LUCA NICHETTO interview

Luca Nichetto was born in 1976 in Venice, where he studied at the Art Institute. Afterwards he attended the University Institute of Architecture of Venice (IUAV), where he earned a degree in Industrial Design. He began his professional career in 1999 by designing his first projects in Murano glass for Salviati. That same year he began his collaboration with Foscarini, for whom he not only designed products, but also worked as a consultant on new materials research and product development (2001–2003).
In 2006 he launched his own design firm, Nichetto&Partners, which specializes in industrial design and offers its services as a design consultancy. In 2011 he also opened another professional office in Stockholm,Sweden. Over the course of his career, Nichetto has been awarded a number of international prizes, including the Gran Design Award (2008), the Chicago Atheneum Museum of Architecture’s Good Design Award (2008), the IF Product Design Award (2008) and the Elle Decoration International Design Awards’ (EDIDA) Designer of the Year award in the Young Designer Talent category (2009). DESIGNER OF THE YEAR 2013 for ELLE Decor Italia. The next imm cologne will feature Luca Nichetto as guest of honor in the achievement of the project "Das Haus – Interiors on Stage", in which Nichetto will present his vision for the house of the future.

1. “Das Haus – Interiors on Stage” seems to be the perfect challenge for you, a designer with such a wide range of products. After you have been nominated by the imm cologne's creative team, what was your first vision of your "Haus" and what was the first step of your process to realization?
I am very proud that the imm cologne asked me to do this project for two reasons: first, because I'm the first Italian designer, and second, because the fair gives me the opportunity to experiment with and develop my approach to interior design. When I start to design the “Das Haus” I had my mind the Californian modernist architectures, as well as the works of the Japanese masters and the buildings of Carlo Scarpa. In all these works I see the constant presence of nature flanked by architecture. In contrast, our living culture normally identifies nature with “outside” and the dwelling with “inside”.
The architectural structure in and of itself is a reference to the environment, a picture which intrinsically suggests the changed perception of nature. The separation of inside and outside, of modified space and natural surroundings is, of course, conventional. When we see our selves as a part of nature and the earth as an overall structure in which forests are as important for the vitality of the planet as the heart is for an organism, then it seems reasonable that a house also has a centre which fills the home with life. As such, “Das Haus” is not just a suggestion of how one can live, but also a metaphor. The point where the two axes intersect is the life hub of the house a central living area which seamlessly merges with the terrace through a large glass window and creates a single visual entity. All other rooms are connected to the central living area. It is the heart of the house, surrounded by nature.
We can’t all live in a natural idyll, in wooden buildings and eco-developments on the outskirts of the city. In order to change our living culture, we have to find small-scale solutions that are transferable to different countries, to a different climate and to structures with different degrees of urbanisation. Even in a small apartment, integrating nature and plants can enrich the way to live.

2. You announced your "Haus" will focus on the sustainable way of living – which materials are mainly processed in this project and did you discover a new material you would also like to work with in the future? Or did you choose to work with materials, which are already proven to you, through your previous working experiences? More that new mateial I discover plants the “Das Haus” is full of them. the placement, in the house, is not random. Each plant has a special function which improves our quality of life. It’s like a symbiosis. There are plants which absorb noise, plants which absorb the smell of ammonia, and others which have a calming effect, etc. A long time ago, people believed that it was impossible to have plants in the bedroom, although there are plants which can clean the air at night. It's not just about their corrective use, though. Plants improve the quality of life.

3. Which room is your favorite at your private home and why?
My favorite room is the living room because the daily life of a family takes place in the living room.

4. You are a fan of scandinavian design culture – will one be able to see scandinavian meeting italian aspects in the "Haus"? 
Yes, we looked for materials which show respect for nature, which is why we have a typical Scandinavian colour scheme in “Das Haus” – bright, natural, neutral. But also the materials that were often used in Venice, such as wood greyed through aging and washing, so called “Briccole” wood, and white stone which reminds you of Venetian palaces and church facades.

5. What is in your opinion, the major contrast between italian and scandinavian design?
I think the major contrast is that: in scandinavian the design usually is part of everyday life and for that reason is for everybody, and this does not happen in Italy.

6. You also have a design office in Sweden, do you think that your work differs and depends on the surrounding you are working in? 
Yes, I had open a second studio in Stockholm on 2011 and now I am travelling between Venice and Stockholm almost twice a month and I think is normal that I have had change my way to design even if I did not do on purpose.

7. Is there a future project you can tell us about and where you will work it out?
I will present 9 new products in the “Das Haus” that goes from carpet, storege, clock, sofa, table, pots, side table, and me and my team, we are working in products for next Stockholm Design Week as also for the next Milan Design week.
8. Tell us an unexpected fact about you.
I do like aromatic candles and perfume.

9. Do you read design-blogs? Would you tell us your favorite one and why you would recommend it? 
No I do not read it.

10. What do you like about Designspotter? Do you miss anything?
What I like are the different the different sections, but they can be improved.
Thank you Luca for this interview. ( by Stephanie Krauch )