I really wanted to meet a design icon, also because from his interviews he appears to be a free spirit, in contrast with the living room bourgeois that we often associate with world-famous people. But due to his numerous work commitments, the constant travels, the editorial timing. I had to settle for a correspondence interview, or rather: simple emails.
You are considered one of the most important Italian architects and designers. Have you always managed to maintain the right balance between notoriety and normality?
«I answer her with a thought from Mies van der Rohe (German architect and designer):“ You must always dream with your head in the stars, but stay with your feet on the ground ”. This is a bit of my lifestyle. At work, as well as in everyday life, it has always been important for me to maintain a very high creative and professional commitment, so as to be able to create a recognition linked to my name. Of course, after having managed to become a brand, having a haughty attitude can be a temptation, but keeping the right balance between notoriety and normality is part of my daily being ».
In many professions, being sure of oneself, I am thinking for example of the great doctors, is an essential characteristic. Even in your case?
«In my life I have always tried to reach the set goals. Being determined in choices and actions certainly involves a strong character in which I recognize myself, but this must never override the rules and respect for the human being. A leader is that person who knows how to be determined, who enjoys esteem and respect, but at the same time addresses his interlocutors with education, intelligence and professionalism ».
Looking at the photographs published in newspapers and websites, she takes great care of her physical appearance. How important is beauty in the art of designing?
«I believe that image is much more important than physical beauty. Being elegant both in the soul and in the aesthetic component is a value that rewards over time. Thanks to my work I had the opportunity to travel all over the world, meet and share experiences with many elegant and refined people who have given me the opportunity to grow quickly. From them I learned how to listen and compare, fundamental ingredients for success ».
How important is knowing how to sell, communication, compared to skill?
«Today communication plays a fundamental role, we live in a now globalized society, where the speed of information has reached very high levels. Knowing how to communicate your skills and experiences allows you to enhance your work and highlight your potential. I believe that skill, associated with communicative value, is a winning combination. However, I remain of the opinion that today, as in the past, the value of people is measured in the field, in any case ».
Designer or architect? A merger or two professions?
«Starting from the concept that architecture and design represent a language of signs, of material and compositional values, an alphabet that allows you to dialogue with the public, dividing the two professions becomes difficult. Certainly the world of design is part of my history, an important growth that has allowed me to make myself known in the world. Architecture… has a different charm, you work on a macro scale with different problems and much longer times, but then it is the container where you can experiment and enhance the interior in terms of design ».
Born in the Province of Como, today you are very attached to Ticino ...
«I was born and raised a few kilometers from Switzerland and I have always shared the Ticino reality as a life choice and opportunity. The Swiss territory has always attracted me from a young age for respect for the rules and for the quality of life. I started some important interior projects in Lugano eleven years ago, with educated and prepared clients, this allowed me to create synergy with different personalities who have given me trust and credibility. For this reason I immediately chose with enthusiasm and determination to move my residence and my private and professional interests to Lugano. Regarding Architecture and Interior projects, for seven years with my partner Paolo Colombo, we have created the Brand A ++, which works on large-scale projects, while with the Amini family a partnership was born in Zurich and Andermatt where we are involved as designers and developers in the Real Estate sector ».
His work is his passion, this can be understood from the way he talks to journalists. An inherited art or one that was already part of your childhood?
“Like all children born in a peaceful family context, I lived an equally peaceful childhood. Definitely attracted to beauty, noble shapes and sports cars. I have always admired my father's work - we have a carpentry - the sense of matter and proportions, the beauty and the ability to be able and to know how to create objects from a still raw material. I have always drawn, but above all I loved to experiment… it wasn't today's time with cell phones or computers… when I was a kid there was only a blank sheet to deal with, all that was exciting ».
The architecture studio he founded with his partner has grown tremendously in recent years and now has 120 employees. What kind of boss is it?
«Inside the studio I always try to be myself, knowing the responsibility that is attributed to me. It is important to demonstrate consistency every day by setting an example of authority and professionalism, commitment and determination. Knowing how to share a team work made of synergies and skills with the kids and my partner. Never have a rude attitude and reward collaborators when the result falls within the expectations of the firm and the client. All these experiences, if lived in a constructive way, form highly qualified personnel who are sometimes able to live their own work experience ».
Much has been drawn up, how do you realize you are not “stealing” ideas from others?
«The cultural component of the project is the essence that is able to discern what is considered a copy with respect to an interpretation of signs belonging to the past. Respect for the rules is essential for the growth of the designer. The concept of memory, irony, function, are fundamental ingredients for the success of a project. I have always tried to treasure these “rules” which are for me the object of reflection and growth ».
She was discovered during her studies, a great talent scout saw her project and put it into production. Luck or would he have gotten there anyway?
«I owe the beginning of my career as a designer to the greatest talent scout in our sector: Giulio Cappellini. All the greatest designers in the world were discovered by him. I still remember that moment, it was 1992 and I was still a student at the Milan Polytechnic when I decided to bring a prototype of an armchair to his company. It was immediately a success: he saw it and was presented at the Salone del Mobile. The same year I started collaborating with other famous design brands and after graduating I had already started a studio with important clients. All the rest was nothing more than determination, the desire to do and reach the objectives set. A challenge to myself and the unbridled passion for this wonderful job ».
Do you always travel, too much?
«Travel the world has been part of my life for years. I always have a suitcase ready to accept new challenges and tackle new projects. For me, traveling means enriching one's cultural baggage with new values, different experiences and lifestyles, not just work. Flavors, attitudes, experiences that you carry inside and that over time turn into well-calibrated and mature projects, rich in those emotions, treasures that paint the blank sheet ».
He doesn't often talk about his family ...
«In my family I have a brother who has followed in my father's footsteps with great skill, he has always helped me as a young man to make prototypes and make my ideas come true. I have a son who studies in London and I live my life with Lorenza, who has been by my side for years with passion and joy for life ».
To end two more questions related to Ticino, how do you see it at an architectural level? Don't you think there are too many architects?
«Ticino, like many other realities, has the opportunity to grow in terms of architectural and compositional language. There are now outdated areas, interventions of the past that have left the signs of time and a redevelopment would bring economic value to this territory that has a lot of potential and initiatives to express. The number of architects is not important, but the talent of each one. Ours is not just a job, but a creative-social process which - if done well - brings positive values and growth to the whole community and to the territory ».
The most important value?
"The love".
Which room do you prefer?
"The bathroom".
A dream…
"Have time for yourself."
Time… the price of success? Of a life always looking for something or a luxury that does not go well with the frenetic pace that we impose on ourselves and that steal the only thing we could really expect from ourselves.
