6 May 2014

In a situation characterized by ever growing numbers of self-producers and designers working outside the framework of industry, Odoardo Fioravanti remains proud of his industrial ties. And in fact a solo exhibition he staged a few years ago was tellingly entitled Industrious Design. His objective is to create a functional form that does not forget to be beautiful and versatile, just as the best industrial design requires. His Snow chair for Pedrali has been a great success and is a perfect example of this approach, which can no longer be taken for granted today. Its clean form, suitability for outdoor and indoor use and the faultless logic of making it stackable and easy to maintain have already turned it into a classic. Today it returns in a smaller version for children, Snow Jr, again made out of polypropylene reinforced with fiberglass, rendering it solid and light at one and the same time, and again using gas-assisted injection molding so that it can be produced in large numbers, keeping down the cost. Safe and colorful, it is ideal for the little ones. Only an object that attains very high standards is able to make the leap from one generation to the next. And this is just what has happened here. NB: when a composer becomes the father of a daughter he dedicates a serenade to her, while a designer does the same thing with a chair. Well done Odo.