Designing with two heads

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Design by Nature by Front for Moroso - Photo by Andy Liffner

When design is the fruit of dialogue: five pairs of designers explain their creative process and tell us how debate shapes their latest works

Design as a dialogue, as the daily practice of an ongoing, all-encompassing debate, with each other and then with companies and craftspeople: those who work in teams have this as a basic working practice, especially in those special units made up of two people. We asked five studios run by a pair of designers to tell us about their personal creative process, starting with some new products. Many of them come from different countries to their partner: all the more reason to see the project as a bridge, a hybridisation.

Gamfratesi (Stine Gam and Enrico Fratesi)

"We’re a couple in real life too. On a project, the process is active: it doesn’t matter who did what, the other person’s success is yours too. Collaboration means each person is involved every step of the way. During the process we steal each other's pencils. We work at the same computer, fighting for the mouse. Maybe Stine is more sensitive to materials, to form, Enrico is more technical. But we spontaneously combine Scandinavian culture and Italian industrial intellect. For a long-term strategy based on quality and respect.

Some of the latest projects include: the Romby armchair for Porro, a dialogue between graphisms, simple lines and shapes, with the base proving their know-how with wood. The Fynn collection for Minotti, both for indoors and outdoors, combines upholstering workmanship with our Scandinavian nature in its reinterpretation of the classic Danish armchair. Finally, the Airound diffuser (for the home and the car) for Poltrona Frau / Acqua di Parma: for us this project means incorporating the DNA of both brands to arrive at simplicity of form."

Working partnerships include: Porro, Minotti, Poltrona Frau, Gubi, Alpi, Gebrüder Thonet Vienna.

Fynn, Minotti — *Fynn* by GamFratesi for Minotti

Romby, Porro — Romby by GamFratesi for Porro

Airound, Poltrona Frau / Acqua di Parma — *Airound* by GamFratesi for Poltrona Frau / Acqua di Parma

Zanellato/Bortotto (Giorgia Zanellato and Daniele Bortotto)

Zanellato/Bortolotto - Photo by Mattia Balsamini

"All our projects are the result of a dialogue, of sharing ideas. We are not used to being separated, to working in stagnant compartments. There is an exchange of ideas. There are different points of view: we try things out, we experiment. With each other, and then with companies and craftspeople. We're not the rendering type: we give it to you, and you make the product. We have a very manual, visual, tactile way of working. We start with drawings, but then we are very open, we have to experiment.

This is exactly what we like to do with companies. With Ethimo, we launched Rotin (the French word for rattan): an outdoor living room in which the brand's trademark material, teak, is worked in a different way, like a bamboo cane that bends. Marble Patterns for delsavio 1910 – which we asked Mae Engelgeer and David/Nicolas to work with us on – was also a challenge: to bring up to date - and make it easier to install - the Palladian flooring the company made its debut with 110 years ago. Now we’re working on its three-dimensional development too. Finally, the Burraco game table for De Castelli (in the Copper at Home capsule collection), which saw the light of day from a request made to exploit the hygienic properties of copper; it combines the idea of conviviality and a reflection on the material: untreated, natural, it changes over time."

Working partnerships include: Ethimo, delsavio 1910, De Castelli, Louis Vuitton, Galleria Luisa Delle Piane, Visionnaire, Bolzan, B-Line.