studioPePe oFFicial

MILANO ITINERARIES

SERENDIPITY

THE BIRTHPLACE OF ITALIAN DESIGN, AS SEEN BY ARIANNA LELLI

MAMI AND CHIARA DI PINTO, THE FACES AND MINDS OF STUDIOPEPE LA CITTÀ DOVE È NATO IL DESIGN ITALIANO, VISTA DA ARIANNA LELLI MAMI E CHIARA DI PINTO, I DUE VOLTI E LE DUE MENTI DI STUDIOPEPE text Virginia Mammoli Two Milanese women in Mexico. And that was the somewhat random start of the collaboration between Arianna Lelli Mami and Chiara Di Pinto, which in 2006 led to the founding of Studiopepe, one of the

most eclectic and successful names in

contemporary Milanese design. The two had already met at the Polytechnic University, but it was a chance meeting on a sunny beach on the Pacific coast - “one of those places with three beach huts and a couple of palm trees” - that led to friendship and a professional association that has been fortunate, to say the least. Apart from their talent, they share a love of beauty, harmony and proportions. What differs is their style. On the one hand is Arianna, whose work is packed with references and echoes of past artists and interior designers, always seeking codes that are original and iconographic. On the other, Chiara, who cultivates the disruptive, unexpected element. Together they create projects that are layered and extremely characterful, combining poetic vision and design rigour. Experiments with new visual languages, continuous research into colour and materials. cross-referencing with contemporary art: these are the essentials in their work, which shifts between set design, interiors, product design and art direction. One of their creations is the Five To Nine daybed, designed for Tacchini and winner of an Archiproduct Design Award 2020, the Verre Particulier coffee table for Baxter, and the Bonfire lamp for Gallotti&Radice, which won Wallpaper*Design Awards in 2021. Due milanesi in Messico. Nasce così, un po’ per caso, la collaborazione tra Arianna Lelli Mami e Chiara Di Pinto che nel 2006 ha dato vita a Studiopepe, una

delle firme più eclettiche e di successo

del design milanese contemporaneo. Si erano già conosciute al Politecnico, ma è stato un incontro casuale su un’assolata spiaggia della costa del Pacifico - “uno di quei posti con tre capanne e due palme” - a far nascere un’amicizia e un sodalizio professionale a dir poco felice. In comune, oltre al talento, l’amore per il bello, l’armonia e le proporzioni. A distinguerle, il proprio stile. Da un lato Arianna, ricca di riferimenti e citazioni, tra arte e interior designer del passato, sempre alla ricerca di linguaggi originali e iconografici. Dall’altro Chiara, grande cultrice dell’elemento disruptive e inaspettato. Insieme creano progetti stratificati e dalla forte personalità, unendo visione poetica e rigore progettuale. Sperimentazione di nuovi codici visivi, studio costante sul colore e i materiali, contaminazione con il linguaggio dell’arte contemporanea sono gli elementi base del loro lavoro, che si muove tra il set design, l’interior, il product e l’art direction. Di loro creazione, il daybed Five To Nine, disegnato per Tacchini, vincitore degli Archiproduct Design Awards 2020, così come il tavolino Verre Particulier, disegnato per Baxter, e le lampade Bonfire, progettato per Gallotti&Radice, che si sono aggiudicati gli Wallpaper*Design Awards 2021.

The work of Arianna is packed with echoes of past artists

Arianna Lelli Mami ph. Andrea Ferrari

Beauty and harmony get under your skin; being in a place with these characteristics improves your life Pag. 86: some creations by Studiopepe

Milan is packed with stimuli; they may be hidden, but that’s part of the charm

Suggestions by Arianna and Chiara

ph. Donatella Brun

Above: Pirelli skyscraper Below: Indro Montanelli Gardens Left: Fondazione Prada

ph. Dario Garofalo

Department of Architecture by Gio Ponti

ph. Andrea Ferrari

We’re really interested in work about symbols and myths, from Jung to tribal traditions all over the world On right: Five To Nine daybed, for Tacchini

Chiara is a lover of the unexpected element

Chiara Di Pinto ph. Andrea Ferrari Above: The charm of Milanese palaces On left: Pirelli HangarBicocca Below: I bagni misteriosi by De Chirico’s Fountain at the Triennale