“Elegancy With Built-In Errors”: 14 Questions for Piero Lissoni
What do a sleek silver Alessi espresso maker, an alpine flat in Trentino-Alto Adige, and a lush Turks and Caicos resort have in common? That would be Piero Lissoni.
Add any descriptor before “design,” and the Italian multi-hyphenate does it: graphic design, product design, interior design, landscape design, to name just a few. If you’ve admired chairs, glassware, and sofas from the likes of Knoll, B&B Italia, and Fritz Hansen, stopped into showrooms from New York to Milan, or stayed in luxe hotels the world over, you’ve likely seen the work of Lissoni & Partners.
Recently we got the chance to send Lissoni our burning design questions. Read on for his signature design moves.
Remodelista: First design love?
Piero Lissoni: I’m unfaithful, so I can’t talk about first loves. However, just maybe, Scandinavian design.
R: What’s an instance of an unexpected source of inspiration, and where did it show up in your work?
PL: One example: Some time ago my flight was held up for a couple of hours on the runway at Tokyo, and while waiting I started gazing at the way the engine of the jumbo jet was attached to the wing. This gave rise to a table.
R: What material is always worth the splurge?
PL: Everything and nothing is worth spending money on. There’s no material that is more or less worth the splurge.
R: When it comes to a palette: classic neutrals or dark and moody, and why?
PL: Neutral and classic tones, because the things that the space will contain must be allowed to take on a life of their own. For Arc at South Bank, our latest Caribbean project, we are using soft, natural materials like wood, stone and a neutral color palette to exude a refined yet inviting Caribbean ambiance. I like dark tones because in that way I can control the light, and they’re not at all melancholic.
