We, as the Designer Interviews ("DI") had the distinct pleasure and opportunity to interview award-winning, most creative and innovative Barbara Fassoni ("BF").
bfa_BARBARA FASSONI ARCHITECTS is an architecture and design studio based in London founded in 2015. Our work encompasses architecture, interior design and product design. We are currently involved in a wide range of projects in the UK and abroad for individuals, businesses and companies. Our projects are transformative by adopting an analytical approach. We invent or re-imagine our clients' assets to make them more productive with the aim of creating unique and creative solutions to satisfy every project, from small-scale residential intervention to design schemes urban. At the centre of our studio's work is the commitment to find innovative design solutions that are imaginative, pragmatic and add value. We attach great importance not only to the appearance of buildings but also to their construction, and the way materials are used. We are committed to collaborating with engineers, builders and specialists to broaden the vision of each project and enrich the quality of our proposals. We believe that every project is the result of a critical response to a specific brief, and at the same time, we always strive to exploit the unique character of a place to create something suitable but bold. In 2018, bfa_BARBARA FASSONI ARCHITECTS won the Silver A 'Design Award. Barbara Fassoni studied architecture at the Polytechnic of Milan and the Escuela Tecnica Superior de Arquitectura of Seville. ARB UK is registered and a member of the Royal Institute of British Architects.
Barbara Fassoni Designs
We are pleased to share with you original and innovative design work by Barbara Fassoni.
Barbara Fassoni Design - Borromei Loft Residential
Designer Interview of Barbara Fassoni:
DI: 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?
BF : At high school, I studied classical letters, a family tradition. I wanted to be a lawyer. But then I met the History of Art and I fell in love. The day I discovered modern art at Peggy Guggenheim Museum in Venice the decision was made. Architecture, design and art have become a real passion in my life. After I finished my studies at the Politecnico of Milano and Escuela Tecnica Superior de Arquitectura in Seville, I had the opportunity to work for more than five years in Lotus International, one of the leading Architectural Magazine.
DI: Can you tell us more about your company / design studio?
BF : BFA-barbarafassoniarchitects was founded in London where I moved in 2015. Barbara Fassoni Studio was my previous practice when I used to live in Milan. The firm works on a different scale of projects, from facades and buildings projects to office spaces and residential interiors. Our projects are developed from a series of ideas that enrich each individual project, no matter how large or small they are.
DI: What is "design" for you?
BF : Design is a thought, concerned and committed answer to a client’s need. For us, it is not just a gesture, just the act of creating “beautiful things”. It has more to do to a beautifully executed solution to a problem.
DI: What kinds of works do you like designing most?
BF : I am very committed to every job I decide to take on board. I like big scale projects – my graduation project was a Concert Hall – but I admit that we are as picky on big projects as on smaller designs. Challenging situations always inspire me.
DI: What is your most favorite design, could you please tell more about it?
BF : It's an extension I did some years ago for a holiday house n the South of Italy. The main house was a small igloo, and I was asked to design a new home with three bedrooms. The extension was a white connected cube with a fantastic terrace roof. It was the first time I experimented a sustainable polystyrene house.
DI: What was the first thing you designed for a company?
BF : My first project was a shelf for a prosthesis laboratory, just a week after I graduated. I came up with methacrylic boxes on the reception wall where the prostheses were exposed. My clients were overexcited, and I couldn't believe it.
DI: What is your favorite material / platform / technology?
BF : More than one material, I am fascinated by single materials’ peculiarity. I love the softness and versatile of wood, such as the transparency or reflection of the glass, the thinness and solidity of metal, such as the texture of concrete or the elegance of stone.
DI: When do you feel the most creative?
BF : When I define the strategy of a project, at that moment, I feel very creative because I can contribute to essential changes in how people will live the space I’m designing.
DI: Which aspects of a design do you focus more during designing?
BF : As I said, being strategic is essential for me in my projects because the impact on people will be huge when my design produces “a living creature”.
DI: What kind of emotions do you feel when you design?
BF : Like all creative process, doing architectures offers you a vast array of emotions, that goes from fear to consciousness to tiredness to extreme happiness of seeing my clients completely satisfied.
DI: What kind of emotions do you feel when your designs are realized?
BF : When I completed a job, I feel a sense of detachment. But when I happened to come back after a while, I was pleasantly struck by the beauty of some works that I didn't remember so well done.
DI: What makes a design successful?
BF : The ability to enhance and understand my client’s needs. In my experience be a guide through the complete design process, and allow them to push their boundaries. it produces successful design.
DI: When judging a design as good or bad, which aspects do you consider first?
BF : The feeling that a place is capable of evoke is significant to me. Sometimes it may be more relevant than excellent execution. It is a sort of aura that you recall, that let you appreciate its own identity.
DI: From your point of view, what are the responsibilities of a designer for society and environment?
BF : As architects and designers, we have a significant role in improving the well-being of people. It’s a profession which deals with the human community and the ecosystem. Sustainability design is the way to severely reduce our environmental impact and our role now as professionals are to accelerate this process as fast as possible.
DI: How do you think the "design field" is evolving? What is the future of design?
BF : In my opinion, architecture and design in the future have to focus specifically on materials and rethink of their use. The technology of 3D printers means already printing entire houses, emergency housing modules, furnishings and all work integrated with home automation. This point should make us reflect on how to re-approach the use of materials and mostly their reuse and disposal.
DI: When was your last exhibition and where was it? And when do you want to hold your next exhibition?
BF : I have never done an exhibition until now.
DI: Where does the design inspiration for your works come from? How do you feed your creativity? What are your sources of inspirations?
BF : I am a curious person. Curious to know as much as possible about the world I live in and how it changes. I have always fed my curiosity through art exhibitions, international design magazines, reading newspapers, travels, going to museums, and through Instagram and Twitter too. They allow you to instantly be aware of new things happening around you and on the other side of the world. Surely living in London is a significant boost for my creativity too, the vibe in the city is always positive and energetic, and this is continuously food for thought.
DI: 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?
BF : It is a constant search for reduction and moderation. In every single project, we focus our design on the importance of avoiding the irrelevant to emphasise what matters. The most important feature of our style is a constant search for simple elements but at the same time guaranteeing its uniqueness to space.
DI: 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?
BF : I live in London. The UK is not my country, and I am sure that the cultural heritage of my country affects my design. Moving to another country, it is always a bit of an earthquake, but it has given me personal and professional growth, allowing me to manage different culture, language, and sense of history. My design is reflecting these two aspects, my solid cultural background and my new life in London.
DI: How do you work with companies?
BF : The companies we work with are mostly in Italy right now. We manage with architects on sites and many trips to monitor our work. But surely video calls allow us to skip some live meetings.
DI: What are your suggestions to companies for working with a designer? How can companies select a good designer?
BF : Difficult to say. In my opinion, the best way for a long and fruitful relationship with a designer is to establish a good dialogue with a deep level of communication. The more information the designer has, the more he can deliver a proper job, and the company can get surely the Best from him. Surely it is constructive that client and designer are on the same page and they speak the same “language”.
DI: Can you talk a little about your design process?
BF : Each project starts with listening and the need to be able to interpret the client's requests. Immediately afterwards, the creative process and the research begin. The idea that will guide the work comes from a continuous comparison with all the people involved, the customer as the builder, as well as the people who are part of the team.
DI: What are 5 of your favorite design items at home?
BF : 1. A multifunctional staircase designed by me several years ago to reach a loft bed; 2. An Ingo Maurer’s Zettel pendant ceiling above the dining table; 3. A sculptural lamp made by Small Rabbit Design, a friend designer; 4. A Panton Chair; 5. An Alessi citrus-squeezer.
DI: Can you describe a day in your life?
BF : Even if my routine changes up to the places where I am travelling, I keep some habits. I start very early in the morning going to the gym, and then off to my studio. I start soon and finish soon as a general rule; I decided on this habit when I had a kid. My studio routine includes a lot of emails and phone calls, supervising the work of my collaborators and suppliers. I spend the rest of the day with computer drawings.
DI: Could you please share some pearls of wisdom for young designers? What are your suggestions to young, up and coming designers?
BF : 1. Be patient; it lets you control what you are doing. 2. Be focused; know what you want. You may not know how exactly to get there, but if you know what you want, you will figure out how to achieve it. 3. Do your best, always. It’s worth it.
DI: From your perspective, what would you say are some positives and negatives of being a designer?
BF : Like all freelance professions, it is a rollercoaster, always challenging not a single job equal to another. It may be a long, competitive, and also expensive process, a very demanding profession, but is never dull. That’s for sure. Passion makes everything worthwhile.
DI: What is your "golden rule" in design?
BF : Mutual trust and respect. When you work in the design industry, you are working in a team. The whole team brings unique skillsets to the table, so it’s crucial to create a solid foundation of trust and respect, an important rule that drives all team towards remarkable results.
DI: What skills are most important for a designer?
BF : Creativity and excellent communication skills are a perfect starting point. New ideas and a good understanding of what a Client needs are crucial for a successful result.
DI: Which tools do you use during design? What is inside your toolbox? Such as software, application, hardware, books, sources of inspiration etc.?
BF : I use pretty much everything I think I need for my design: from hand sketches on my handbook to AutoCAD and Revit on my computer, to cardboards mockups to 3d renders. Sources of inspirations are many, from art books to magazines to IG posts or merely looking at a street scene while I'm cycling to my office. Inspiration is everywhere.
DI: Designing can sometimes be a really time consuming task, how do you manage your time?
BF : Time is always an issue. We are still short on time, don't we? I take the early moments of the day to plan daily activities and use to morning to talk to clients and suppliers. The afternoon is more focusing on ongoing projects, drawing and discussing with my collaborators.
DI: How long does it take to design an object from beginning to end?
BF : Hard question! Tricky to say it precisely. There is not a rule, sometimes the first idea is the one, and you need to let it grow, and other times you need to work harder on research and meetings to get there.
DI: What is the most frequently asked question to you, as a designer?
BF : How did you decide to be a designer?
DI: What was your most important job experience?
BF : Every job is important to me. In every situation, I tried to get the best out of context and the people whom I was working with. And each experience enriched me and made me grow. But probably starting to work for an architectural magazine has been the most exciting and incredibly useful experience I have done since it allowed me to pursue my career. I deeply understood that I wanted to make architecture instead of talking about architecture.
DI: Who are some of your clients?
BF : We have both private and commercial clients — Fujifilm, Mediaset, banks companies, to name some among others.
DI: What type of design work do you enjoy the most and why?
BF : My motto is, the more is challenging, the more I like it!
DI: What are your future plans? What is next for you?
BF : At the moment we are working on a new congress centre for a media company in Milan, to a couple of holiday houses, one in the UK and one close on the Alps, and a small renovation in London.
DI: Do you work as a team, or do you develop your designs yourself?
BF : Naturally, it depends on the scale of the projects. For example, the design of a congress centre involves many architects, engineers consultancies, acoustic engineers, it engineers, which makes its design more complex and as a result of many skills. While on a smaller project, like the holiday house on the Alps, the numbers of people involved is less, and the project relies just on how I conceived it.
DI: Do you have any works-in-progress being designed that you would like to talk about?
BF : After the pandemic, rethinking new office spaces has become a priority for some of our clients. Smart working has certainly changed the way of living life in workplaces. At the moment this is the main activity of our studio, in addition to the design of some residences for private clients.
DI: How can people contact you?
BF : They can fill a form on my website. But it happens as well through Linkedin, and sometimes Instagram.
DI: Any other things you would like to cover that have not been covered in these questions?
BF : I just wanted to thank you for this opportunity, for this long and exhaustive interview, in which I could explain my point of view and how I see it. Most of the time, our language as architects is the drawing, and I’m delighted that occasionally this time, I had expressed myself through words. Many thanks once again.