Jazz, Emmemobili, 2010
©Foto Massimo Listri
Ferruccio Laviani (Cremona 1960)
Laviani graduated in architecture from the Polytechnic University of Milan in 1986, but had begun to work at Studio De Lucchi already in 1983, later becoming a partner at the firm. He opened his own firm in Milan in 1991. He has been art director at Kartell for thirty years, a role he has also held at Flos, De Padova, Foscarini, Moroso, Society Limonta and Emmemobili. He has designed objects and interiors of commercial spaces, offices and residences for numerous firms and brands. In 2000, the Kartell Museum—with interior spaces designed by Laviani—won the Guggenheim Business & Culture Award. His exhibitions include: Design Italiano Hoje: Reflexões e Projetos (São Paulo, 2001); Peep O-Rama: The Furniture Show, celebrating his close collaboration with Emmemobili (Milan, 2018); The Art Side of Kartell (Palazzo Reale, Milan, 2019); and Kartell Land: Celebrating 70 Years of Italian Design History (Shenzhen, 2019). His works feature in the collections of the Indianapolis Museum of Art and Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris.
“Jazz, which I designed for Emmemobili in 2010, is a table that perfectly sums up the concept of Italian design: artisanal know-how applied to industrial production. The curvature of the individual elements that define its shape is inherited from a process that was mainly used in the early 20th century, although it is made lighter by the decorative aspect that often characterizes it, with simple, essential lines. As in a 3D construction, the single elements multiply as they rotate around an axis and transform, from two-dimensional lines to a volume expressing their character. Made with curved wood or brass elements in various finishes, with a wood or extra-clear glass top, Jazz stands out for its bold style, while never becoming redundant or too present.” (Ferruccio Laviani)