Hello friends. During my trip to Italy, by an incredible coincidence I found myself in the city of Como right in the middle of the Lake Como Design Festival. Of course, there was no way I could ignore an event like this. It already looked quite interesting because even before anything else, we came across a mystical installation by the lake. The mist was rising and wrapping around a sculpture that seemed to be standing almost inside the water. I have to say, it looked very impressive.
I first visited a few locations and I should say that this event felt quite different from others I have attended before. The focus here is not so much on products but on design and architecture themselves. Let me explain what I mean. I started with an exhibition dedicated to Aldo Rossi. The overall theme of the festival revolves around fragments, meaning pieces of architecture, sections, partial ideas. Sometimes you even feel the idea of crumbs or remnants. In this exhibition, fragments from different periods of the famous Italian architect Aldo Rossi’s work were presented. Rossi was an architect with a wide range of interests and these clearly found their way into his projects.
The exhibition was set inside an old church and was divided into five sections based on Rossi’s creative periods. It covered not only his architecture but also, to a certain extent, his research into ornamentation, forms and materials. It may not be very flashy, but it is a very interesting exhibition if you want to understand a bit more deeply how Aldo Rossi worked.
After that, things became even more interesting because many of the locations I encountered belonged to architectural studios. These were well known names with direct ties to the region. Regional identity is strongly emphasized here. I visited the studio of Giuseppe Terragni, one of the pioneers of Italian Rationalism. He actually had a very short career, producing work for only 13 years and passing away at a young age. Despite that, he designed many remarkable buildings for Como. As part of the festival, it was possible to visit his studio and see his models. Today the studio is run by his nephew and still operates as an active architecture office. The archive, library, working spaces and some objects Terragni designed for his projects are still there. One of the most famous pieces is the Lariana chair. By the way, Lariana was the name of Lake Como in Ancient Roman times. This chair later became a prototype for many other designs and is still produced today by Zanotta. There are also paintings, like a portrait of his lover. And since he designed a silk factory, some findings from old factories are also displayed. After all, Como was once one of Italy’s centers of silk production.
Right above Terragni’s studio is the workshop of artist Fabrizio Musa. His work, from what I could see, sits somewhere between pop art and a line inspired by Banksy. He is quite interesting and also a well known artist in Italy. Having the chance to talk to the artist one on one in a calm setting really made this event special.
Another lovely, small but impactful exhibition was dedicated to Ico Parisi. This is a recently created archive located in his former studio space. Both his artistic works and design objects were on display. What is more, these objects are still produced by Cassina. Floor lamps, consoles, table lamps. So if you want to own a design object with a long history, it is actually possible. This location can also be visited outside of the festival.
I also visited a few contemporary studios. Studio Spa focuses on interior design. I would not say the atmosphere or exhibition was striking, but it was useful to see how contemporary Italian architects work today. Another very interesting experience was the studio of yacht designer Harry Miss Bauer. He designs both the exterior architecture and navigation features of yachts and also plans their interiors. This is a very special field because performance is crucial in yachts. Weight and balance are considered at every stage of the design process. In line with the festival’s fragments theme, Bauer was exhibiting the keel of an old boat. This piece forms the basis of a modern vessel.
In a similar way, the Cereza and Grandis studio presented fragments of their work. Stefano Cereza and Laura Grandis run a young but successful studio that has been active for over a decade. There was a photo exhibition from a recent private project and models from their older works. The models of an observatory project they are currently working on were especially interesting. Seeing how a modern observatory can meet technical requirements while also becoming a sculptural architectural object was really impressive.
After that, we moved on to Villa del Grumello, where the main exhibition of the festival was located. Objects displayed in historic interiors with a lake view. In short, exactly the kind of setting we love.
The exhibition started outdoors. There were references to local textile traditions. Experiments with outdoor furniture were on display, marble tables, metal and marble benches. I especially liked the folding furniture collection that referenced traditional holiday furniture common around Lake Como.
Inside there were several artistic exhibitions. Fragmented ceramic pieces combining ancient sculptural forms with modern glazing techniques were very striking. Ceramic works by major figures of Italian design such as Angelo Mangiarotti, Alessandro Mendini and Aldo Rossi were also exhibited. I had also seen a ceramic model of Palladio’s Villa La Rotonda in Terragni’s studio. Examining Palladio’s design approach through colorful cubes was genuinely fun.
In another section, there were reproductions of two carpets by Brunori, another major name in Italian design. These historical sketches were brought to life for this exhibition by the Amini company. Overall, it was possible to see not only the influence of the Como region but also the strong presence of Milan. With Milan being so close, that was hardly surprising. The Brazil based Etel Gallery paid tribute to craftsmanship with works by Claudio Moreira Salles. Predominantly wooden pieces combined with metal, marble and ceramic showed incredible skill.
Upstairs, there were geometric abstract works by Como born artist Mario Radice. There were also hypnotic works related to optics and sound by the MID group. Even though they appear to vibrate visually, they actually do not. The Milan based DDA manufactory presented its new collection inspired by Anni Albers. Albers was a Bauhaus trained textile designer who managed to express her creativity through textiles despite the sexist limitations of her time. These designs have now been reproduced again.
Continuing on our route, we reached Villa Sucota. Here, works by young and fully international designers were exhibited. Some pieces were very similar to what I had seen at Paris Design Week. Monumental marble objects and works using wood in different forms were particularly intriguing.
And finally, we returned to the water and mist installation we saw at the beginning, called Sulgua. It means sounds of water. This work is actually dedicated to research on lakes in the Prealps, with Lake Como being one of them. It explores how water interacts with people and what kinds of sounds it has. It is a very poetic idea. This small bay used to be an old boathouse belonging to the villa.
This brings us to the end of our walk through the design festival at Lake Como. I wish all design events were held in such inspiring locations with views like this. But they are not. That is not better or worse, just different. At the very least, I think this one deserves a like. If it resonated with you, maybe you will consider coming here for a similar festival next time.