BIG SEE Talks with Patrizia Moroso, Art Director of Moroso
Q: Clay continues the material experimentation seen in earlier projects. What drew you to ceramics for this piece?
A: Clay’s project, the name itself says it, started from the idea of once again using an ancient material of infinite applications, (as glass had been in the enamels on copper of “Mangiafuoco,” also by Zanellato and Bortotto).
Clay was a perfect material for its performance, especially in the manual workings of the artisans of Veneto, historically at the service of the noble families of the Serenissima for all the ceramics of the house, and now proud continuers of that tradition.
Q: Clay’s colour palette and finishes feel almost atmospheric. What inspired this delicate balance of materials and shades?
A: And so again Venice, its transparencies and shades, tender overlays of colors and memories…
Liquid and highly polished colors as only in glazed ceramics, that are a counterpoint to natural wood and fabrics, solid, structural, opaque materials.
What a brilliant idea to put a painting of water and sky inside an armchair! And not blatantly in view, but appearing afterwards, behind, as a great unthinkable surprise!!!
Q: How do you define design within your company’s philosophy?
A: Design is thought, desire that becomes a project, notes for a production process.
Our company loves these paths, trying to give life to thoughts and desires even, indeed, possibly, far from the obvious.
“Design is thought, desire that becomes a project”
– Patrizia Moroso
About the project
Soft shapes of sophisticated simplicity and research on materials meet in an armchair that balances design and art.
Experimentation that began with the Mangiafuoco collection continues this year with the Clay armchair, the outcome of research on ceramics by Zanellato/Bortotto and Moroso allied to a desire to recreate an ancient association through revival of rare manufacturing techniques.
Like enamel, clay is an ancient material strongly associated with fire, which fixes its colour and final form.
In the historic ceramic district of Nove, a town in the Veneto Region of Italy, slabs and thin sheets of ceramic material, hand-made with age-old skills, are decorated with precious glazes and lustres.
These artefacts are used, in a novel way, in backrests for elegant upholstered armchairs of proportional simplicity and soft forms that ensure high levels of comfort. Each has the unexpected charm of a small work of art perfectly set in a textile frame. A linear oak or walnut base acts as a pedestal, supporting the seat as if it were a volume suspended mid-air.
The collection includes four small tables, each different in size and type of use. The base and top frame, in oak or Canaletto walnut, allow a refined combination with both the Clay armchair and the Mangiafuoco coffee table.
About Designers
Zanellato/Bortotto is a design studio founded in 2013 by Giorgia Zanellato and Daniele Bortotto, based in Treviso. After studying at IUAV in Venice and ECAL in Lausanne, the duo introduced their first collection, Acqua Alta, as a tribute to Venice — initiating their long-term investigation into the relationship between place, time, and memory.
Their work spans product design, interiors, and limited editions, often grounded in traditional artisanal techniques reinterpreted through a contemporary lens. Focused on materials, narrative, and emotional resonance, Zanellato/Bortotto’s design language is both poetic and precise.
Project
CLAY
Year of Completion:
2025
Location:
Italy
Contacts
Instagram:
@morosofficial
Website:
www.moroso.it
E-mail:
info@moroso.it
Likedin:
Moroso Spa
Moroso
Photography and video:
Antonio Aricò
Edited by:
Blažka Drnovšek
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BIG SEE Talks with Antonio Aricò
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.
“Each material is a companion, with its own rhythm and poetry.”
– Antonio Aricò
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.
“Collaborations are like conversations—each one expands your perspective and leaves a mark.”
– Antonio Aricò
About the project
The Dondolina armchair brings together the slow rhythm of rural tradition, the earthy hues that shape the Italian landscape, and a deep respect for Mediterranean craftsmanship. Designed by Antonio Aricò for Bottega Intreccio, it blends poetic imagination with tactile materials and cultural memory.
Its solid, tobacco-colored wicker base gives it the presence of an ancient throne, while the tall backrest in woven metal canes recalls traditional reed structures, offering an elegant play of solids and voids as light passes through. A gently contoured armrest wraps around the back with a subtle gesture, inviting comfort and use. Three sculptural cushions, each with expressive detailing, complete the piece with a sense of warmth and artistry.
Dondolina celebrates the sweet, slow rhythm of idleness — with eyes turned to the sea and the heart open to deep emotion.
Antonio Aricò
Eclectic designer. Inventor of symbols. Creator of worlds.
Every work by Antonio Aricò bears the mark of his poetic vision, inspired by tradition, fantasy, romance, and the ancient.
His authorial production draws on dreamlike imagery and the blending of symbols and languages, taking shape in a range of objects and projects where design, art, and craftsmanship engage in dialogue — aiming to touch both the heart and the mind.
Project
DONDOLINA
Year of Completion:
2024
Location:
Italy
Contacts
Instagram:
@antonioarico
Website:
www.antonioarico.com
E-mail:
info@antonioarico.com
Likedin:
A. Aricò
ARICÒ
Photography:
HELLER & DIMMER
Portrait photo:
Elisabeth Bauer
Edited by:
Blažka Drnovšek
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