The conversation
Italian designer David Dolcini wants us all to slow down and enjoy our homes by filling them with the right kind of design, as he tells our editor Pip Rich
Award-winning designer David Dolcini started his career at Luceplan and now regularly designs for some of the biggest Italian brands such as Arf lex and Porada. His work has a timeless and rela xed quality to it and is just perfect for how we live now.
PIP RICH I know each product you design is a labour of love – you think at length about each corner, angle, surface and how they all come together. As you design at the moment, what issues are you thinking about?
DAVID DOLCINI I spend a lot of time thinking about how the issue of modern living is that we rush even when we’re enjoying things. And the problem is when you rush, you miss. Like downing sitting – on a sofa for about half of the a glass of wine, the pleasure is over too time so make sure it ’s comfortable fast. With the pieces I’m working on enough to do that on. I designed one at the moment I’m trying to present specifically for my home to have a low something that is simple in appearance back – it’s bet ween the living room and but complex in reality – the more you kitchen and I didn’t want something use it or look at it, the more you discover high so I couldn’t see bet ween the t wo. about it. And the more you love it.
PR I love that idea of slowing down backrest and then sort of roll over it on to appreciate your surroundings as a the couch – and that’s what I now do all sentiment, but what do you mean by that the time! So really focus on how you’re in reality? It’s hard to slow down. actually going to move around a space.
DD Well, when I am designing I am
YOU’RE LYING – NOT SITTING – ON A SOFA FOR ABOUT HALF OF THE TIME SO MAKE SURE IT’S COMFORTABLE ENOUGH TO DO THAT ON
PR I once heard you describe your thinking about how people will use the designs as ‘lighthearted’ and I wondered piece I’ve made. Take a dining chair, for example. A chair is not just how you sit on it in one position, it’s how you move around its seat, shifting positions to talk to the person on your lef t then on your right. You twist, you lean back, you sit forward. The more enjoyable evenings you have in a chair, the more you’ll discover about how it facilitated that evening for you, and the more you’ll love it.
PR That makes sense. So many times when I’m buying anew piece of furniture I focus on how it looks, but not always as much on how I’ll use it.
DD Most people are guilty of that. When buying something, it’s more useful to really think long and hard about how you’ll use it first. You’re lying – not sitting – on a sofa for about half of the time so make sure it’s comfortable enough to do that on. I designed one specifically for my home to have a low back – it’s betwee
