Focus Italy: Antonio Aricò in Dialogue with Hands and Heart

Q: Your pieces often feel joyful and whimsical. Do you approach design primarily as serious work, or is a sense of play an essential part of your creative process?

A: A sense of play is essential—but it’s never superficial.
Joy, irony, and a touch of magic come from the spontaneity of the gesture, but behind that lightness there’s always deep thought and careful study.
For me, design is a serious act of affection.

Q: You work with a wide variety of materials. Do you ever feel constrained by any of them, or do you find that each material offers its own source of inspiration?

A: I never feel constrained—each material is a companion, with its own rhythm and poetry.
Glass, wood, terracotta… they don’t resist me, they inspire me. I love listening to them, letting their nature guide the project.
At the same time, I like to play and “lighten them up”—I never take them too seriously.
I enjoy treating natural, traditional materials in a pop and contemporary way.
And I’ve always been drawn to real materials—the ones that age beautifully, that change with time and tell their own story.

Q: Collaborations often shape a designer’s voice. How have different partnerships influenced your work—particularly your collaboration with Bottega Intreccio?

A: Collaborations are like conversations—each one expands your perspective and leaves a mark.
Working with Bottega Intreccio was a chance to engage with real craftsmanship, made of rhythm, patience, and hands that know exactly what they’re doing.

With Dondolina, we revisited a beautiful Italian archetype—a humble, vernacular rocking chair—and brought it into the present.
It was about balancing tradition with a light, contemporary touch. Nothing nostalgic, just a natural evolution of something familiar and dear.

It’s the same approach I followed with La Mattutina for Mulino Bianco, which was recently awarded at BIG SEE: I love taking simple, iconic shapes and letting them speak again, with new energy and meaning.