Interviews with Pietro Luigi Verona

My studio was born in July 2023 after I resigned from one of the largest companies in Brazil to invest time in my dream of creating my own furniture. My goal with designer furniture is to bring beauty into people's homes, through cheerful, harmonious and fun shapes and colors.

Design for me is the project that aims to facilitate the relationship between user and product. However, more important than that is art, of which the most important and complete is that which brings beauty to the material world. Bringing art and design together is essential to improve the world around us.

The type of product I enjoy designing the most is furniture, especially armchairs. This is especially true when it comes to this type of product, as it allows me to have more artistic freedom to work on the shape of the product.

I don't have a favorite design. It's like having a favorite book or movie. There are interesting movements like Streamline in the 40s, retro futurism in the 60s, and the explosion of colors and shapes in the 80s that I really admire for their authenticity and beauty.

The first product I designed was at the company I worked for called Amat. At that company I designed tractors and hospital products at the beginning.

My favorite technology is pen and paper.

Creativity lives with me, it emerges at certain times more than others, and it is as if an explosion bubbles up inside me and makes me move towards creative action.

The aspect of design that I am most concerned with when I am drawing is the beauty of forms. For me, it is the most complex and difficult aspect to achieve, because beauty is not relative.

When I draw, I feel joy, euphoria, I clearly feel the sensation of the artistic power of my soul being updated, I feel complete.

The emotion I feel when I see an object I designed being realized is that of the fulfillment of my soul. It is wonderful to see different people from different sectors working together to see an object take shape and enter the market.

For me, successful design is when it manages to offer an object that presents a profound work of form, in order to achieve beauty. Because being functional is the simplest and most basic, mandatory thing that an object must achieve.

When judging a design as good or bad, the first thing is functionality, as it is the simplest and easiest to achieve, it is mandatory. But for design to have a prominent position, reaching the level of "good", it must achieve the most important and complex aspect in a material object: beauty.

The responsibility of design towards society and the environment is, first and foremost, to improve human life, in a visual, sentimental and functional combination.

The future of design is unclear. In general, historically, human beings have had a problem: they seek success too quickly and skip important aspects such as learning techniques. In the meantime, they end up copying pieces from the market and following mediocre trends, transforming everything that is material into rigid, soulless and inauthentic objects. And the emergence and development of AI will exacerbate this natural human problem. Therefore, the future of design, for me, is unclear.

My last exhibition was the launch of the signature collection A Soul during the most important design week in the world, in Milan, Italy. I presented my collection at FuoriSaloni, in April 2025, while the Saloni del Mobile was also taking place, between fairs and exhibitions in the city.

The inspiration for my designs comes mainly from nature, which is where beauty naturally arises for me. Nature is an infinite and authentic source of inspiration, created by God.

Through drawing, I challenge conventions with a childlike spirit of mischief: I seek to express, by transmitting in everyday objects, the artistic power of my soul.

So I would describe my design style as a mischievous provocation against the mediocrity of shapes and colors in search of approval. It is fun, provocative, beautiful, with a childish spirit of mischief, it makes you want to touch and sometimes even bite, it is playful, organic, colorful, it comes from the soul.

I have my own signature collection, which I produce and sell on my own. However, I also have a working model with other brands in which I design signature furniture collections for these companies.

Companies should select designers based on the quality of their work, authenticity and ability to deliver, regardless of the size of the designer's name.

My design process starts with an infectious excitement, I make a coffee, put on my 70s and 80s disco playlists, spread out huge sheets of drawing paper and open my pencil cases and colored pens. From that moment on, I can't wait for the time to pass, I observe nature, sweets, things with fun aspects, as well as other industrial objects like cars, etc. Then I design several alternatives in order to reach a point where I consider the form of the object beautiful enough to be launched into the material world of industrial objects.

Armchair, household appliance, car, dishes and the house.

My suggestion for designers who are starting out is: Be yourself. Explore the artistic potential of your soul and understand who you are, what your tastes are and what you admire, explore this in your designs and be authentic, don't pay attention to the opinions of others who try to diminish you as a personality. Explore these aspects and see your happiness being built around the potential of your soul, you will see that your work will fulfill you as a complement to who you are.

The positive side of being a designer is being able to update my artistic potential and combine this with my profession. The negative side is certain aspects of the job market and the difficulty of building a successful path in such a dangerous environment in terms of personal and work relationships.

Be yourself, be authentic.

The ability to observe and learn the technical aspects that make us, especially, human beings.

My main design tools are A3 paper, ink pens, colored pens, colored pencils, 3D software for three-dimensional visualization.

I think that design time should be done calmly and should take its time. The ideal is to work with realistic project deadlines and be careful that this does not consume our time in an unhealthy way. Good design takes time.

It takes roughly twelve months to take a design from concept to market launch.

The most common question I get as a designer is: How do I apply my style to the pieces I design?

My main work experience was at Century, one of the largest furniture companies in Brazil and the world, where I was able to design more than 40 pieces of furniture, which were launched in Brazil and around the world, receiving awards such as the IF Design Award and participating in fairs such as the Salone del Mobile, in Milan, Italy.

Some of my clients are Breton, Boobam, Century, Uultis.

The type of design work I like most is developing original pieces.

My future plans as a designer are to develop my name as an authorial furniture designer, launching pieces in my company and in others as well.

In the design and creation stage I develop alone, but in the conception of the object, construction of the prototype, launch and sale I rely on a qualified team.

Yes. I have collections that will be launched in the next few months by the biggest brands and companies in Brazil.

People can contact me through my Instagram Luigiverona and email Pietroverona21@gmail.com

The combination of hand-drawn and hand-crafted woodworking with the technological aspects of 3D scanning and production is truly a unique combination that allows for interesting shapes to be achieved. The technology used in production allowed me to design the chair without constraints, allowing me to freely explore the natural forms that inspire me: the organic and playful aspects of nature, focusing on the beauty of forms.

The psychological comfort aspect comes from the beauty used in the shapes of the Anima armchair, based on the inspiration applied to its design: nature. If we observe the nature around us, we will notice some curious aspects, such as harmony, playful and organic lines, cheerful and elaborate colors and shapes. When we are in nature, we feel good, complete, and because the Anima armchair is inspired by these aspects, it is possible to feel comfortable when observing the lines of the armchair, as well as when using it, sitting and enjoying the moment.

Here in Brazil, there are several types of reforested wood available for manufacturing new products. Tauari is one of these woods and the reason it was chosen is that, in addition to being reforested, it has beautiful visual patterns, is resistant and easy to work with.

It was extremely fun to create the Anima armchair. During the creative process, I sat at my desk with several plants around me and, between observations and meditations on shapes, I drew, by hand, an infinite number of alternatives. I sought to achieve, just like in the plants I observed, harmony and joyful shapes, so I drew by hand several alternatives and, in the end, I think I achieved my goal.

The prototyping phase was challenging because in order to use 3D scanning technology, it was necessary to produce a model piece. This model piece was handmade and crafted in wood. During this phase, there were still several moments of improvement in the shape and creation, which is not possible to observe when drawing by hand on paper. That is why the patient work of altering the material in search of the ideal shape is essential!

In my opinion, the two things complement each other: When you seek true beauty of form, you automatically achieve ergonomic beauty and comfort.

I live the joy of dancing and the dance music of the 70s and 80s, and I also appreciate the cheerful and authentic designs of those decades. In my creative process, while I draw, music and dance are already involved: between one drawing and another, I make sure to get up and do a dance step! The moments of creating the Anima armchair were really fun and full of life.

I would be very happy if the Anima armchair influenced design in Brazil more, seeking inspiration from the fauna and flora of this country, which is extremely rich in these aspects. I think it would make a huge contribution to the development of furniture design in Brazil.

The strongest and most contributing aspects of the design of the anima armchair are authenticity and the relentless pursuit of achieving beauty in the formal aspects of the piece.