It responds to new needs and desires which come into play as a result of changes in social and cultural conditions says Ilaria Marelli, Architect, Designer and Founder of Ilaria Marelli Studio
Ilaria Marelli, Photo Courtesy: Diego Alto
What is your idea of good design?
Good design is simple, beautiful, engaging and caring. It connotes a proper balance between needs and dreams, functionality and emotions, innovation and memory, habits and new social rituals, without forgetting to care for people and the environment.
Andrea Collection by Olivieri Mobili
What led you to become an architect and designer, as opposed to, let’s say an engineer or a female loco pilot?
I consistently craved for a profession where I could put my artistic pursuits and the love for science to good use. The world of design, with its concoction of creativity and the science of manufacturing thereby emerged as a natural choice for me to pursue.
The COOK collection: An artistic use of industrial production, Photo Courtesy: Paolo Luppino
When it comes to architecture or product design is it an expression of the designer’s creative intellect or a culmination of form, function and desire…are both one and the same?
I believe that one of the most important qualities for a designer is listening. The needs of the b2b customers is a summation of what the users and society are vying for. To be able to develop a project, that is not only formal but also responds to these collective impulses, that makes sense to the people and can be proactive and innovative is what creative expression is all about, I don’t believe that creativity serves as an end in itself.
Corporate Design Consultancy for Brand Como Audio, Photo Courtesy: Luca Casonato
In the initial days of your design journey who are some of the designers you worked with?
I was lucky enough to start with two great mentors: as a student, in the university, I collaborated with Ezio Manzini, with whom I studied the themes of service design and social design and in my profession with Giulio Cappellini, a great talent scout and art director, who also gave me the opportunity, at the beginning of my career, to work with the top of international designers such as Paul Smith, Jasper Morrison, the Bouroullec brothers, Jean Marie Massaud, Tom Dixon, to name a few, and that was really inspiring.
Communication design for the office catalogue of Gaber
When it comes to contemporary design, do you believe it is an evolution of design as defined by modernism?
Design maintains its cultural roots as it is evident in Italian design as also designs which have emerged from different nations. Having said that, design is dynamic in nature, it responds to new needs and desires which come into play as a result of changes in social and cultural conditions. For this reason, today’s design is certainly a different, more open, hybrid matter: more globalized, but also more attentive to local cultures, this distinctiveness puts it in a league which is perhaps different than what modernism envisioned.
Pebble Bed by Dorelan: A soft bed (and a pouf) inspired by the shape of smooth river pebbles
As an Italian designer and also as a member of the first Italian Design Council, what makes Italian design so invigorating? Globally which are a few countries you believe offer a similar experience (or match up to this aura) in architecture and design as also product design?
I think the primacy of Italian design derives from a happy combination of elements. The artistic tradition that surrounds us Italians is one key aspect, it induces the varied elements of beautiful design in our sub-conscious on a day-to-day basis. Another key aspect is the coexistence of artisanal manufacturing with the capacity to rev it up to the industrial scale based on requirements. This allows each product to be scrutinized carefully in terms of its utility, reception and popularity before large-scale production can respond to the demand. Finally, a widespread entrepreneurial culture makes it easy to ‘do business’ here.
Today there are several nations that have similar pre-characteristics, their different cultural roots helps them impart different features in the design they offer: to simplify the Anglo-Saxon American world, has a more managerial imprinting, the Nordic countries are more effective on “young” mass consumer goods, China is undoubtedly stronger on the mass market production, Japan has an unparalleled accuracy of details, India may be one of the next leading nations in design, thanks to its vibrant culture and excellent resources in the IT sector.
The entrance of the new Electrolux plant in Susegana
You have worked with different brands, as a designer, how easy or complex is it to maintain the distinctiveness in design which each of them crave for?
When I start a collaboration with a company, I give an immense amount of consideration to its heritage, its value and try to figure out how my design could reflect those characteristics in a positive way. That’s why what I design for a company could be formally very different from what I design for another company – my distinctiveness is not in shapes but in the approach to a design collaboration, so that each product reflects a certain level of individuality.
Sedimenti by IVV952: A limited series of vases designed by Ilaria Marelli
What does a global design congregation like the Salone del Mobile mean to you? Which are some of the other events you attend?
Salone del Mobile, which we have missed so much as a result of the pandemic, means a lot to me, not only in terms of business, but also as an opportunity to share ideas about design with an international public. It is a creative confluence which consistently inspires me, allows me to discover new trends apart from meeting colleagues with whom I haven’t been able to catch up.
In Italy, I am also addicted to Venice Biennale. I used to tour the European events quite regularly. Events such as Maison&Objet in Paris, London Design Week, Light and Building in Frankfurt sometimes Koelnmesse and Stockholm Design Week, or New York ICFF. I have not yet had the official opportunity to participate in an Asian fair for a client or a specific project but I look forward to it.
Exhibit Design for American Brand Tivoli Audio, Photo Courtesy : Luca Casonato
Which are some of current architecture and design projects you are working on?
My office “Ilaria Marelli design” offers 360 ° design consultancy: art direction, product design, interior & exhibition, so at the moment, we are working on multiple projects: In interior design, we are working on two interior design projects for two different plants of Electrolux company. In art direction, we are engaged in the start up and development of two new furniture brands, our association with an Italian company in the field of upholstery will also be keeping us busy, besides which we are also supporting an American company in the audio sector.
In product design, we are focussed on furniture and lighting design apart from a project in sport equipment, details of which will be revealed at the Salone fair. In exhibit design, we are finally working on new projects for design shows, that are reopening after the pandemic period. Moreover, I am also teaching at Naba University in Milan in the field of design innovation.
Connect Online@www.ilariamarelli.com
