What is the everyday useful object you appreciate the most, and why?
“A good project does not come from the ambition to leave a mark, the mark of the designer, but from the desire to establish even a small interchange with the unknown person who will use the object we have designed”: so wrote Achille Castiglioni to define what he believed was a proper approach to design. Not by chance, the product of his design that made him proudest was a small light switch created in 1968 with his brother Pier Giacomo and produced by VLM, a company specialized in the sector of electrical components. It was a small item produced in large numbers, purchased for its functional qualities, and no one, not even the dealers, knew who had created it. An everyday, familiar object that summed up the great master’s attitude. And it allowed him to enter the homes of everyone, becoming such a widespread presence that it belonged more to the people than to the history of design. Castiglioni was a curious person, and throughout his life he collected what he called “anonymous objects,” namely things we use day after day without knowing who designed them, though we are still attracted by their simplicity and functional quality. As well as all the emotional aspects that make the object pleasant and interesting. Even special, sometimes. Hence the question we have asked various international design studios to answer: What is the everyday useful object you appreciate the most, and why? The answers were far from expected, and they formed a tableau: that of beautiful, functional, but also poetic and timeless design. Objects that surround us in our everyday lives, things we would never want to do without. Some have famous creators, others are anonymous. The outcome is a long list of things that have always populated our daily existence, from water bottles to pencils. Some of them are able to make us dream, others are purely functional. All of them have a meaning, which in the end reflects the idea of design held by the people who answered our question. Because design, real design, always starts with basic reasoning, with the idea the creative professional wants to transmit. And perhaps, by observing these “cherished” objects with which people surround themselves on a daily basis, we will also be more capable of understanding the designer’s job. And to appreciate the results achieved. Never taking them for granted. Even an apparently simple chair does indeed contain a small piece of the soul of its creator.
Leonardo Talarico
1. I often use chopsticks. I find them relaxing to use, they are sophisticated in their essence. Pure and perfect, they become graphic with movement and often thanks to them, I have glimpsed shapes to explore further: overlapping sticks and rotating one, I came up with the idea for a form that I developed giving it a function. That is how the Stems vase for Cappellini came about. 2. For Dieffebi I will be presenting a system of chairs for contract use; for Living Divani I have designed the first umbrella stand in the range. For Trussardi Casa I have reworked the features of the Maison to create an armchair and coffee table. In Brera there will be an out of scale skyscraper for Nero Sicilia made from waste material from working with lava stone. Finally I have curated the installation in the Cesana and Nero Sicilia showroom.
Matteo Ragni
1. The 9090 cafetiere by Richard Sapper for Alessi: every morning in the studio it gets us off to a good start. The second coffee, after the one at breakfast, is now a ritual that is difficult to renounce. 2. We will be presenting the Canalgrand bed for Twils (with Tiziano Carnieletto) and the Otto side tables; for Fantoni, the Decumano system of executive tables (together with Giulio Iacchetti); finally for Billiani, the Stella upholstered wooden chair.
Sara Ricciardi
1. Riccardo Dalisi’s compass design. It has an extraordinary emotional functionality. I went to visit him when I was a student, in his studio in Naples. I was enraptured by this object and he said “I’ll give it to you! It is only with the Other that we can draw perfect circles”. 2. There will be the Under the Willow Tree installation at Palazzo Litta, with Antica Fabbrica Passamanierie Massia Vittorio 1843 with which I will also be doing, at the Triennale, a project that pays tribute to Bugatti. At the Salone, new pieces for Bosa Ceramiche. In via Cappuccio 18, I will be presenting a collection of wallpapers for Texturae while in the Vito Nesta space in via Ferrante Aporti, there will be an exhibition on Alessandro Guerriero. Finally in via Fatebenefratelli 4, with Patrizia Fabri there will be a hat sculpture on Community Thought.
Studio Klass
1. The three-pronged fork by Caccia Dominioni, now issued by Alessi and presented for the first time at the Triennale in 1940. The most immediately striking characteristic is the fact it has three prongs instead of four. However it is only through everyday use that you can appreciate the elegance that is manifested in every detail from the richness of the reflections, created by a refined play of thicknesses, to the particular specific weight when you hold it in your hand. 2. With Molteni&Co we will be presenting Arial, an extensive system of boiserie, doors and walls. For UniFor we have curated an installation at the showroom in viale Pasubio, dedicated to the new “Andromeda” collection of furniture. Finally, with Valli, at Viva porte in Corso Monforte, we will be presenting a new collection of handles.
Philippe Starck
1. I have this mental sickness called creativity, which is the reason why I am constantly working on more than 200 different projects at the same time. I always work alone, with my pad of tracing paper and my Japanese criterion. This way I can create very quickly, faster than a computer because I am not limited by other people’s software or electronic programs, and I can give the best service to my community. 2. I am convinced that to create timeless products, we need elegance in the working relationship. This year, I will present new creations with some of my long-time friends and companies that share the same vision and values such as Kartell, Glas Italia and Driade. This year also marks special celebrations of the 30th anniversaries of my collaborations with both Cassina and Duravit.
Elena Salmistraro
1. For me the “Alessandro M” corkscrew by Alessandro Mendini for Alessi is an example of good design: it performs its function perfectly but is also an object that is fun, iconic and decorative. I decided to also buy the companion, “Anna G” so it’s never alone. 2. A limited edition bar for Cappellini. Also a new Most Illustrious for Bosa, along with three new tiles for the Dornette collection. There will also be a collection in marble for Lithea. Other designs include a table centrepiece for Orografie and an erosion-decorated metal plate for DeCastelli, with whom I am also taking part in Hoperaperta, presenting two artistic totems. In the city centre there will also be my sculpture made from the trunks of trees that fell during the floods last year.
Studio Mist-O
1. The kettle designed by Sori Yanagi in 1953. It is an object in which form, function, craftsmanship and industry blend perfectly. What is more, it is an immortal product, extremely hard-wearing both in terms of construction quality and aesthetics. To achieve this quality many components are still made by hand, others industrially. We have used it for many years, several times a day and have moved house to different places around the world but we have never felt the need to change it for reasons of style or wear. 2. An outdoor collection with Living Divani that will be at the fair and at the Living Divani Gallery, and a project with Fenix together with other designers, curated by Federica Sala, that will be on show in their showroom at Fuorisalone.
