Monica Armani on design that refreshes the soul

Here, More Space catches up with Monica to discuss growing up in a house designed by her father the modernist architect Marcello Armani and its influence on her own house and studio, the importance of the Bauhaus School and how it shapes her projects, and the ongoing collaboration with B&B Italia, the magical period of the 1960s and love of the characteristic shapes of that era, that define her Jackie O’ inspired furniture collections for the Italian brand.

More Space: Hello Monica, thanks for joining us. Could you please describe your studio and take us through a typical day for you?

Monica Armani: I live in Trento, which is a city at the foot of the Alps, in particular the Dolomites, one of the most beautiful mountains in the world. Our house/studio is near a park in the hills, so I leave the house and can walk for hours in nature. When I can, I start the day with a walk or a mountain bike ride. 

Our house and studio is a kind of engine for us, we built it in our own image about 10 years ago, all the elements of our approach to design and architecture are here. It is a space perfectly balanced between the two souls of our work, which are me and my husband Luca. We have defined multi-use spaces, as in my style, characterised by the search for unique spaces. Large windows overlooking the garden, few walls, spaces that invite you to live in a sunny way that we use all day long. We also wanted this space to immerse our collaborators in our world, so that they are directly in tune with us. This way our days proceed fluidly and dynamically. They are perfect both for brain-storming and for dinner with friends. 

I think my job has given me a great privilege, being able to create objects and spaces that refresh the soul and being able to focus on that makes my life full and special, there is no boundary between work and private. This is not a burden for me because my creativity is nourished by everything around me, experiencing nature is the engine of everything.

You have talked about your father, architect Marcello Armani, and the influence of his 'architectural aesthetic, commitment to detail and strong sense of place’ in your work. How would you describe your work to someone who didn’t know you?

I told you about one of the founding ideas of our home and studio project, that is to make it an immersive place for our collaborators, this idea comes from my experience. I lived in what I would describe as ‘bread and architecture’ when 50 years ago my parents built a house that was unique for its time. A sophisticated and ethereal volume in concrete with the two main fronts completely clad in glass and immersed in a park. A concentration of space and detail. Living in this place furnished with the pieces that have made the history of industrial design from Mies to Saarinen has given a decisive imprint to my life.

A few years ago I wrote our manifesto ‘Design in Molecules’ with Luca that describes my approach to design. We imagined the elements that we evaluate and study in our approach to each project, from functionality to cohesive detail, from innovation to environmentally positive. For every large and small project, these elements, just like the molecules, move frantically in our process but at the same time find a disciplined application that in our hands and our heart become an explosive combination.

You’ve described the principles of the Bauhaus school and its blending of craftsmanship and industrial manufacture as central to your own design approach. While Italian Rationalism is associated with the early roots of Italian design, how have both philosophies influenced your work?

In my opinion, the scope of thinking on which the Bauhaus was grounded, is the true common denominator for the authentically ‘timeless’ architecture and industrial design of the past 100 years. The movement, which began with the Bauhaus, is still extraordinarily topical. Today, as never before, the crossover between art and method, thanks to the development of technologies, appears as the engine for the sustainable development of our hemisphere.

Speaking about my work, I talk about the ‘equation of details’ that is the guide for the composition of my projects and thinking. I share one of the most famous mottos of Mies van der Rohe: ‘God is in the details’. When I say, ‘equation of details’, I mean the method by which I address every project, whether it's a building or a small object. A process which, by means of logical synthesis, balances signs, materials, and technologies, allowing me to achieve a convincing balance in every work I undertake. To arrive at the creation of ‘neutral’ spaces and objects, based on honesty of design and integrity of thought, is in my opinion still today the extraordinary guide to refer to in order to create ‘value’.

Who are some of your design heroes/heroines, and how influential is their legacy on your work and on design per se?

I think this question to an Italian has a profound meaning, for someone who has the eyes to see everything we have at our fingertips, from our most famous cities to the smallest village talks about design.

I firmly believe that all this heritage is expressed in my every creative process. The strength of form and balance of a simple stone step or a church rose window, Palladian perspectives rather than the early 20th century works of Angiolo Mazzoni, have inspired and generated the values for authentic design for 800 years.

Could you please talk about the development of the Allure O’ and Flair O’ collections for B&B Italia…

Earlier I said that design is based on a centuries-old history, and at the same time I continue to be amazed at how this world allows new languages to be generated, which will in turn have the possibility of becoming centuries-old. In the case of the new Allure O' and Flair O' collections, it all started with the idea of designing a table and chairs that were also sculptures, a recognisable sign in the room, whose presence does not go unnoticed, capable of creating a place but at the same time objects that are usable and convivial. I thought it was the right time for this type of product, and in the same period B&B also made a similar reasoning, from this meeting these collections were born.

The table is one of the main elements of any interior space, and I think that this fundamental piece of furniture should play a leading role and invite conviviality. With Allure O', I designed an object with a gentle strength, where the contrast between the massive base and the delicate top creates a luxurious and timeless table that is at the same time suitable for any place, also thanks to the colour. For such an important table I created Flair O', a seat characterised by a monolithic base, precise volumes, swivel, for a renewed conviviality. Precise lines, like a 1960s dress. Flair O' dialogues delicately with the table. At the same time this object has a precise soul, capable of being the protagonist of any space.

I have mentioned the constantly evolving languages of design, which is the soul, or rather should be the soul, of all the objects that man produces with his hands and the machines he has invented. The 60s were a magical period for this principle and I really love some of the characteristic shapes of that era, which inspired me to design these two new collections. Hence the reference to one of the style flags of that era, Jacky O'.
Working with B&B is always a unique experience for a designer, they have one of the best research centres in the world. A place where so much is possible, where craftsmanship, history and research come together. I think the result of all this is obvious.