ZAPPETTINI TUNESI ZATOODESIGNSTUDIO

Specialized in Design.

 ZAPPETTINI  TUNESI   ZATOODESIGNSTUDIO

About ZAPPETTINI TUNESI ZATOODESIGNSTUDIO

ZATOO is an acronym of the initials (ZA+TOO) of the founders of Designstudio, Martina Zappettini and Valerio Tunesi, architects in Genoa, whose association is founded since 1992 for the architectural projects for research and international ideas competitions.

  • Winner of the A' Design Award.
  • Specialized in Design.
  • Original Design.
  • Creative, Diligent and Innovative.
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Interview with ZAPPETTINI TUNESI ZATOODESIGNSTUDIO

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?
ZATOO is an acronym of the initials (ZA+TOO) of the founders of Designstudio, born in 2012 by Martina Zappettini and Valerio Tunesi, architects in Genoa, whose association is founded since 1992 for the architectural projects at the urban scale for research and international ideas competitions. In these last 10 years we especially reserach in industrial design, furniture and lights.
Can you tell us more about your company / design studio?
VALERIO TUNESI and MARTINA ZAPPETTINI, co-founders of ZATOO DESIGNSTUDIO, are graduated at the Faculty of Architecture in Genoa, involved in research in architectural urban design. Valerio was born in Milan. He lived and worked in Milan at the Architect Maurice Cerasi Studio. Since 1993 he has been living and working in Genoa. MARTINA ZAPPETTINI was born in Genoa. She worked in Genoa with " RENZO PIANO BUILDING WORKSHOP; she lived and worked in Milan, also active in the field of jewellery with achievements of sculpture - goldsmith. Now she is been working in Genoa and is living in Chiavari.
What is "design" for you?
For us the design is not a formal act but is obtained from a structured, precise, natural and complex project, which, away from thal gesture, has, as its aims, the clarity, the simplicity, and ultimately, the beauty that results from.e product of a form
What kinds of works do you like designing most?
Every work is interesting if we have possibility to study and reserch about it; everything has needto be studied and designed, "from the allen to the city".
What is your most favorite design, could you please tell more about it?
Our favorite design is the scandinavian design for the essentiality of the forms that are in close connection with the function. At the same time, Nordic design is attentive to materials, fabrics and to their assembly.
What was the first thing you designed for a company?
The first thing we designed for a company is the modular bookcase, TREEBOOKS: is a library module with a customizable and flexible use. Its main characteristic is the possibility of changing the location and the number of shelves according to the both functional chromatic needs
What is your favorite material / platform / technology?
There is no specific favorite material or plarform or technology for us. Everything depend on the design project we develop: if it is a research project or if it is a project requested by a company and therefore by what the requests are.
Which aspects of a design do you focus more during designing?
Every aspect and every detail we do focus during designing process.
What kind of emotions do you feel when your designs are realized?
Depends on te result: everytime is a great emotion to see the project realized. After that some doubts may arise to try and always improve.
What makes a design successful?
A design object is successful if it is in perfect synchrony and harmony with the tumes and the community.
When judging a design as good or bad, which aspects do you consider first?
The functionality and simplicity in the form despite the complexity of the project
From your point of view, what are the responsibilities of a designer for society and environment?
An designer has the responsability to create objecs and spaces for the uman being for the uman well-being, always and everywhere, with attention to all that surround us, remembering to balance between nature and artifice.
How do you think the "design field" is evolving? What is the future of design?
The future of design is the increasingly complex connection with other disciplines and sectors. The design fields will be more and more branched.
When was your last exhibition and where was it? And when do you want to hold your next exhibition?
Our last exibition was in Milan at' Fuorisalone 2018' in Via Tortona - 'Basic Cell event'
Where does the design inspiration for your works come from? How do you feed your creativity? What are your sources of inspirations?
The design inspiration for our works is interwined with architectural process, comes suddenly after long observations, reflections, breaks, on different aspects, things, even distant fron one another.
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?
Our design is contemponary, does not have a precise style, if not influences that are interwined. As we have already said above, we research a 'structured' design,obtained by a precise, natural and complex project, which, away from the product of a formal gesture, has, as its aims, the clarity, the simplicity, and ultimately, the beauty that results from. The unpredictability and versatility are the added characters from the Designstudio that express the synthesis of the current path followed so far: the design reflects the point of contact between being architects and the perceptive - creative informal moment, between discipline and play.
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?
We live in Genoa (Valerio) and in Chiavari (Martina). The italian culture influences us but is interwined with the North Europe past and present design research.
How do you work with companies?
We work above all through the proposal of our projects, but also designing objects following the requests of companies.
What are your suggestions to companies for working with a designer? How can companies select a good designer?
A company should have a lot of communication exchanges with a designer to get a good design product. A good designer is connstantly searching, can change his mind about the project until reaches a satisfactory product shared with the company.
Can you talk a little about your design process?
The creativ process takes place through sketches, texts, images and above all, through the project prototype.
Can you describe a day in your life?
Everyday we go in the office, we try to find space and time for hand drawing, operating with constancy. Everyday however, it is different fron the others and therefore the work is not continuous; in the studio the work is diversified among architectural, technical and design projects.
Could you please share some pearls of wisdom for young designers? What are your suggestions to young, up and coming designers?
We must everyday with perseverance and passion: the results will come! (but we need to know to wait...)
From your perspective, what would you say are some positives and negatives of being a designer?
The positive thing is a creative work (not just methodical work) ; the thing less positive is that it procededs without external certanties.
What is your "golden rule" in design?
Everything can be a golden rule in design: depends on the historical moment.
How long does it take to design an object from beginning to end?
Depends on the object types: on average some are needed months, even a year sometimes
What was your most important job experience?
There are various work experiences that have been important: certainly the several exhibitions at Fuorisalone in Milan.
Who are some of your clients?
private customers who want spaces in which to live and workand quality objects.
What type of design work do you enjoy the most and why?
We prefer industrial design, especially the furniture for the variety of themes and for their connection.
What are your future plans? What is next for you?
Our future plan is that of collaborating with different companies.
Do you work as a team, or do you develop your designs yourself?
We create the project but later we develod together other professional figures, especially ertisans and engineers.
Do you have any works-in-progress being designed that you would like to talk about?
In this moment we develop the system chair CC, declined in several sizes.

Extended Interview with ZAPPETTINI TUNESI ZATOODESIGNSTUDIO

Could you please tell us about your experience as a designer, artist, architect or creator?
La nostra formazione è connessa alla progettazione urbana-architettonica a partire dagli anni universitari nella Facoltà di Architettura di Genova, a fianco di docenti architetti progettisti quali Maurice Munir Cerasi, Giancarlo Decarlo, imparando anche dal designer Umberto Riva mediante esperienze progettuali in laboratori progettuali post-universitari. Da qualche anno, a seguito di numerose esperienze progettuali anche mediante concorsi di idee relativi a temi architettonici, ci siamo avvicinati all'industrial design tramite un concorso per una nuova sedia; da qui un percorso di ricerca sul design 'strutturato, che non si fonda su un gesto formale ma è pensato e disegnato a 'tutto tondo'.
How did you become a designer?
La progettazione a tutto tondo ci interessa, 'dalla città alla brugola', tutto è disegno, per cui per noi è interessante affrontare più temi a più scale.
What are your priorities, technique and style when designing?
Abbiamo scelto quale naturale conseguenza di un percorso, che non è lineare ma ramificato.
Which emotions do you feel when designing?
Come dicevamo, non c'è un tema preferito in assoluto, però forse nell'ambito del design industriale ci appassiona di più il tema dei componenti d'arredo.
What particular aspects of your background shaped you as a designer?
I giovani dovrebbero iniziare ad approfondire i temi che interessano loro maggiormente e proseguire con costanza e pazienza, consapevoli che nulla di duraturo si ottiene con rapida facilità.
What is your growth path? What are your future plans? What is your dream design project?
Già essere un buon designer è una cosa enorme. Dipende cosa s'intende per grande: se s'intende famoso, allora non c'è differenza tra un buon designer e un gran designer. Tra buono e grande è solo questione di sfumature. Un buon designer deve essere un grande osservatore e sempre curioso.
What are your advices to designers who are at the beginning of their career?
un buon design deve risultare completo in più aspetti, cioè soddisfare più requisiti sia razionali che percettivi.
You are truly successful as a designer, what do you suggest to fellow designers, artists and architects?
Il design in senso generale fa parte del nostro quotidiano e quindi è importante che supporti la nostra vita apportando qualità in tutti i settori e a tutte le scale.
What is your day to day look like?
Qualunque tema può essere interessante se è motivato, così come il committente può essere in diversi ambiti. siamo curiosi per natura, essendo designers.
How do you keep up with latest design trends? To what extent do design trends matter?
non c'è un progetto specifico; certamente ogni volta che si acquisisce un lavoro, il sogno di tutti i progettisti è iniziarlo e portarlo a termine nel migliore dei modi in modo organico e completo, al fine di dare il massimo della qualità.
How do you know if a product or project is well designed? How do you define good design?
Nel nostro caso la versatilità, la flessibilità e conseguentemente la personalizzazione dei nostri progetti, quale declinazione, diramazione da una matrice progettuale. cerchiamo di creare non prodotti isolati ma sistemi di progetti.
How do you decide if your design is ready?
Tutti i designer sono influenzati da ciò che li circonda e dalle esperienze passate e quindi dai relativi protagonisti e progettisti.
What is your biggest design work?
Importante è il design scandinavo attuale e passato: ad esempio per noi sono molto interessanti i progetti dell'architetto-designer Alvar Aalto. Importanti quindi sono le esperienze e i progetti all'interno del Bauhaus e quelli americani nello stesso arco temporale . Ad esempio apprezziamo molto le sedie di Brouer o dell'americano Charles Eames.
Who is your favourite designer?
Come dicevamo adesso, il più grande design è quello scandinavo, soprattutto quello passato legato al Movimento Moderno per le innovazioni nei materiali e nel disegno che hanno influenzato il design contemporaneo. Diciamo che in generale il Movimento Moderno e le avanguardie nel campo figurativo al contempo hanno influenzato tutta la nostra contemporaneità.
Would you tell us a bit about your lifestyle and culture?
La costanza quotidiana nel lavoro e nel metodo aiutano a migliorarci.
Would you tell us more about your work culture and business philosophy?
Al momento non sappiamo: la progettazione è ciò che da sempre ci ha più appassionato. Avendo talento, invece, forse musicisti
What are your philanthropic contributions to society as a designer, artist and architect?
Il design è appunto disegno, che scaturisce da un pensiero che via via si struttura e si materializza in qualunque cosa che sia al servizio dell'uomo e di tutto l'ambiente a 360 gradi. i bisogni possono poi variare a secondo dei tempi e degli ambienti. La cosa importante è cogliere l'essenziale sempre nelle domande e nelle risposte.
What positive experiences you had when you attend the A’ Design Award?
Ci siamo sostenuti l'uno con l'altro e ci ha sostenuto chi ci conosce bene, credendo nelle nostre capacità e nel nostro lavoro.

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