Marco Guazzini, born in Florence in 1973, has spent six years in New York before moving (temporarily) to Milan. He graduated in Industrial Design at Milan's IED, and his work ranges from interior design, to the design of furniture and objects. From 2007 until 2011 he taught at Milan's NABA, the New Academy of Fine Arts. Among its customers there are brands such as: Officinanove, Ex.t, Pimar, Galleria Leclettico, Atipico, Galleria S. Bensimon, Living Divani. Famous in the field for his anti-consumerist vision, the industrial designer Marco Guazzini is also known for being t

Marco Guazzini, born in Florence in 1973, has spent six years in New York before moving (temporarily) to Milan. He graduated in Industrial Design at Milan's IED, and his work ranges from interior design, to the design of furniture and objects. From 2007 until 2011 he taught at Milan's NABA, the New Academy of Fine Arts. Among its customers there are brands such as: Officinanove, Ex.t, Pimar, Galleria Leclettico, Atipico, Galleria S. Bensimon, Living Divani. Famous in the field for his anti-consumerist vision, the industrial designer Marco Guazzini is also known for being the creator of Marwoolus, a new material that comes from the hot melt of waste materials deriving from the production of marble and those of the textile industry dealing with wool, with the final addition of some resin. The positioning of these coloured wool threads within the compound creates a soft and fluid design, with completely abstract shapes, which gives a visual and tactile sensation of the veins of marble. The sensory contact with matter and the ever-changing nature of things generate emotions. Returning processed experiences through design. Products that originate from an inspiration born in a place of our soul: an imagination made of shapes, feelings, details, memories. To create objects that have a function beyond their common use - providing emotions to the people who use them. LOVETHESIGN had the great pleasure to interview Marco Guazzini after he decided to sell exclusively on our e-commerce website its self-produced TimeLine collection of candle holders. To describe the nature of his philosophy and his style, there is nothing better than to leave the floor directly to him. Describe Marco Guazzini with three words: Dreamer, curious, esthete. Your philosophy is "create to excite": What do you feel when you create, and what do you transmit to the people who choose your product? Designing for me means to express my feelings and put them in my creations. I hope to convey with my products all their usefulness and to give people who buy them the ability to interpret them according to their needs. You have lived in New York for six years. How much did this experience influence your style and your design? And why did you choose to come back to Italy? Living in New York has been a real life training and a fundamental personal experience that has changed my way of seeing the world. What most influenced me is the energy that envelops you and moves you, the enthusiasm of the people and the fact that everything seems possible to achieve - and actually it really is! I came back to Italy because I felt that my experience there has come to an end and because I missed my country that I learned to appreciate, especially living very far away. Cement is a material normally considered "poor". How did you get the idea to use it for objects for the house? I am not the first designer to use cement for furnishing elements, but I chose this material for two reasons. The first one is linked to the technical aspect of production: cement is an extremely flexible material in the processing, providing as a final result a resistant object, durable over time and with a contemporary look. Secondly, I wanted to make a product with an affordable cost and that could be appreciated by a wide audience. How does cement integrates in a design work? What's its added value? Cement is a mixture of natural materials that can be produced anywhere in the world: the added value is that potentially my TimeLine candle holders may be made everywhere, but the company with whom I collaborated for the self-production of these items has very high and rare processing skills. This feature is typical of Made in Italy products and it always makes a difference on the market. Gru and Mademoiselles, like many of your projects, are characterized by simple and tubular lines: where did you get the inspiration? When I design, I search for the essence of things and the very purpose of their existence. Both products are born from the need to provide a modular bookcase system (in the case of Mademoiselles) and a towel rack (Gru) that could be adaptable to different living spaces. Inspiration comes from observation: when I design project that need to move, I observe the movements present in our reality. Mademoiselles refers to an image of a ballet school, where three dancers perform relevé, plié and grand plié, and then a full ballet. The product performs the same dance when moved in the space. Gru (which is the Italian word for "crane") is inspired by the movements of construction cranes: a slow movement accentuated by the long levers, that add elegance and quality to this towel rack. How do you see contemporary design's scene? How does Marco relate with this world and what are his strategies for the future? I think the design is going through a period of great changes. Many designers (including me) are developing an activity of self-production in parallel with their classic activities. In Italy, there are many talented craftsmen working any type of material, with great skills and a unique sensitivity. In my personal experience, I have learned very much comparing my work with theirs and I was also able to give life to some of my projects also by establishing valuable partnerships with Italian artisans. I try to work in accordance with my vision of the world, but being always careful to the market's needs: the people who buy these objects expect them to last over the years. The production of Marco Guazzini is available on LOVEThESIGN exclusively with TimeLine candle holders.

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