Interview with Francesca Schiavello

Francesca is an Italian architect who has always been passionate about arts. In 2017 she graduates at Accademia di Architettura of Mendrisio, Switzerland, and her diploma project is chosen among…

Francesca Schiavello

Designer Interview

9 January 2025

My interest in manual skills and creativity has been cultivated since I was a child, starting with making ceramics and continuing through my university studies in architecture. There, I learned about the relationship between volumes, proportions, and aesthetic sense, concepts that still guide me today in the process of developing my lamps.

Besides my work as an architect in London, I founded my lamp brand in 2018, following my receipt of the Silver A' Design Award.

For me, design permeates every sphere of life. Every object we use is created with both functional and aesthetic purposes, whether to facilitate a specific task or simply to stimulate our minds. When functionality and aesthetics align, magic happens.

In addition to my work as an architect, I design and make Japanese paper lamps.

My favorite design is the Adams Lamp. The combination of two distinct materials, paper and metal, underwent a design process spanning two years before achieving the balance and geometric expression I sought.

My favourite material is a Japanese paper.

I feel the most creative when I think of an object on commission.

I focus on the proportions, usually generated by a thorough balance of delicate geometries.

When I design a feeling of gratitude inebriates me, as it's the moment I am the most connected to my mind and creative spirit. The design process usually starts from a sketch on paper, as our hands are the most powerful tool.

Seeing my design realised generates a sense of satisfaction and personal achievement.

I believe a design is successful when it's unexpected and generates curiosity.

The aesthetic research and unexpected

Our responsibilities as designers is to be aware of new technologies, explore the use of ecological and/or recyclable materials, but also reduce our lifestyle

My last exhibition was with A design Award.

I feel the most creative when I go to an inspiring art exhibition. What I find fascinating is that any form of art can generate brilliant ideas for others.

My style is inspired by the precision of origami art and folding techniques.
Working with paper comes naturally to me, and I enjoy exploring new and surprising geometries by experimenting with folded paper.

Nowadays I live in London but I was born and raised in Italy.
my heritage of Italian culture has led me to always seek a balance between geometry and elegance. One of my reference points as a designer has always been Achille Castiglioni

My design process typically begins with in-depth research on a specific topic. After gathering information and sources of inspiration, I start sketching multiple ideas and refining them until I’m satisfied with the final concept. Throughout the production phase, the design often continues to evolve.

A water bottle, a ceramic bowl, an eclectic pen, a moka, one of my lamps.

I have realised that when creative people feel unproductive or stuck during a design process, it incredibly helps to leave it aside for a while, start something new and come back to it later with a fresh perspective.

Being a designer leads us to always explore new areas and to a continuous research that satisfies our desire to know more about the world around us.
However, the creative process can often take longer than expected and it is essential to combine several arts and crafts to find suitable solutions.

As an architect and designer, I believe we should learn from what has been done in the past.

hand drawing, use of 3D softwares, intuition and sense of curiosity.

I have always with me a sketchbook, which I use it anytime an idea comes to my mind.
I also model in 2D and 3D with Rhino or Vectorworks.

I work at my best when I have a deadline and organise my design process and production accordingly.

Every object I design can take from one to several months to be developed.

I have been asked frequently how did I start to work as a designer and from where I take my inspirations.

I work mainly on private commissions.

I develop the design myself

I am working right now on the design of a wall lamp, with a combination of timber and paper.

I can be contacted through my website https://www.framiatelier.com/contact

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Interview with Francesca Schiavello

Designer Interview

Could you please tell us more about your art and design background? What made you become an artist/designer? Have you always wanted to be a designer?

Can you tell us more about your company / design studio?

What is "design" for you?

What kinds of works do you like designing most?

What is your most favorite design, could you please tell more about it?

What is your favorite material / platform / technology?

When do you feel the most creative?

Which aspects of a design do you focus more during designing?

What kind of emotions do you feel when you design?

What kind of emotions do you feel when your designs are realized?

What makes a design successful?

When judging a design as good or bad, which aspects do you consider first?

From your point of view, what are the responsibilities of a designer for society and environment?

When was your last exhibition and where was it? And when do you want to hold your next exhibition?

Where does the design inspiration for your works come from? How do you feed your creativity? What are your sources of inspirations?

How would you describe your design style? What made you explore more this style and what are the main characteristics of your style? What's your approach to design?

Where do you live? Do you feel the cultural heritage of your country affects your designs? What are the pros and cons during designing as a result of living in your country?

Can you talk a little about your design process?

What are 5 of your favorite design items at home?

Could you please share some pearls of wisdom for young designers? What are your suggestions to young, up and coming designers?

From your perspective, what would you say are some positives and negatives of being a designer?

What is your "golden rule" in design?

What skills are most important for a designer?

Which tools do you use during design? What is inside your toolbox? Such as software, application, hardware, books, sources of inspiration etc.?

Designing can sometimes be a really time consuming task, how do you manage your time?

How long does it take to design an object from beginning to end?

What is the most frequently asked question to you, as a designer?

Who are some of your clients?

Do you work as a team, or do you develop your designs yourself?

Do you have any works-in-progress being designed that you would like to talk about?

How can people contact you?

Good Design Deserves Great Recognition