Renowned architect and designer shares insights on his unconventional approach to consistency, the influence of a child’s mind, and crafting timeless beauty
From fashionable Milan to bustling New York, Lissoni & Partners has been among the world’s most respected design studios for three decades. Piero Lissoni, the creative maestro at the head of the studio, is best known to the Croatian public as the designer of the Grand Park Hotel, whose luxurious ambience overlooking the old town of Rovinj has become one of the most recognizable on the entire Adriatic.
Yachting fans know him as the artistic director of Sanlorenzo, where he played one of the key roles in creating a new identity for the Italian shipyard. Lissoni’s philosophy of designing yachts as floating villas focuses equally on aesthetics and structural elements that ensure the yacht blends harmoniously into the environment, be it the sea, nature or the ever-changing world. The love for open spaces, the strong connection between interior and exterior, and the integration of top technology, give Lissoni’s design a stamp of simplicity, elegance and a touch of sporty sophistication.
MR. LISSONI, YOUR WORK SPANS ARCHITECTURE, INTERIOR DESIGN, AND PRODUCT DESIGN. HOW DO YOU MANAGE TO MAINTAIN A CONSISTENT AESTHETIC AND VISION ACROSS SUCH DIVERSE FIELDS?
Architecture and design have the same basis: human beings. As an architect and designer, I design objects that inhabit spaces that in turn are contained within an architecture, but everything is studied in relation to the individual and I start from this premise.
YOU ONCE SAID THAT YOU LIKE TO STAY IN A SPECIAL STATE OF CHILDHOOD. DO YOU THINK THAT THE PURITY OF A CHILD’S MIND AND CURIOSITY ARE THE MOST DESIRABLE CHARACTERISTICS THAT GOOD DESIGNERS SHOULD HAVE?
I don’t think it’s possible to live without playing. As children, we play with small things, make houses with building blocks, play with model cars, boats, planes. As adults, we continue to build these things but on a different scale. You risk becoming unhappy if you don’t play. I count myself lucky because I play more or less every day.
MANY OF YOUR PROJECTS ARE RENOWNED FOR THEIR MINIMALIST AND TIMELESS DESIGNS. WHAT DRAWS YOU TO THIS STYLE, AND HOW DO YOU KEEP IT FRESH AND RELEVANT IN A CONSTANTLY EVOLVING DESIGN LANDSCAPE?
Journalists have labelled me and others as part of the minimalist trend, but in general I see myself more defined by a minimum of decoration and by a code of elegance that can sometimes prove problematic as it is the result of a search for combinations and proportions that then become new codes. Ideally, I feel more akin to the ethos of rational design.
THE CHOICE OF MATERIALS IS CRUCIAL IN DESIGN. HOW DO YOU APPROACH SELECTING MATERIALS FOR A PROJECT, AND HOW DO THEY INFLUENCE THE FINAL OUTCOME?
I’m fascinated by all materials; I don’t have a favorite. I’m always intrigued to find the limits of each material, whatever it is, be it technological, traditional, old or antique like wood, ceramics or glass. Every material has its own sort of confine and so I try to reach that and go beyond it. The relationship with the material is unequivocal. If we think honestly and respectfully, the materials speak to you. They allow you to do things and they stop you from doing other things. The language is there inside: you have to listen to the voice that the project brings to you and the materials have their own voice.
GRAND PARK HOTEL IN ROVINJ OFFERS A LUXURIOUS RETREAT ALONG THE ADRIATIC COAST. CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THE DESIGN CHOICES AND ARCHITECTURAL FEATURES THAT WERE MADE TO HARMONIZE WITH THE BEAUTIFUL COASTAL SURROUNDINGS, CREATING A UNIQUE EXPERIENCE FOR GUESTS?
I tried to bring together inside and outside. This project is linked to the marine environment and to the surrounding nature, which are very present. In the coming years, when the greenery matures, the Grand Park Hotel will be completely integrated with the nature. Water and pools are also important for the hotel experience. For me, it’s essential to balance the purity of the project with the need to put some life inside. You can design something exceptional but without these secrets the space will lack sensuality. You need to put meaning inside; you need to take a poetic approach.
HOW DID YOUR BACKGROUND IN ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN INFLUENCE YOUR APPROACH TO YACHT DESIGN, AND WHAT UNIQUE PERSPECTIVES DO YOU BRING TO THE WORLD OF LUXURY YACHT CREATION?
I came to this world with my experience as a non-nautical architect, a clandestine approach. I think of yachts as floating architectures.
YACHTING IS ABOUT THE EXPERIENCE AS MUCH AS THE VESSEL ITSELF. HOW DO YOU ENSURE THAT YOUR DESIGNS PROVIDE AN UNFORGETTABLE AND SEAMLESS EXPERIENCE FOR OWNERS AND THEIR GUESTS, FROM BOARDING TO CRUISING?
As an architect, I don’t think solely from an aesthetic perspective, but together with engineers and the exteriors designer we reason on the structural elements. For me, it’s absolutely essential that the boat dialogues with the surroundings, the sea, the nature… it’s like a floating villa. I choose the furnishings like in a house, with the additions of some custom-made products which can be transformed, such as the lounge areas that become dining areas when needed.
AS THE ART DIRECTOR OF SANLORENZO SINCE 2018, HOW HAS YOUR ARTISTIC VISION AND DESIGN PHILOSOPHY INFLUENCED THE DIRECTION OF SANLORENZO YACHTS DURING YOUR TENURE?
Sanlorenzo has several production sites with different industrial models, a sophisticated technology and meticulous attention to quality: a complex reality which I tried to bring together. For me, being the art director means taking a 360° view, from the product to the corporate image, from the trade fair fit-outs to the presentations, choosing the finishes, the photographs… But above all, it means working as part of a team, being able to act with precision and coherence. The task of art director involves realigning the various elements in order to make them coherent and consistent.
THE NEW SANLORENZO SX100 IS DESCRIBED AS A CROSSOVER YACHT. HOW DID YOUR ARTISTIC DIRECTION ACCOMMODATE THIS DUAL-PURPOSE NATURE, BLENDING EXPLORATION AND LUXURY?
With its streamlined form, I tried to bring to SX100 the same approach that I took with the other models: open spaces, connection between the interior and the exterior, and a great deal of technology. The interiors are distinguished by simplicity and elegance, but at the same time the design is ‘stretched’ to meet the demands of a sports yacht.
Text Hrvoje Bulešić
Illustrations Guido Scarabottolo
Photos Francesco Caredda, Thomas Pagani, Veronica Gaido, Erik Lefander, Tsing Lim & Tommaso Sartori
