desk – their modular repetition echoing the distinctive use of brick in Fisker’s buildings, still peppered throughout the centre of Copenhagen.
The Shakers: A World in the Making at Vitra Design Museum
The term ‘Shaker style’ has entered common parlance, with many today coveting utilitarian kitchen cabinets, functional objects and simple tools inspired by the beliefs and work ethos of this 18th century Christian sect. 'The Shakers: A World in the Making' examines the enduring influence of the sect's furniture, vernacular architecture and even garments on artists and designers. The exhibition artefacts are drawn from the Weil am Rhein-based museum permanent collection and from the Shaker Museum, presented alongside brand new works by contemporary artists and makers. Formafantasma's exhibition design features a pared-down, modular toolkit of timber, fabric, paper, nails, and thread to construct sub-spaces and displays, in multiple iterations and alluding to the traditional Shaker values of care, repetition, and repair. Christien Meindertsma reflects on the centrality of labour and making to this community by reinterpreting their basketry tradition through a touching, contemporary prototype for a biodegradable coffin, woven from Dutch willow. The accompanying publication includes interviews and thematic essays from leading scholars, including curators and friends of Dzek Zoe Ryan and Hallie Ringle. The graphic design is by London-based studio A Practice for Everyday Life, who also developed Dzek’s original logo and identity.
