That outdoor furniture is as comfortable, stylish and durable as indoor furniture is due in large part to Francesco Rota (Milan, 1966). Also that they were sustainable before this concept spread. And if his name is not familiar to the general public, just add that he is Paola Lenti's star designer, and in some way her global ambassador. The rug designer came from the world of graphics. Rota helped him create three-dimensional objects with felt and the firm's first daybed and first sofa were born, which they still have in the collection: Linea – its outdoor version is Wave – and Harbour.
When they started, there were no exterior finishes other than rattan, wood, metal or plastic. They created recyclable synthetic thread that repels bacteria and water, they developed new materials and worked on them through craftsmanship and now they joke about inventing a flying sofa, because they have few innovations left after forming a perfect tandem for 25 years. Rota gave a talk at the Minim showroom (Barcelona). There she receives the Magazine.
He was born in Milan, capital of design, but studied in Switzerland...
In the Italian university there was a lot of humanism and little practice... You need culture and thinking, but also knowing how to work with your hands. I found La Tour-de-Peilz, the Swiss extension of an American university where there were lathes, milling machines, welding, thermoforming, painting...
How has the relationship between interior and exterior changed in these 25 years?
There has been a kind of crossover between the inside and the outside, which is smart in theory, but it is not good, because they must have different identities. The outdoor product costs much more because the materials are more technical. So now we are working to make indoor have a more specific connotation, so as not to create misunderstandings. And it is interesting that architecture, which usually influences product development, in this case has been influenced by the product; All you have to do is see the rooftops, terraces and gardens furnished with sofas, armchairs, loungers, lamps, outdoor kitchens...
You are not afraid of colors…
Paola Lenti is color. When I was young I had designed boats and asked the company if we could make a green one. They told me it wouldn't be commercial, because when a couple buys a boat the woman usually doesn't like green. When I met Paola and discovered that this was a beautiful color for her, I told myself that we would get along very well.
Is it more difficult to be elegant than extravagant?
Yes. The simple things are the most difficult, especially if you want to be measured but at the same time happy, to make a smile. For outdoor sofas the rules are less strict than for indoor ones, for example regarding the use of color.
In contrast or complementary?
You can work tone on tone or in contrast, for example, with a fuchsia object on an acid green wall, as happens with flowers. Mixing them the right way is like cooking, you have to calculate the ingredients and combine them intelligently for it to work.
Do you prefer straight lines or curves?
The straight line is too rigid and the curve alone has no shape. The alternation of the two gives value to the material or vice versa, it is the material that dictates the best shape.
Do you follow trends?
It's not about attending trade shows or watching what others do, it's about telling you what not to do. If you look ahead and have a project, you become a prescriber.
Any tips for choosing garden furniture?
The exterior is difficult to furnish, but the key is to decide the harmony between the objects.
A design that always accompanies you.
I am a serial hoarder, I have many fetish items. I collect motorcycles. My favorite is a 1972 Laverda 750, also a 1955 BMW that belonged to my father that my mother later used, and two Vespas, from 1960 and 1965. And I have a great passion for objects from the 30s, furniture, glass Venetian...
Why this time?
I was influenced by my great-grandparents' house in Portofino where I spent my childhood summers. We stayed for four months and when we left we left a piece of life. And I have another one on a lake in Liguria. Both are from a time when attention was paid to the material, to the details. Many diverse materials were combined in a coherent way. Looking at the past is important to me.
And if you could beat time, would you go to your past or your future?
Oh, this is beautiful. No, I don't want to know the future. Maybe it would go to the Deco period. I really like the elegance, respect and culture of that time. And it is extremely beautiful from an architectural point of view. The interesting thing is that in art deco all the architectural elements that were round, soft from art nouveau and jugendstil, with statues, ornaments, flowers, are repeated exactly but in a much more schematic, more geometric, more organized way, that fascinates me. a lot.
A motto to guide you.
Always smile. Also the Japanese expression “gambatte kudasai”, the polite way of encouraging others to do their best.
What are your passions?
Water sports: sailing, windsurfing, kitesurfing, wakeboarding, water skiing... Lately I go boating, snorkeling or diving. Every weekend I drive an hour and escape from Milan to the waters of Liguria.
If you had to save just one item, what would it be?
My studio burned down in 2012 and I lost a lot of things. I had family objects and some of my work. I panicked, I no longer had a file, I had nothing... I managed to redo everything and I was successful, but the best thing was that I felt light, I was no longer anchored. What would I save? Save the people, let the rest go. Objects, things, you delete them and start again.
He knew how to face danger coldly. Do you like adrenaline?
I can windsurf with a lot of wind, and it is dangerous because of the rocks, the corals... I play with the force of nature, also the American university taught me a lot about how to manage stress.
What do you do in your free time?
My work doesn't end when I'm on vacation and my private life doesn't end when I work. In fact I always try to build relationships with my clients and I am friends with them. On the other hand, when I am on vacation I am very curious, I observe everything carefully, I continually record the stimuli. I like to observe how everything around us is reasoned, thought out and constructed.
How do you remember your immersion in the Paola Lenti brand?
When we decided to start in the outdoors we did little production, and it worked, because it was a space that was not attended by anyone. Paola was strong-willed, and we were both at the beginning of our careers and wanted to be able to speak to a much broader audience, and therefore go to a space where we could explore, invent anything because there was nothing. Invent materials that must work and must resist weather conditions, fog and salt and the sun's rays, fungi and mold. They had to be made extremely effective. We also created volumes and aesthetics that had not been seen before.
A place that gives you peace.
My house in Zoagli, opposite Portofino, has a fantastic view. It was built at the end of the 19th century and transformed into a villa in the 1920s. My great-grandfather bought it in 1935 and I completely modernized it inside. It has a huge terrace and 2,000 square meters of garden that overlook the sea. It has two fireplaces, seven bedrooms and many bathrooms. I go there with my friends, but also alone. I like it in summer, I like it in winter, I like it all year round; I prune the plants, I immerse myself in nature, there is silence, I listen to the birds; It is a paradise that is in my blood, a place that gives me a lot.
Will you move there?
I would never live there... I need the city. I don't want to leave Milan, I'm not interested in the United States. I've been to Japan 50 times and speak a little Japanese, but I've never really thought about moving. I have to say that if I had to change places, I would come to live in Spain, a country very similar to mine, because of its people, its culture, the temperature, the desire to live, the joy. Food. I like Barcelona, I could have a boat here.
A place that stimulates you.
All of Tokyo is a permanent surprise. I go once, I come back three months later, I look for a store and I can't find it. It's fantastic, some houses and temples will always be there, everything else constantly regenerates. There is Meiji Park, the Meiji Jingu Mai temple, the tea house, which is wonderful.
Who has given you the best advice?
My father, but also Gabriele, the son of a deceased friend. He lives with his father but also with me and speaks very little because he is reserved, but he is very attentive to the things I do. When he sees that I am angry or have a problem he gives me the correct answer, he says to me: "But why do you do it?" He is a 14-year-old boy capable of giving me advice… he has genuine sensitivity
What makes you most proud?
Having accompanied and continued to be very present in Gabriele's life since he was 8 years old and having rethought my life project in some way, because I saw myself with a partner and children, on the other hand he is someone else's son and I don't care; I take care of him as if he were mine.
What legacy would you like to leave to this godson of yours?
Being able to transmit good values to him, so that he can then choose what he wants, so that he can be independent. He wants to come work with me, but I don't want to influence him. I will be happy if he comes, I will help him, I will give him directions, but I will not decide for him.
What wouldn't you do because it goes against your principles?
Being dishonest, I can't do this. If I work with a company I don't want to work with its competitor. In architecture, companies allow you percentages on sales, I tell them I'm not interested. Hire me, but give the discount to my client, it is a principle that I cannot betray.
A design that is not yours but that you would have liked to sign.
A wonderful Gio Ponti table, with metal legs and a glass top, from the 1950s. Or the original Taccia lamp by Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni, produced by Flos. I am interested in projects that have a thought, a reasoning, not just aesthetics or form.
What is the sweetest compliment you have ever received?
That I am good at my job, that fills me with pride.
Is he good in his private life?
I have not needed recognition from my father, something typical of men. I chose a different path and I had my conflicts with it. When I returned to Italy, I would have expected more credit from him, well, more trust. Until at a certain point my father told me: 'Good!', but it was no longer necessary...
What moves you, reason or emotion?
I am torn between both, they are two different aspects of my character.
What did you not dare to do and now you feel capable?
A great project that is based on memory. My grandfather had a very large company, the Società Anonima Fabricazione Apparecchi Radiofonici (Safar) with 4,600 employees. They produced electronic products, such as radios. I started buying devices because I want to protect this cultural project, that is, the cultural aspect is a company that was incredibly successful between 1923 and 1948. They supplied the navy, the army and the air force, they made radar and sonar patents... I want make this cultural heritage of Italy known to the public.
I see him very longing for the past...
I really like to be between having roots in the past but thinking about tomorrow. Depending on the situation I can decide whether to design looking towards the future or respecting the past.
With Paola he enters a 25-year history. What do you expect from the next 25?
These 25 years are a new foundation to make another 25, just as if we were on the first day when Paola and I met, but we had already built something very solid, therefore we almost started again with a new project. And I would like to focus on something new.
And what do you think your 10-year-old self would tell you about your current life?
How lucky! Lucky because when you live it every day you build it, you make life grow, you don't notice the small differences, you always improve a little. But seeing it as a child, seeing you projected so far away, seeing me sitting here in Barcelona doing an interview is something that is normal for me today but is actually something wonderful. In fact, we need to learn to distance ourselves from things a little and give them the proper weight to really understand what value life has and how rewarding it is if you build it well.
