MILAN, ITALY — We’ve profiled the tastefully quirky designs of Italian maker Antonio Aricò previously on cfile.daily. For more context for his work, you should read our piece on his “Still Alive” office set (which can be arranged and played with to stave off desk job ennui) and his “Good Morning” lamps, which blend bedside lighting with the sensation of grasping your first morning cup of coffee.
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His newest, Australian Shells, isn’t much of a departure from his other work, but that’s not a bad thing. If Antonio has a theme, it’s reinforcing sensations of comfort. The two works we linked above attempt to create gentle emotions, even in the face of rough patches of one’s day, such as getting up early in the morning or working. There is no antagonist in Australian Seashells, so peace abounds. Inspired by a vacation he took to the beach, Aricò created a set of seashell-inspired tableware. The shimmering icy blue color is complemented by ridges that evoke both seashells and rippling water. The designer states:
“I wanted this collection to be a funny and graceful way to describe Australian hidden beauties often connected to the idyllic idea of sea, lightness and exotic feelings. I wanted to use basic cultural stereotypes and create a surreal and dreamy imaginary (feeling) around them”.
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The project was born out of a 3-month industrial design workshop Aricò lead at RMIT in Australia. The designer was invited by Judith Glover, the course’s professor. The students in the class followed Aricò’s entire process, from sketching the initial designs to slip casting and glazing.
Photographs by Johnny Sisavath. Click to see a larger image.
Aricò (1983) graduated from the Politecnico di Milano and a postgraduate course at Alta Scuola Politecnica. He opened a studio and a showroom in 2011 in Milan, where he was born and raised. He works on personal limited collections and collaborations with brands across Italy. He’s exhibited in Milan, Berlin, Paris and Tel Aviv. The designer states that his work encompasses values ranging from rationality to emotions of the user.
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