“Being simple is very complex. Complexity is the secret side of simplicity”, says Piero Lissoni. Both his furniture and his interiors prove that the designer does not lean towards formal exuberance.
The king of minimalism was born in 1956 in the Italian city of Seregno. After studying architecture in Milan, he founded his Studio Lissoni Associati in 1986 together with Nicoletta Canesi, ten years later the graphic design studio Graph.x and laterLissoni Architecture as well as the New York branch Lissoni Inc.
Interdisciplinary Lissoni Associati handle large architectural projects such as the conversion of the former music conservatory in Amsterdam into the luxurious Conservatorium Hotel as well as the interiors like the ones of the Hotel Roomers in Baden-Baden or furniture for many renowned manufacturers.
Lissoni is one of the design greats but presents himself modestly. He was posed with the question whether or not one can recognize mistakes in his work. He answered it humbly: “The question should rather be: Among all of these mistakes, do you find something positive in your work?” Nevertheless, he is not dissatisfied with his work because he does recognize the good in his mistake jungle.
The art director of Boffi, De Padova, Living Divani, Lema und Porro lists Charles Eames, Vico Magistretti and Achille Castiglioni as his inspirations. For many, he will likely become an idol himself.
