Mindaugas Žilionis was born in 1974 in Trakai, Lithuania. While still in secondary school, he decided to pursue a career in design. From 1993 to 1997, he studied at the Vilnius Academy of Arts, where he obtained a degree in Industrial and Interior Design.
His primary specialization is furniture and interior design; however, his professional practice extends far beyond this field. Over the years, he has designed a wide range of products, including lighting fixtures, corporate gifts, tableware, infrared and Finnish sauna cabins, bespoke kitchen furniture, office furniture, educational equipment for schools and day-care centers, and furniture for early childhood education institutions.
Mindaugas Žilionis began participating in international exhibitions while still a student.
- Selected Exhibitions1995 – Asahikawa Furniture Fair, Japan
- 2003–2005 – 100% Design, London
- 2007 – ICFF, New York
- 2007 – LITEXPO Baldai, Vilnius
- 2008 – Baltic Furniture, Riga
- 2010 – LITEXPO Baldai, Vilnius
- 2010 – Fluxus Ministerija, Vilnius
- 2010 – Baltic Furniture, Riga
- 2011 – IMM Cologne, Germany
- 2011 – LITEXPO Baldai, Vilnius
- 2011 – Lithuanian Design. Achievements, Design Week, Energy and Technology Museum, Vilnius
- 2012 – LITEXPO Baldai, Vilnius
- 2012 – IFF Singapore
- 2012 – Geras Dizainas, Design Week, Vilnius
- 2012 – Operae Design Fair, Turin
- 2013 – LITEXPO Baldai, Vilnius
- 2013 – Ambiente, Frankfurt
- 2013 – ARUP, London
- 2014 – LITEXPO Baldai
- 2015 – Stockholm Furniture Fair
- 2016 – Northmodern, Copenhagen
- 2017 – LITEXPO Baldai, Vilnius
- 2017 – Design Without Borders, Budapest
- 2018 – Lithuania 100 Estonia, Pärnu Museum of Contemporary Art
- 2018 – Applied Arts and Design 1918–2018, Museum of Applied Arts and Design, Vilnius
- (The museum acquired several of the designer’s works, including the SPYNDI armchair and the BOLLERINA stool.)
- 2018 – Design Stories: Lithuanian Design 1918–2018, National Gallery of Art, Vilnius
- 2018 – Geras Dizainas Award Winners Exhibition, Domus Gallery, Vilnius
- 2020 – Grassimesse, Leipzig
- Awards and Recognitions2007 – 1st Prize, Furniture Design Competition “[Neformatas]”, LITEXPO, Vilnius, for the transformable furniture piece SPYNDI (international jury)
- 2010 – 2nd Prize, Furniture Design Competition, LITEXPO, Vilnius, for the BOLEROS family dining table (local jury)
- 2011 – 1st Prize, Furniture Design Competition, LITEXPO, Vilnius, for the MOBILI desk (local jury)
- 2012 – Geras Dizainas Award, for the transformable furniture piece SPYNDI (international jury)
- 2012 – Geras Dizainas Award, for the ADOMAS chair (international jury)
- 2012 – Geras Dizainas Award, to Zhilionis Workshop as manufacturer, for the SPYNDI transformable armchair (international jury)
- 2015 – Geras Dizainas Award, for the WORKOHOLIC home office desk
Additional InformationIn 2007, Mindaugas Žilionis founded
ZHILIONIS WORKSHOP, a company dedicated to designing, adapting products for manufacturing, and producing objects for both local and international markets.
His work consistently emphasizes structural clarity, intelligent joinery, and clearly defined functionality. Mindaugas Žilionis is known for an elegant, restrained, and instantly recognizable design language, combined with deep material knowledge and precise craftsmanship. With nearly 30 years of professional practice, his career is marked by both the quantity and enduring quality of his work.