Roberto Paoli designer

Suspended between lightness and transparency ...

new projects by Roberto Paoli for Fiam Italia

April 2010

Home office collection

The Luminare desk is a variation on a traditional theme of the Fiam range: that of the plane
resting on self-supporting legs. The two legs are made of a slab that is interrupted and then
reunited using a small piece of steel so as to form the closed sides of the work table. The legs
bend at the ends, to become self-supporting, and provide a simple and stable support for the
top.
Dimensions: min. l140cm x d70cm x h73cm, max l200cm x d100 cm x h73cm

The Luminare set of drawers is designed to complement functionally the Luminare desk but is
also an object in itself. Designed as a small glass architecture, it consists of a slender external
structure that frames the block of drawers, while the glass fronts form the principal front stepped
back.
Dimensions: with 3 drawers l45cm x d48cm x h54cm; with 4 drawers l45cm x d48cm x h70cm.

The design of the open Luminare Expò container introduces an element of surprise in the rigid
rectangular structure: the open shelves acquire thickness through the curvature of the front
sheet, recessed for a stretch toward the back, so making the front of the shelf refined, light and
gentle. In the closed version, Luminare Day, the curve is repeated on the edge of the cristal
slabs that form the doors: with the overlap they form two handles at full height. This version is
particularly notable for the architectural character of the construction: the doors conceal the
greater internal load-bearing thickness to bring out the slender envelope of only 12 mm framing
the front of the cabinet.
The external structure is made in wood lacquered matt white or black.
Dimensions: l81,6cm x d42cm x h174cm

Press Office: Map Design Communication tel. +39 02 58107983 www.designpress.info

e-mail: info@mapdesign.it
Images and press release can be downloaded from the web site www.designpress.info

roberto paoli architetto - via mercadante 4 - 20124 milano tel +39 02 66805684 info@robertopaoli.com www.robertopaoli.com
 Roberto Paoli Biography

Born in Ancona (Italy) and graduated in Architecture at the University of Florence in 1994. After
his studies, he decided to devote himself to the design of objects. So, after his graduation, he
went back to his birthplace (the Marche), a territory full of productive realities that represents a
good training for young designers. During these years, Paoli studied some techniques such as
plastic injection moulding and glass bending and collaborated with some famous Italian brands,
such as Fellowes (office products made of plastic), Fiamitalia and Liv'it (curved glass furniture).
Thanks to these collaborations, Paoli obtained technical and methodological knowledge, which
helped him to shape his own idea of design: he thinks that functionality and technology have to
merge with the shape of objects, which is always influenced by the materials.
In 2002 he moved to Milan, the city of design. There he started collaborating with Tucano,
where now he is Design Director. Paoli supervised the design of notebook cases and
accessories and drew Tucano closer to a new product philosophy, based on strong attention to
materials and functional details (some of these models after became registered design patents).
In the past few years Paoli has been collaborating with lighting engineering companies, such as
Nemo-Cassina and Segno. In 2007, he set up his studio Seminato Mercadante, a renovated two
storey building of the first years of ‘900 with a precious ancient floor. Apart from his own studio,
Paoli also designed the interiors of some houses and shops, such as Bilancioni clothes shops
(in collaboration with Studio MPR). In 2009 Paoli designed two new lamps for Nemo-Cassina:
the wall lamp “Flight” and the floor lamp “Kami”. He also designed the “Mir”, a mirror for
Fiamitalia, which in 2009 has been awarded with the prestigious international GOOD DESIGN
AWARD 2009, founded in 1950 by the Chicago Athenaeum- Museum of Architecture and
Design.
Paoli also designed the first Tucano showroom in the centre of Milan.
The Freskogel computer accessories, designed for Tucano has been selected in ADI DESIGN
INDEX 2009.

Press Office: Map Design Communication tel. +39 02 58107983 www.designpress.info

e-mail: info@mapdesign.it
Images and press release can be downloaded from the web site www.designpress.info

roberto paoli architetto - via mercadante 4 - 20124 milano tel +39 02 66805684 info@robertopaoli.com www.robertopaoli.com