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Thanks again to Stacey Sheppard!
Milan-based designer Tommaso Colia
has come up with a wide range of
eye-catching product ideas. Designer finds out what inspires this creative
dynamo whose belief in simple design is the cornerstone of his work
DESIGNER: WHAT IS YOUR CAREER BACKGROUND AND HOW DID YOU FIRST
BECOME INTERESTED IN DESIGN?
TOMMASO COLIA: I have been interested in design since childhood and I used to
draw and create a lot at a young age. At school I took classical subjects, then
design at Milan Polytechnic. I was fortunate to have the opportunity to study for a year in the UK,
at Plymouth University. It is very different from Italy, and it was a really useful life
and cultural experience for me. After graduation, I attended a specialist course in marketing and store
management. I have been working for almost three years now – I am at the
beginning of my career, and I know I still have a lot to learn.
DESIGNER: WHO OR WHAT HAVE BEEN THE BIGGEST INFLUENCES ON YOUR
CAREER SO FAR AND WHICH CURRENT DESIGNERS INSPIRE YOU MOST?
COLIA: I take inspiration from everything and I am always ‘switched on’ to external
stimuli and inputs, even in my free time. It’s possible to find this inspiration
not only in streets, shops, museums or exhibitions, but also in natural landscapes.
Travelling inspires me a lot. Both the Sahara desert and Siberia are places that
had a great influence on me. They appear to be flat and empty but actually they
are not. In the same way, a good design project must be on the one hand simple,
on the other hand rich and meaningful. The designers I admire most are:
Rodolfo Dordoni; Raymond Loewy; Marcello Gandini; Jason Brooks; and
Claudio Silvestrin.
DESIGNER: DO YOU FOLLOW A PARTICULAR DESIGN PROCESS OR IS
EACH PROJECT VERY DIFFERENT?
COLIA: My design process starts with a general evaluation of what people need.
From that point on the process always develops differently. There is usually
a brainstorming with my friends and colleagues. I find it helps for a product
to win the consent of as many people as possible, so a consultation with other
professionals is extremely important. I try to make sure that my
brainstorming is as funny and creative as possible!
DESIGNER: HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR DESIGN STYLE?
COLIA: I do not have a proper ‘design style’. The style of my work changes
according to the client or the scenario. However, I always look for simplicity – a
simple product is often the strongest, because it is better understood and
remains longer in people’s minds. For me, shapes and surfaces must be
kept as simple as possible, so that they can be better read by the human eye and
mind. In this sense, geometry helps me a lot, with shapes such as cubes, spheres
and parallelepipeds.
DESIGNER: HOW DOES BEING A DESIGNER AFFECT THE WAY YOU SEE
THE WORLD?
COLIA: I think that when you are a designer it becomes very complicated to
buy furniture or clothes! Joking apart, I have a quite pessimistic outlook of the world, and of
my country in particular. Italy may be one of the design centres of the world,
but Italians can often lack real design creativity. For young professionals, it can
be very hard to interface with industry, which is always worried by profit and
with few who are willing to take risks. However, thanks to globalisation, the
new emerging markets are accessible and represent a great opportunity for a
designer.
DESIGNER: WHAT KITCHEN- OR BATHROOM-RELATED DESIGN PROJECTS
HAVE YOU UNDERTAKEN?
COLIA: Currently I work in the design department of Tulli Zuccari, an Italian
company which produces high quality bathroom furniture. We design all that
can be found in a bathroom: fittings, mirrors, lights, accessories.
I also work on projects of my own. For example, I produced the HOT radiator
– initially designed for a competition– which I have re-designed and for which I
am now seeking a manufacturer. In terms of kitchens, I have designed
the ‘No-GM’ Kitchen, which is a radical strategy to fight against environmental
pollution and food adulteration. It enables you to grow fruits and vegetables
by yourself, in your own kitchen-garden with the use of thermal lamps that
simulate sunlight and heat. Another little project related to the kitchen is the
‘Spaghetti Gadget’. It has three round holes, each corresponding to
a different quantity of pasta and which help you to serve up just the right size of
portion of pasta.
DESIGNER: HAVE YOU WORKED ON PROJECTS OUTSIDE OF THE KITCHEN/
BATHROOM SECTOR AND IF SO, WHAT TYPE OF WORK DOES THIS INCLUDE?
COLIA: One of my last projects is CAF (Computer Aided Furniture). CAF is a
very simple chair and it is intended as a comment on today’s design process. In
fact, its shape makes it similiar to a threedimensional model, created by any 3D
CAD software. The CAF chair illustrates its own design process.
This project was exhibited inside De Padova showroom in Milan, and selected
for an international contest organised by Designboom in 2007.
DESIGNER: WHICH OF YOUR OWN DESIGN PROJECTS HAS BEEN YOUR
PERSONAL FAVOURITE SO FAR?
COLIA: One of my favourite design projects is Dry Furniture, a series of pieces
of furniture made of wooden multilayer panels. They are totally self-built, so that
they can be moved anywhere both in a physical or digital sense.
I particularly like them – not just because I came up with the idea, but
also because I have realised full size 1:1 prototypes. Now the pieces of Dry
Furniture are in my flat, and I am pleased with them. They really do work.
DESIGNER: IN WHICH OTHER AREAS OF DESIGN WOULD YOU MOST LIKE TO
HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO WORK IN THE FUTURE?
COLIA: Besides my design job, I have developed a guerrilla marketing/
communication project with a friend. Strange, ornate graffiti connected with
religion can be found everywhere on posters in Milan subway. Nobody knows
who the writer is. We have elaborated them, taken thousands of pictures and made a website,
videos and T-shirts. Our work has been published in local newspapers and our
T-shirts are on sale in some trendy high street shops.
DESIGNER: WHAT IS YOUR LONG-TERM CAREER PLAN AS A DESIGNER?
COLIA: I want to specialise more in bathroom design, which I think is one
of the most exciting design sectors right now. Then perhaps I would like to teach
and write about design culture.
eye-catching product ideas. Designer finds out what inspires this creative
dynamo whose belief in simple design is the cornerstone of his work
DESIGNER: WHAT IS YOUR CAREER BACKGROUND AND HOW DID YOU FIRST
BECOME INTERESTED IN DESIGN?
TOMMASO COLIA: I have been interested in design since childhood and I used to
draw and create a lot at a young age. At school I took classical subjects, then
design at Milan Polytechnic. I was fortunate to have the opportunity to study for a year in the UK,
at Plymouth University. It is very different from Italy, and it was a really useful life
and cultural experience for me. After graduation, I attended a specialist course in marketing and store
management. I have been working for almost three years now – I am at the
beginning of my career, and I know I still have a lot to learn.
DESIGNER: WHO OR WHAT HAVE BEEN THE BIGGEST INFLUENCES ON YOUR
CAREER SO FAR AND WHICH CURRENT DESIGNERS INSPIRE YOU MOST?
COLIA: I take inspiration from everything and I am always ‘switched on’ to external
stimuli and inputs, even in my free time. It’s possible to find this inspiration
not only in streets, shops, museums or exhibitions, but also in natural landscapes.
Travelling inspires me a lot. Both the Sahara desert and Siberia are places that
had a great influence on me. They appear to be flat and empty but actually they
are not. In the same way, a good design project must be on the one hand simple,
on the other hand rich and meaningful. The designers I admire most are:
Rodolfo Dordoni; Raymond Loewy; Marcello Gandini; Jason Brooks; and
Claudio Silvestrin.
DESIGNER: DO YOU FOLLOW A PARTICULAR DESIGN PROCESS OR IS
EACH PROJECT VERY DIFFERENT?
COLIA: My design process starts with a general evaluation of what people need.
From that point on the process always develops differently. There is usually
a brainstorming with my friends and colleagues. I find it helps for a product
to win the consent of as many people as possible, so a consultation with other
professionals is extremely important. I try to make sure that my
brainstorming is as funny and creative as possible!
DESIGNER: HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR DESIGN STYLE?
COLIA: I do not have a proper ‘design style’. The style of my work changes
according to the client or the scenario. However, I always look for simplicity – a
simple product is often the strongest, because it is better understood and
remains longer in people’s minds. For me, shapes and surfaces must be
kept as simple as possible, so that they can be better read by the human eye and
mind. In this sense, geometry helps me a lot, with shapes such as cubes, spheres
and parallelepipeds.
DESIGNER: HOW DOES BEING A DESIGNER AFFECT THE WAY YOU SEE
THE WORLD?
COLIA: I think that when you are a designer it becomes very complicated to
buy furniture or clothes! Joking apart, I have a quite pessimistic outlook of the world, and of
my country in particular. Italy may be one of the design centres of the world,
but Italians can often lack real design creativity. For young professionals, it can
be very hard to interface with industry, which is always worried by profit and
with few who are willing to take risks. However, thanks to globalisation, the
new emerging markets are accessible and represent a great opportunity for a
designer.
DESIGNER: WHAT KITCHEN- OR BATHROOM-RELATED DESIGN PROJECTS
HAVE YOU UNDERTAKEN?
COLIA: Currently I work in the design department of Tulli Zuccari, an Italian
company which produces high quality bathroom furniture. We design all that
can be found in a bathroom: fittings, mirrors, lights, accessories.
I also work on projects of my own. For example, I produced the HOT radiator
– initially designed for a competition– which I have re-designed and for which I
am now seeking a manufacturer. In terms of kitchens, I have designed
the ‘No-GM’ Kitchen, which is a radical strategy to fight against environmental
pollution and food adulteration. It enables you to grow fruits and vegetables
by yourself, in your own kitchen-garden with the use of thermal lamps that
simulate sunlight and heat. Another little project related to the kitchen is the
‘Spaghetti Gadget’. It has three round holes, each corresponding to
a different quantity of pasta and which help you to serve up just the right size of
portion of pasta.
DESIGNER: HAVE YOU WORKED ON PROJECTS OUTSIDE OF THE KITCHEN/
BATHROOM SECTOR AND IF SO, WHAT TYPE OF WORK DOES THIS INCLUDE?
COLIA: One of my last projects is CAF (Computer Aided Furniture). CAF is a
very simple chair and it is intended as a comment on today’s design process. In
fact, its shape makes it similiar to a threedimensional model, created by any 3D
CAD software. The CAF chair illustrates its own design process.
This project was exhibited inside De Padova showroom in Milan, and selected
for an international contest organised by Designboom in 2007.
DESIGNER: WHICH OF YOUR OWN DESIGN PROJECTS HAS BEEN YOUR
PERSONAL FAVOURITE SO FAR?
COLIA: One of my favourite design projects is Dry Furniture, a series of pieces
of furniture made of wooden multilayer panels. They are totally self-built, so that
they can be moved anywhere both in a physical or digital sense.
I particularly like them – not just because I came up with the idea, but
also because I have realised full size 1:1 prototypes. Now the pieces of Dry
Furniture are in my flat, and I am pleased with them. They really do work.
DESIGNER: IN WHICH OTHER AREAS OF DESIGN WOULD YOU MOST LIKE TO
HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO WORK IN THE FUTURE?
COLIA: Besides my design job, I have developed a guerrilla marketing/
communication project with a friend. Strange, ornate graffiti connected with
religion can be found everywhere on posters in Milan subway. Nobody knows
who the writer is. We have elaborated them, taken thousands of pictures and made a website,
videos and T-shirts. Our work has been published in local newspapers and our
T-shirts are on sale in some trendy high street shops.
DESIGNER: WHAT IS YOUR LONG-TERM CAREER PLAN AS A DESIGNER?
COLIA: I want to specialise more in bathroom design, which I think is one
of the most exciting design sectors right now. Then perhaps I would like to teach
and write about design culture.
TOMMASO COLIA
Colia is an Italian designer whose ideas
have featured in numerous design
competitions and include the hot
radiator previously featured in Designer.
As well as developing his own projects
spanning the kitchen, bathroom and
other domestic fields, he is currently
working for Italian bathroom furniture
manufacturer Tulli Zuccari.