Designer Page

Introduction to the designer page:

We at Aura aim to give you the best lighting solutions to give character to your spaces whether it be your home or your workplace. The exceptional designers behind the excellent designs we bring to you are spoken about here. Scroll down to learn about the thought process and lifestyles of our most esteemed designers.

1.Masiero: Pierre Gonalons – link to the image (link to the text is the same)

Pierre Gonalons is a Paris-based interior designer and architect. Raised in Lyon in a family of Italian origin, he very early developed a strong taste for the history of art and for the French cultural heritage.

After graduating from the school of Camondo, he immediately sets the tone for his unique interpretation of design and space.

He founded his creative studio at the age of 23 and collaborated with prestigious brands such as Lalique, Chloé, Pierre Frey, Nina Ricci, Pernod, Weston, simultaneously developing his line of limited edition products for international galleries.

He becomes artistic director of the historic Italian design publisher Paradisoterrestre and collaborates with numerous Italian clients such as Ceramica Bardelli, Masiero.

Drawing inspiration from a long history of craftsmanship of traditional materials, his creations are presented as simple and spectacular dialogues between present and past.

He advocates a minimalist approach to design imbued with references to pop culture and decorative arts.Since 2016, Pierre Gonalons has focused his creativity on a wide range of interior architecture projects.

In the pure tradition of the greatest holistic interior architects and fueled by his own experience in furniture design, he is concerned with designing every single detail of his decorations, down to the most refined element.

In 2019, he participates in the prestigious AD Intérieurs exhibition and is awarded among the 100 best designers of AD.Widely followed by the international press, his work has recently been featured in numerous in-depth articles by magazines such as AD, Elle Décoration, Interni Icon design and Departure.

2. Artemide: Karim Rashid – link to the image

Visionary and prolific, Karim Rashid is one of the most unique voices in design today. With more than 4000 designs in production, over 300 awards to his name, and client work in over 40 countries, Karim’s ability to transcend typology continues to make him a force among designers of his generation.

His award-winning designs include democratic objects such as the ubiquitous Garbo waste can and Oh! Chair for Umbra, interiors for  Morimoto restaurant, Philadelphia and Semiramis hotel, Athens, and exhibitions for Corian and Pepsi. Karim has collaborated with clients to create democratic design for Method and Dirt Devil, furniture for Artemide and Magis, brand identity for Citibank and Hyundai, high-tech products for LaCie and Samsung, and luxury goods for Veuve Clicquot and Swarovski, to name a few.

Karim’s work is featured in 20 permanent collections and he exhibits art in galleries worldwide. Karim is a perennial winner of the Red Dot award, Chicago Athenaeum Good Design award, Interior Design Best of Year Award, and IDSA Industrial Design Excellence Award. Karim is a frequent guest lecturer at universities and conferences, globally disseminating the importance of design in everyday life.

3.IDL: Cristian Feltrin – link to the image (link to te text is the same)

Cristian takes inspiration from a reinterpretation of past excellence developing it into abstract shapes and concepts that we find in nature.

“My knowledge of mechanical precepts enables me to explore solid materials and to adapt them to shapes that become sculptures of light, governed by a strong artistic presence”, says Cristian, referring to the fact that, in addition to designing, he also creates himself the prototypes of each new collection.

This approach enables Cristian to develop ranges of lights that speak luxury and great aesthetic impact.

 4.Artemide: Alberto Nason – link to the image (link to the text is the same)

Industrial and lighting designer born in Venice, Alberto Nason spent his youth in Murano, an island to which he is linked by its strong glassmaking tradition. He studied in Milan and obtained a diploma in Industrial Design at IED.

He works as a freelancer and since 1998 he collaborates with Michele De Lucchi and his studio Amdl circle. He developed projects, produced fittings for companies such as Artemide, Alessi, Vistosi, Produzione Privata, Axis71, AVMazzega, De Castelli. In the field of Lighting design, he follows projects with La Biennale di Venezia and in 2019 with AMDL Circle he followed the lighting project for the restaurant “Voce” in Milan. He deals with the development of design concepts for companies, following the process from the first phases up to the production. His interest in craftsmanship and materials leads him to discover new laboratories, artisans and professionals with whom starting a dialogue to develop experimental projects together.

5.Artemide: Issey Miyake – link to the image (link to the text is the same)

Issey Miyake founded the Miyake Design Studio in 1970 and started to present the collections in Paris beginning in 1973. Miyake’s exploration of the space created between the body and the cloth surrounding it has evolved, always starting from one piece of cloth.

Miyake has constantly set his sights upon the future and the next stage of design, whether his functional and versatile “PLEATS PLEASE ISSEY MIYAKE” series (1993-) or the “A-POC” (A Piece of Cloth/ 1998-) series, that introduced a single process whereby continuous rolls of fabric, texture, and articles of clothing could be made from a single piece of thread.

Today, Miyake works with his research and development team named Reality Lab. The Lab comprises of two staff members, Manabu Kikuchi (a textile engineer) and Sachiko Yamamoto (a technical engineer) and is constituted of a group of designers and pattern engineers, some of whom are young. The team was formed in 2007. It is a team based upon the principle of collaboration and teamwork. Their goal is, through research and development of materials and techniques, to explore the future of making things from clothing to industrial products. It always seeks to create products that reflect what people need and to find new ways to stimulate creative production in Japan.

6.Maseiro: Sara Moroni – link to the image

In 2006, accompanied in thesis by the entrepreneur and architect Carlotta De Bevilacqua, current Vice President of Artemide S.p.A, Sara Moroni obtained with the highest marks a Master’s Degree in Industrial Product Design and specialised in lighting at the Politecnico di Milano.

After graduating, she gained experience as a project manager and then as a freelancer, skills that lead her to approach design with a multidisciplinary approach: the only lever that can give rise to new ideas and innovative projects. In 2015 she opened his own studio with the intention of creating a team dedicated to design and strategic consulting in the fields of product, lighting, interior, exhibit and communication design.

Transversal design is a priority that has become, over time, a natural modus operandi. A conscious and complex choice, but at the same time extremely stimulating and dutiful. Today she collaborates with prestigious Italian companies, operating in various product fields, which have distribution channels in Europe, America and Russia. Her projects have received awards and have been published in the most important international design and architecture magazines.

Link used:

https://www.masierogroup.com/en/designer/sara-moroni/

7.Artemide: Ernesto Gismondi – link to the image (link also used for text)

Ernesto Gismondi was the founder of Artemide Group.

Sanremo (IM) 25/12/1931 – Milano 31/12/2020

In 1957 he gained a degree in Aeronautical Engineering at the Milan Polytechnic and in 1959 he gained a degree in Missile Engineering at the Professional School of Engineering in Rome.

Since the early ‘60s, he has been devoted to the planning and production of lighting equipment, founding Studio Artemide S.a.s., from which the Artemide Group was to develop, together with designer Sergio Mazza. He became established as an international designer, participating, as one of the inventors, in “Memphis”, an avant-garde movement that brought about a profound evolution in the design sector both in Italy and worldwide, and designed various successful appliances for the Group.

Over the years, under his guidance, the Artemide Group saw its market share growth and its international reach increase, making it one of the main players in the design lighting sector, a role that earned him important acknowledgements, including the Compasso d’Oro Award for Career achievements (1994) and the European Design Prize (1997).

From 1964 to 1984 he was an associate professor of Rocket Engines for Missiles at the Milan Polytechnic. He was the vice president of ADI – Association of Industrial Design – and held several positions within the Industrial Association of Lombardy (Assolombarda), Federmeccanica, Confindustria, the Autonomous Fair Agency in Milan and the Ministry for Universities and Research. He is also a member of the Educational and Scientific Committee of I.S.I.A. (Higher Institute for Artistic Industries/Industrial design) in Florence, appointed by the Ministry of Public Education, of the Board of Arbitration of COSMIT (Organising Committee of the Milan Furniture Show), and of CNEL, following a designation by the President’s Office of the Republic. He has chaired and participated in several workshops, in Italy and abroad, on design and its developments and on energy-saving applied to lighting.

In 2008 he received the Ernst & Young Prize “Entrepeneur of the Year” for Innovation Category, and Giorgio Napolitano, the President of the Italian Republic, appointed him “Cavaliere del Lavoro”, an Italian decoration given to important figures in industry. In 2009 he received the Ernst & Young Prize “Entrepeneur of the Year” for Communication Category.

In 2018 he won the Compasso D’Oro for Lifetime Achievement with the following motivation of the jury: “Aerospace engineer, university lecturer and entrepreneur, in short: man of multifaceted talent. Founder of Artemide, he immediately uses design processes as a distinctive factor and in this long process encourages and enhances collaborations with the world of national and international design. A coherent example of how design can be a concrete strategic lever for cultural and economic growth, it has always worked so that Italian design can be a virtuous example at an international level”.

8.Lasvit: Táňa Dvořáková – link to the image (link also used for text)

Táňa Dvořáková, one of Lasvit’s most prominent designers, focuses her creations on designer light fixtures for prestigious spaces in both private and public architecture. A typical feature of her works is the ‘invisible’ fittings which give the impression of a levitating light. Táňa´s designs do not lack noble-mindedness or a unique eye for precision. She always expresses herself in a modern style, but her work manages to maintain the grace and charm so dear to any true connoisseur. Her works can be seen in private residences and palaces, as well as theatres, hotels and casinos all over the world.

9.    Savoy House: Karyl Pierce Paxton – link to the image

Karyl Pierce Paxton Experience the custom-made charm of lighting and accessories. This antiquity-infused collection by Karyl Pierce Paxton features an 18-step finish inspired by the Patinas, Old world colours of the French Quarter, and includes hand-painted designs of art. After graduating from high school and studying art, architecture and antiques, Karyl moved to New York City and attended Parsons School of Design for advanced study in fashion design. There, she created award-winning commercial and residential interiors. Meeting the demand for her custom furniture and lighting quickly became the focus of Pierce Paxton Design Studio. Today, from New Orleans she creates products that are destined to become heirlooms.

Links used:

http://www.savoyhouse-europe.com/blog/karyl_pierce_paxton_interview

10.Lasvit: Zaha Hadid – link to the image

As an architect and designer, Zaha Hadid’s work explores spatial concepts of all scales – from the city to individual products, sculptural jewellery and limited edition furniture pieces, homeware items and fashion accessories, as well as interior, exhibition and set design commissions. Zaha Hadid Designs (ZHD) was established in 2006 under the direction of Woody Yao and Maha Kutay and aims to implement the latest technological and material innovations in collaboration with the world’s most respected brands. ZHD also features a gallery space arranged over two floors which host an ever-changing program of exhibitions and collaborations. The ZHD Gallery regularly showcases work by emerging designers, young artists and innovative makers, as well as hosting a variety of affiliated events.

Link used:

https://www.lasvit.com/designer/zaha-hadid-design/

11.Ross Lovegrove – Link to the image & text

Ross Lovegrove is a designer and visionary whose work is considered to be at the very apex of stimulating a profound change in the physicality of our three-dimensional World.

Inspired by the logic and beauty of nature his designs possess a trinity between technology, materials science and intelligent organic form, creating what many industrial leaders see as the new aesthetic expression for the 21st Century.

There is always embedded a deeply human and resourceful approach in his designs, which project an optimism, and innovative vitality in everything he touches from cameras to cars to trains, aviation and architecture.

Ross Lovegrove is a designer and visionary who¹s work is considered to be at the very apex of stimulating a profound change in the physicality of our three dimensional World.

Inspired by the logic and beauty of nature his designs possess a trinity between technology, materials science and intelligent organic form, creating what many industrial leaders see as the new aesthetic expression for the 21st Century.

There is always embedded a deeply human and resourceful approach in his designs, which project an optimism, and innovative vitality in everything he touches from cameras to cars to trains, aviation and architecture.

Bespoke Lighting

Bespoke lighting essentially provides an opportunity for clients to use their creative ideation about lighting to become a reality. It focuses on providing light fixtures that are tailor-made for a particular client or space or that are custom-made according to the client’s specifications. Aura illumination allows you to illuminate your commercial spaces and workplaces in the way you like. The ornamentation of your space can be tailored according to the depths of your imagination through bespoke lighting. We are committed to providing you with a lavish experience by creating flawless yet practical lighting solutions that will be moulded according to your ideation, theme and functionality. Our outstanding designing team will work around your ideas and specifications to create the perfect illuminating ornament that will not only be aesthetically alluring but also have surreal usability.

• Refer to Sans souci