Childhood in New York, studies in London and today a studio in Milan: the young creative creates minimal furnishings with artisanal details rigorously made in Italy, dedicated to a functional and comfortable design.
Born into a family passionate about design and raised in the Big Apple with a curious and experimental approach to the world of interiors, Davide Apolloni is today one of the emerging Italian names to keep an eye on. Born in 1996, after studying in London he decided to return to Italy and already has 10 furnishing objects designed and produced in just 2 years. He participated in the last two editions of Milan design week, exhibiting in the Satellite pavilion, and some of his pieces were selected by the curators of La Rinascente, exhibited in the city during the design week. Here is his story, across two continents, important training experiences and a passion for functionality and minimal aesthetics that define his design signature.
Louise chair in hand-welded tubing and leather seat.
From New York to Milan, passing through London: with a degree in architecture, how did you become a designer?
After living with my family in New York, I moved to London to study. I had inherited a mountain refuge from my grandfather, but living so far away I could never go there; in the end I decided to sell it and joined the prestigious Architectural Association, where Zaha Hadid and Rem Koolhaas also studied. To prepare the thesis I visited 35 furniture manufacturing factories in Italy, with a focus on sustainability and production, studying different materials. In one I met an entrepreneur who, seeing my enthusiasm and interest, wanted to produce what at the beginning were just simple drawings for me. This is how the first pieces of the collection that I called Lo-Ve were born.
Yu seat in the armchair and sofa version. The base is in curved, chromed or painted iron, the seat can be in leather, fabric and velvet.
You exhibited at the Salone Satellite in the last two editions of the MDW: how did it go?
During both editions I had excellent feedback, both from the press and from architects and the general public. Expanding my first Lo-Ve collection this year, with a view to continuity, I presented 6 new pieces, including the Jamil rectangular table, my first Lancia lamp in steel and marble, and the Yu armchair transformed into a sofa .
Lancia floor lamps in the double version, in steel and marble.
How do you define your style and your projects?
I like to think and design objects that are minimal in shape, but at the same time beautiful and comfortable. In the production of each one there is a strong artisanal component, sublimated in the perfection of the finishes and rigorously made in Italy. The excellence of certain types of workmanship takes time and slows down the pace of production chains, but this is the only way to obtain perfect handcrafted products of excellent quality. All my pieces are silent objects, which in their simplicity contain a long manual work made of patience, manual skill and tradition.
Lo-Ve table with curved iron top, chromed or painted, and bevelled glass.
New productions, innovations and sustainability: how do you manage to reconcile them?
I have always been interested in the reuse of materials to create new projects. My first carpet was created by recovering textile production waste which, in collaboration with a skilled craftsman who lives in the Alps, we transformed into a piece of art. Same concept for a coffee table, with the top made of different marble scraps: after a long work of leveling and aligning the different surfaces, we have transformed it into a new one-of-a-kind piece of furniture. Mindful of the many moves I have made, another focus of mine is to create furniture whose elements can be easily dismantled for more streamlined packaging and transport, which can be partially replaced if necessary, without having to change the entire piece of furniture.
On the left, coffee table with the top created by reusing pieces of waste marble; on the right, carpet handcrafted from recycled fabrics
On the cover, a portrait of Davide Apolloni.
