THE GEOMETRY OF ELEGANCE
Following this year's Milan Design Week, we managed to carve out a moment in the exceptionally busy schedule of Piero Lissoni—one of the most influential architects and designers of our time—for this exclusive interview. From private residences, offices and theatres to showrooms, hotels, yachts and furniture, every project bears the hallmark of his quietly refined elegance and impeccably balanced geometry. Like his work, our conversation became an exercise in distillation: free from excess or ostentation, yet rich with a depth that is impossible to overlook. We invite you into the world of a designer for whom design is, above all, a profoundly humanistic endeavour.
Photography by Veronica Gaido
LD: Your design philosophy is rooted in a balance between rationality and anarchy. How do you navigate this duality in your work?
P.L.: You have to be a little anarchic and, at the same time, a little military. When anarchy and discipline coexist, they give rise to humanism, science, mathematics and poetry. It is a state of mind—a way of remaining open-minded. Mistakes are essential: they allow us to move forward, to progress, to evolve and, ultimately, to improve.
Kartell Pop Poltrona Righe
LD: If mistakes are the alchemical ingredients of design, what is the most unexpected "mistake" that ultimately became a defining feature of one of your projects?
P.L.: I am so deeply in love with my mistakes that I could never choose just one. The beauty of a mistake lies in the fact that you cannot control it—if you could, it would no longer be a mistake. Every project has this wonderful ability to generate mistakes, often completely unconsciously. Sometimes they arise through distraction or simply because something was underestimated or considered too late—a proportion, a depth, a height... There are countless elements that can shift unexpectedly and suddenly take on a new significance.
LD: You have often emphasised the importance of culture and history in shaping the design of the future. How do you integrate these elements into your projects, and how do they influence your creative process?
P.L.: Without a profound and sophisticated understanding of your own history and culture, it is impossible to imagine what the future might look like. I integrate these elements by embracing new technologies and exploring innovative materials—but always on a foundation firmly rooted in an understanding of the past.
LD: You often speak of the genius loci—the spirit of a place—as something you strive to preserve. Has there ever been a place whose spirit was so powerful that you felt almost overwhelmed by it?
P.L.: Yes—Shangri-La Shougang Park in Beijing. The site had an extraordinarily powerful presence. It felt not only like a piece of industrial archaeology, but like a living, dynamic force. It was gigantic, completely "wrong", and yet absolutely worth saving.
Shangri-La ShouGang Park
Interview by Andreea Dicianu
Discover the full version of this interview in Volume IV.