With the current situation going all over the world, how are you? Has the pandemic had an impact on your work? What do you do to stay productive?

The pandemic has changed and sort of stopped the way we used to present our collections, but it did not interrupt the creative and imaginative process. Pandemic is forcing us to look at the world with new eyes changing our perspective.

As a designer, what is your typical working day like?

I believe like everyone else, many hours of work in the office, on construction sites or at customers, with the difference that the attention to what surrounds us never stops, anything, any experience can be a source of inspiration.

What inspired you to become a designer?

In the 60s-70s my parents used to have a company producing metal furniture. In 1967, a man from Milan came to my father with a wooden prototype that he then turned into a metal cabinet. That same piece of furniture was produced for a long time. That man from Milan was Osvaldo Borsani, one of the fathers of Italian design. The piece of furniture was Graphis by Tecno awarded a Golden Compass in 1968. I was ten. It was probably my destiny to become a designer.

We all get some inspiration somewhere. What or who really inspires you in your design?

Everything can be a source of inspiration, any experience, any moment, I believe it is necessary to learn to be receptive and to use all the stimulus and incentives we get from everyday life, from the world and we always have to try and go beyond.

I’ve visited Mes van De Rohe’s Villa Tugendhat in Brno and it’s unbelievable that he designed this in 1918 in a middle-class neighbourhood, surrounded by liberty houses. It was a real spaceship. All his solutions, technical, and stylistic are still so valid.

Would you say you have a design signature? If so, what would it be?

I think I have some characteristics that make recognizable the products I design, one of them is the sensitivity in enhancing the material.

What are the essential qualities that you always implement in your products?

My education is rational, I studied with Zanuso and Castiglioni and I graduated with Cini Boeri that’s why I always focus on the purpose and use but I’m always looking for expressivity which is a combination of shape and matter. Miles Van de Rohe said architecture is like a language and good architects are like poets.

What do you think are the most important factors to consider when designing a product? And what do you find most inspiring in designing one?

Expressive power as a whole, that thing that takes your breath away when you see it.

Is there something you’ll never do when it comes to design? Something you always avoid? Are there design rules you love to break?

Rule number one is never copy, our task is to go beyond limits and what’s traditional and to do so you have to be visionary.

Can you guide us through the design process? Where do you start and what’s the final touch?

There is always something that inspires you and there is always the reflection on the use of that such product in the house and what meanings you bring. It starts from a few sketches, then a lot of work on the physical product on the prototypes in the various stages of development.

Remember the first product that really impressed you?

I was 10 years old, definitely Tecno’s Graphis, it marked my life.

Can you tell us about your design experience for Henge? How do you incorporate the brand’s design philosophy and yours into products?

Henge was born after six months of meetings with Paolo Tormena. We never talked about the product but we tried to figure out what we would have liked to have in our houses: Furniture is like a travel companion that stays with us for a long time. Every day it should give you the same pleasure as the very first time. We followed our wishes overcoming the market conditioning as a lot of people actually did. And that was when we understood what Henge should have been. The products followed right after.

How do you think modern technology and the environment affect your judgment in design? And how do you keep up to date with current trends?

Technology is part of and influences our lives and we can’t leave it out of consideration. It can help but on the contrary it emphasizes our need for expressiveness and art.

In your opinion, how do you balance architecture and interiors to create a dynamic design?

Architecture, interior design, and design are so connected they tell one story, influencing each other.
When I start a project with no restrictions or obligations, I like to work on different levels at the same time always looking for the most expressiveness.

What do you think about the future of design? Would something as historic as the pandemic change the future of design/architecture and the way we live at home?

This pandemic and the fact that we can’t live outdoors, made us more connected to our houses with pros and cons. People are developing a deeper passion for their houses which has to be sort of tailor- made to better fit needs and lifestyle.

What do you think makes a house a home? And what’s the most valuable item in your home?

Personal choices, a house accompanies us for many years of our lives, the most precious object is that related to my memories.

What is your first tip to create a design that people will love for years, even decades to come?

Don’t look at the market as there are no standard trends. Luxury market depends on supply not demand.

What has been the highlight of your career to date and what do you still dream of getting?

It’s such a great pleasure when a lot of people you don’t know, all around the world choose the products you designed for their own houses.