C: Artista musicale o gruppo preferito?
M: A broad range, from Pavarotti to Adele through to Greek music.
C: A cocktail?
M: More likely champagne rather than a cocktail.
C: Let’s move on to design… Minimalism or Maximalism?
M: I would describe our design style as “Minimalistic Maximalism”, with the balance between the two extremes varying according to the project, the particular space, and the context of the location.
C: The master or the masters of design who made you who you are today?
M: Gio Ponti is a great inspiration to me. An architect, designer, teacher, and above all, advocate for the power of design in influencing our lives.
C: Favourite architecture or monument?
M: I have quite a few favourites, but if I can only choose one, I think I would say the Palladian villas on the River Brenta in Veneto. Everything feels in perfect harmony – the majestic architecture, the landscape and the light.
"As a designer of lighting products, I have the opportunity to create decorative lighting, which is, for me, a great experience."
C: What does it mean to design a lighting product?
M: In all my work as an interior designer, I have always placed high value on the lighting scheme, but this was mainly about architectural lighting. Now, as a designer of lighting products, I have the opportunity to create decorative lighting, which is, for me, a great experience.
C: How was it and how is it working with Contardi?
M: It’s a very happy union of shared design values. We both believe in craftmanship, attention to detail, and the use of beautiful materials to create the highest-quality products that will stand the test of time.
C: How was the collection born? What inspired you?
A: My aim is to create a unique design that can blend with different interior styles.
The shape is inspired by the sieve, a versatile object to be found in different cultures and different industries: from Africa to Japan, or from the rural communities to technology laboratories.
C: Three words with which you would describe your product for Contardi.
A: Simplicity, precision, sophistication..
C: What will lighting be like in the future?
M: I believe that the lighting design sector will have to resolve a problem caused by LEDs.
While they are unquestionably a solution for reducing electricity usage and have been a catalyst for new sculptural forms in lighting design, many lights are now being produced with integrated LEDs, and therefore have to be discarded when LEDs fail. So, one environmental problem has been replaced by another.
I am sure that in the future, the industry will resolve this and figure out how to design beautiful and artistic lighting in which the LEDs can be replaced.
