A little over a month ahead of Red in Progress. Salone del Mobile.Milano meets Riyadh, celebrated Italian architect and designer Piero Lissoni has revealed the vision behind the Business Lounge he has designed for the event, scheduled from 26 to 28 November in Riyadh's Financial District.
© Veronica Gaido | Salone del Mobile.Milano
Piero Lissoni.
Lissoni, Creative Director for multiple leading furniture brands and head of a Milan- and New York-based architecture firm, explained that the lounge is conceived as a functional workspace rather than a simple display of furnishings. "We tried to design settings that were not a simple display of furnishings, but places where people would have the opportunity to work. The project developed in this way, with a very holistic vision of what we, as 'Brand Italy', will have to present, but also with the need to allow companies and their clients to conduct private conversations. In English it's called business. I prefer to call it work," he said.
The lounge features a series of unique rooms constructed as large cylinders, some illuminated, some displaying images or furnishings, designed to tell stories of Italian factories, catalogues, research, and initiatives worldwide. "Inside they will tell stories: about factories, catalogues, research and initiatives worldwide. There is a lot to show about the Salone, but also about the companies that are its interpreters," Lissoni added.
A variety of materials are employed to highlight craftsmanship and versatility. "A little of everything. Some cylinders will be made of a material that allows light to pass through it, rather like large lamps. Then, there will be rigid cylinders, with hard surfaces and upholstery materials, and softer ones," he explained.
On the integration of Italian design identity with local culture, Lissoni clarified: "No, what we wanted most of all was to show the quality of Italian design without any interference. To show how good, powerful and elegant Italian industry is, and the ability of companies to engage in partnerships with Saudi Arabia, which is one of the most interesting countries at the present day. Then, when the projects start and the buildings are complete, the local culture will certainly also play its part."
Reflecting on challenges, he noted that while the project was complex, it was manageable. "If anything, we can talk about the fact that Saudi Arabia is truly one of the new lands of development on the architectural scale, but it is also a place where everything is changing constantly. Here you have to be ready to review and modify projects depending on whether or not it is possible to build certain things locally."
Lissoni also confirmed ongoing projects in Saudi Arabia, including hotels, private residences, and mixed-use buildings, and shared insights into high-profile international ventures in China and India, demonstrating his studio's global reach and continued influence in architecture and design.
More information:
Salone del Mobile.Milano
www.salonemilano.it
