Voronoi’s Corrals, Milos, Greece Hourglass Corral | DECA Architecture

Generating reciprocity between architecture and nature, geometrical rules and wilderness, the house is sunk low and stoic in the sun-drenched Cycladic landscape cooled by breezes from the nearby sea.

© Yiorgis Yerolymbos

BORN TO BE BOLD

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VD 56

Design across disciplines

They run the gamut from product design to urban plans by way of building skyscrapers, villas, and magnificent superyachts. The best of Italian architecture, these professionals’ creative skills and multidisciplinary approach infuse style into every design realm. Top names that are the envy of the whole world

Author: Désirée Sormani

PIERO LISSONI Piero Lissoni founded the Lissoni Associati studio (with Nicoletta Canesi) in 1986, and then 10 years later, Graph. X. Every kind of design has originated in the studio, including exclusive yachts. In 2007, their first nautical project took off: the interior of Luciano Benetton 50-meter Tribù, built by Mondomarine. In 2017 Lissoni dove into the nautical sector with the innovative Sanlorenzo SX88 conceived as an open space; with the launch of the SX series, which included the 34-meter SX112 flagship introduced in 2020 (photo), he became Sanlorenzo’s artistic director.

Photo © S imona P esari ni

Photo © Settimo Benedusi ANTONIO CITTERIO & PATRICIA VIEL The multidisciplinary architecture and design studio Antonio Citterio Patricia Viels has been active since the 1970s developing complex design programs, including urban plans. The Milan-based studio made its debut in the nautical world in 2016 with Sanlorenzo’s 34-meter SD 112, the start of a productive partnership with the Ameglia shipyard. Citterio and Viels recently designed the interiors of Navetta 30 for Custom Line (photo) in contemporary style with a sophisticated reinterpretation of the stylistic features of the naval tradition.

Photo © M arco C rai g PATRICIA URQUIOLA Patricia Urquiola is an architect, a Madrid native turned Milanese. After she graduated in Milan in 1989 with Achille Castiglioni, for whom she was also assistant lecturer, she started her career working first with Vico Magistretti and then with Lissoni Associati. In 2001, she opened her studio, working in the fields of product design, interiors, and architecture. Several of her designs are on display in major art and design museums. She came to the nautical sector by chance: Massimo Perotti, Sanlorenzo’s Executive Chairman chose her to design the interior of the SD96 (photo).

ACHILLE SALVAGNI From residential to nautical design, Achille Salvagni is a perfectionist. He is head of a design studio of qualified designers who share his continuous pursuit of design excellence. Salvagni’s atelier is a place where creativity and craftsmanship come together to create unique spaces and pieces of bespoke furniture with a couturier flair. He came to yacht design in 2007 by designing a Canados; since then, he has worked with various international shipyards such as Rossinavi, Azimut (in the photo, Azimut Grande Trideck), and Baglietto (Club M).

JOHN PAWSON A British architect known for his minimalist approach, he has designed everything from a Cistercian monastery to a spoon — and embodies a consistent set of preoccupations to do with space, proportions, light, and materials. His first job in the nautical sector was the 50-meter Barracuda ketch for Perini Navi in 2007, and at almost the same time, he designed the B60 with the yacht designer Luca Brenta; and then Pawson went back to the sea with Sanlorenzo to develop a new metal superyacht over 40 meters (in the sketch).

DANTE O. BENINI & PARTNERS Dante O. Benini crosses all bounds, from small industrial design objects to masterplans for large cities, and interior designs for homes and yachts. He trained with Carlo Scarpa, guested at Frank O. Gehry’s studio in Santa Monica, and graduated in Brazil with Oscar Niemeyer. Now, in partnership with Luca Gonzo, he heads Dante O. Benini & Partners | Architects. Passionate about yachting, he has to his name the refit of the King of Bahrain’s 51-meter M/Y Jameel, a Sanlorenzo, a 64-meter and a 65-meter for VSY, and Perini’s 60-meter Seven sailboat (photo).

LAZZARINI & PICKERING Claudio Lazzarini and Carl Pickering adopt a crossdiscipline design philosophy, working in many different realms. The central theme of their design is large, continuous spaces, a concept found in the nautical sector as well, where the studio started working 25 years ago, distinguishing itself for the interior design of the 80’ Wally B sailboat, the 118 Wallypower motoryacht, and the Benetti Sai Ram. Now with Benetti’s 37-meter Motopanfili series (photo), Lazzarini and Pickering are returning to the sea and reviving the memory of 1960s vessels.

Photo © Matteo Piazza

BONETTI KOZERSKI Enrico Bonetti was born in Bologna, studied in Venice under the guidance of Aldo Rossi, Dominik Kozerski in London with Peter Cook and John Hejduk. Together they founded Bonetti / Kozerski Architecture in New York in 2000. The firm thinks holistically, from the small scale to the large, from the subtle details of furniture and art to the overall rhythm of spaces, volumes, and materials, always bringing something unexpected to the design process. These themes can be seen on the 40-meter Rebeca (photo), their first design in yachting which opened the Oasis series.

VINCENZO DE COTIIS Vincenzo De Cotiis graduated from the Politecnico di Milano and opened his current studio and gallery in 1997. He finds beauty in the sheen of life, as seen in his architecture and interior designs for private homes, hotels, restaurants, and retail boutiques, as well as in his furniture and design work (he designs one-off and limited-edition pieces). He aims for perfect imperfection, achieved through re-appropriation of salvaged materials, as seen on board the 25-meter Magellano, his first collaboration with Azimut Yachts (photo).

PININFARINA An international icon of Italian style, the Pininfarina company is lauded for its ability to create timeless beauty and innovation. Having started with the design of luxury cars, the third generation of the company, led by Paolo Pininfarina, in 1986 took it beyond the automotive sector to turn it into one of the leading global architecture and design firms, designing everything from pens to skyscrapers. In the nautical sector, it has designed for Fincantieri, Rossinavi, Wally (photo Wally 100 Tango), and Oceanco. ROBERTO BACIOCCHI Founded by architect Roberto Baciocchi, Baciocchi Associati designs international-scale projects based on an approach of constant experimentation and study, working in the field of architectural and interior design, restoration, and the design of furnishing pieces and accessories. In the nautical sector he designed the interiors of Benetti’s B.Now50 yacht. Baciocchi says, “The spaces of a boat are containers within which one should feel protected, stimulated, and moved by contemplating the ever-changing outside space.”

Photo © Toni Meneguzzo

Photo © Giulio Ghirardi PARISOTTO FORMENTON Aldo Parisotto and Massimo Formenton founded their studio in Padua in 1990, and moved it to Milan in 2004. They work around the world in museum, commercial, office, and residential design, focusing especially on interior and retail design. The two architects’ multifaceted natures have proved their talent for yacht design and interiors featuring clean lines and clear spatial definition, as seen on board the 75-foot Mylius (photo), a racer with all the comforts of a large yacht.

CIARMOLI QUEDA The studio was founded in 2009 by Simone Ciarmoli and Miguel Queda, running the gamut from product design to residential, retail, and nautical design. It also has long experience in the fashion industry supporting the likes of Armani and Prada, as well as in visual art and furnishing textiles. Its residential interior design projects include villas and apartments in France, Italy, and Greece. In 2019, the interior designers received the World Superyacht Awards 2019 for the design of Dream, a 106.5-meter yacht.

Photo © Frederic Ducout

IVANA PORFIRI Ivana Porfiri lives and works in Milan; she graduated in Industrial Design in 2001 founded the Porfiristudio. The studio’s approach is based on the development of new shapes and materials, far from conventional schemes. She started with cruise ships and then took on exclusive yachts (Baglietto Nina J, photo) revolutionizing interiors at a time when yachting was still tradition-bound. She is highly eclectic and the studio is expanding its work in many fields from residential and working spaces to furniture and product design.

Photo © F red eri c D ucout

KELLY HOPPEN Kelly Hoppen, originally from Cape Town, South Africa, founded her studio in London. With over 40 years’ experience and thousands of prestige projects to her name, her signature is defined by an East Meets West style. Hoppen’s eclectic portfolio spans everything from exclusive commercial properties to private homes, turnkey properties, superyachts, private jets, and even 5-star hotels. In the naval sector, she began by designing interiors for cruise ships, the Celebrity Edge; then she went onto the Pearl 95 (photo) and recently designed the Pearl 62 too.

Photo © Giovanni Malgarini M2ATELIER

m2atelier was founded by architects Marco Bonelli and Marijana Radovic (who can boast a master’s degree in yacht design). Its multidisciplinary approach is fueled by studying materials, space, and proportions, with a style defined by attention to detail. The studio is active in residential and fashion retail projects for luxury brands, nautical design (photo, the latest Black Cat 30 project), hospitality, and product design.

FM ARCHITETTURA FM Architettura, based in Ancona, was co-founded in 2010 by architect and superyacht interior designer Francesca Muzio. Her role as Creative Director of the Interior Design Department of the CRN and the Custom Line Ferretti-Group brought her considerable experience in this field. The studio is renowned now for interior designs of superyachts, private mansions, high-end residential towers, and iconic luxury hotels. Its latest collaborations include projects with Feadship (65-meter, photo), ShangriLa, and the Mandarin Oriental.

LUCA BOMBASSEI Luca Bombassei is passionate about art and architecture; in 2001, he and Simona Traversa founded Blast Architetti, with which he has completed many internationally prominent projects, including Kilometro Rosso, the science and technology park for research and development of excellence. His designs are remarkably adept at mixing ideas, shapes, and colors, crossing architecture and design with his personal signature. In the interiors of the Custom Line Navetta 42 (photo), he sought “to bring the contemporary style of metropolitan life to the sea.”

ZUCCON INTERNATIONAL PROJECT Bernardo and Martina Zuccon are at the helm of Zuccon International Project, a multidisciplinary architecture and industrial design studio, representing Italian excellence in yacht design, founded in 1972 by their parents, architects Gianni Zuccon and Paola Galeazzi. The studio offers design and consultancy services in many fields of architecture and industrial design, including pleasure boating, residential and commercial buildings, and automotive. They are currently designing new types of interiors in the yachting field, specifically with Sanlorenzo (photo, the SX112).

TEAM FOR DESIGN ENRICO GOBBI Enrico Gobbi has a degree in architecture and a specialization in yacht design and has been long active in both fields. In 2005, he founded Team for Design in his native Venice, an important influence in his training and an artistic influence. His projects range from yachts and superyachts (both interior and exterior) from 15 meters to 70 meters designed for internationally renowned shipyards (such as Utopia di Rossinavi, photo). In the residential area, he has designed numerous villas and apartments (often for shipowners).

LUCA DINI DESIGN & ARCHITECTURE Nestling in Florence’s glorious historic center, the Luca Dini Design & Architecture studio draws inspiration from different sources to produce not just superyachts but also urban plans, retail spaces, yacht clubs, and luxury private homes. Under Luca Dini’s watchful eye, a team of architects, yacht designers, interior designers, naval and civil engineers mold the concepts into unique results. The designer has worked with all of the big names in the yachting industry since 1996, crafting bespoke designs, such as the recent LEL, a 50m by Rossinavi (photo).

Photo © Giorgio Baroni LAURA SESSA Laura Sessa works for the major names in international shipbuilding. Her interiors are found on prestigious superyachts such as CRN, Amels, Lürssen (photo, Madsummer), and Sanlorenzo, just to name a few. She grew professionally under the wing of Alberto Pinto and then opened her studio in 2000, in the beautiful Roman countryside, where she creates luxurious interiors in various fields of architecture from residential to yachting. All are designed with elegance and a keen eye for every detail.

LUXURY PROJECTS Laura Pomponi was born in Rome and grew up in Ancona. After earning a degree in engineering, she started to work in shipbuilding in 2002 and gained much experience in project management. Her passion for art and design and for material research and innovative applications inspired her to start her own business: in 2008 she founded Luxury Projects. She likes to take on the challenges of complicated projects and creates amazing tailor-made interiors for many international shipyards, including Benetti and Amels; her portfolio includes villas, hotels, spas, and private jets.