How valuable is Italian design/culture and tradition?

Generally speaking, I’m quite convinced Made in Italy has ground to a halt in the last few years. To really get it going again, we need to give young people opportunities to try out and establish a system based on experience and experimenting. We have an advantage over others: the heritage handed down to us. Others have to gain experience in beauty. We, on the other hand, find beautiful things steeped in history everywhere we turn in our country. Inspiration should come from this.

At an operational level, companies need to come together, not go it alone like they did in the ‘80s and ‘90s. Right now, we need to unite, to cross-pollinate, because it’s not easy to find success alone.

Despite our production being at a standstill for over a year, we’ve had very positive feedback. We sowed our seeds well and now we’re reaping the rewards, even reaching customers as far away as Australia and the US. For example, we delivered projects for Eataly in Dallas and London, and Milan’s Mercato Centrale as well, all while the pandemic was in full swing. Now we have to find a way to start again. Only by coming together and teaming up will we be able to regain leadership. But it's not the same without trade fairs. Trade fair events have something magical about them.

A leader in designing and creating ambiance: what’s the most intrinsic function of furniture? What are the latest trends in the sector?

There’s a huge back-to-basics. People want to get back to normal life, unfortunately this won’t happen overnight. There are still several pandemic-related issues.

How do you use green processes in your production? Where do your focus attention in terms of green issues?

In terms of sustainability, we were the first to recycle Autogrill’s coffee grounds and turn them into wall panels to build furnishings for Autogrill itself.

Something else we do is restore vintage furniture, particularly items usually thought of as rubbish, anything outdated. Old furniture is recycled, restored and reimagined... and then contextualised in the world's most beautiful hotels. Sometimes you can create totally different objects, offering them a second life that’s even better than the first. At the moment, for example, we’re fitting a hotel in front of the Como cathedral that’s entirely designed and built around this train of thought.

What advice do you have for architects and retailers thinking about designing a food area in their store or a different home hospitality than what you usually see?

Trying is the only thing you can do and getting it wrong is the only way to learn how to get it right. Hospitality and catering never work alone. Hospitality is driven by smiles, passion, and love, as well as quality and design.

Even the most beautiful furniture in the world won’t make a bit of difference if the place doesn’t 'smile'. So foreign competitors don’t overtake us on our own soil, we have to have the courage to learn and experiment. We can't be great right away, we have to try first.