designer

Born in Padua in 1966, Angelo Pinaffo trained at the Istituto d’Arte Pietro Selvatico and continued his studies at IUAV in Venice, specialising in architectural design. After early collaborations with architecture and design studios, from the mid-1990s he focused his work on industrial design. He developed specific expertise in designing seating systems for public, office, contract and home settings, collaborating with leading companies in the sector. Many of the technical solutions he has devised are patented. His approach pursues simplicity, originality and attention to detail, maintaining a constant balance between form, function and mass production. He personally oversees the various stages of industrialisation, with the aim of guaranteeing quality and consistency in the final product.

Basaglia + Rota Nodari approach design at every scale, from urban planning to architecture, from product design to graphics. Their method considers every phase of the process, from production to communication, through to corporate strategy. Clarity and rigour guide a research driven by the aim to eliminate, simplify and optimise, without sacrificing personalisation. The ongoing dialogue between different sensibilities becomes an integral part of the creative process and allows every design challenge to be explored in depth. Their design experience began in 1999 with the YDF collection and brand, winners of first prize at the Young & Design award. They have worked with numerous Italian and international companies and served as creative directors for several brands. Among the awards they have received is the Chicago Athenaeum Good Design Award for the Boox system.

Our R&D department is the beating heart of design innovation: a creative laboratory where design, ergonomics, technological research and in-house know-how come together. Every day, the team of technicians explores new forms, advanced materials and cutting-edge production systems to create intelligent, refined furniture designed to transform contemporary shared spaces.

Born in Bochum in 1958, Martin Ballendat graduated in Industrial Design from the Folkwangschule in Essen in 1983. After initial experience at Sedus, he became head of design and product development at Wiesner Hager in Austria, a role he held until 1995. He then founded an independent studio with offices in Germany and Austria, now made up of an international team. Over the course of his career he has worked with more than forty brands in sixteen countries, developing projects for leading furniture companies. Alongside his professional practice, he has taught design as a lecturer and visiting professor at universities in Graz and Salzburg. His work has received more than 150 international awards, including the Red Dot Best of the Best, iF Design Award and German Design Award Gold.

Born in Grosseto in 1972, Folco Orlandini graduated from the Politecnico di Milano. Since 2009, together with his father Paolo and a team of young creatives, he has run Orlandini Design, a studio specialising in industrial design for residential, contract and office environments. Their approach combines long professional experience with attention to new trends, materials and technologies. The studio's signature style is characterised by great formal clarity and the pursuit of technical solutions that make the product reliable, accessible and consistent with production requirements. Each project is followed from the initial idea through to mass production. Among the many awards received are Best of NeoCon, iF Design Award, Red Dot Award, German Design Award and Chicago Athenaeum Good Design Award.

Dialogue between different languages, cultures and experiences defines the design approach of Stefano Sandonà and Sabrina Bettini. Their creations arise from the encounter between contemporary culture, graphics, the digital world and movement, with influences drawn from travel, architecture and landscape. Stefano, born in Padua in 1974, has an artistic background and develops projects that combine aesthetics, innovation and functionality. Sabrina, born in São Paulo in 1978, graduated in architecture from FAU Mackenzie and IUAV in Venice, gaining experience in studios and companies in Brazil and Italy. Partners in life and work, they founded Sandonà Design in 2006, which became SandonàBettini in 2021. They have received awards including the Good Design Award, iF Design Award, Red Dot and European Design Prize.