Bio
Guglielmo Poletti (1987) is a Milan-based Italian designer. His work stretches across a variety of fields ranging from spatial interventions to the design of furniture and lighting pieces, conceived either as limited edition series or produced in collaboration with the industry.
Poletti’s practice investigates the inherent constructive potential of materials through a deconstructive approach to form, aiming to shed light on the logical foundations of each project. This translates into archetypal reconfigurations which revolve around the articulation of tensions and balances – precise gestures through which the notions of limit and perception are often challenged both physically and visually. Beyond their apparent simplicity, Poletti’s rigorous compositions stand as metaphors of solved complexities, referencing minimalist sensibilities through their architectural qualities.
Deprived of superfluous conceptual narratives and stylistic redundancies, his research is in constant pursuit of a sublimation of the process, true dispensing agent of an aesthetic always subordinated to structural considerations. Grounded on a thinking by doing philosophy, his methodology entails an experimental attitude where intuition is triggered by the making, while analytical thinking plays a complementary role in restricting arbitrary choices throughout the implementation phases of an idea. Supported by his consistent criteria, Poletti’s outcomes are informed by a coherent vocabulary that overcomes typological differentiations.
Guglielmo Poletti founded his studio in 2016 after graduating from the Design Academy Eindhoven, where he earned an MA in Contextual Design. In addition to developing self-initiated and privately commissioned projects, he has collaborated with a number of internationally renowned clients such as Flos, Desalto and Galleria Rossana Orlandi, among others. His work is part of the permanent collection of the Design Museum Gent, which acquired the prototype of his Equilibrium Stool in 2017. Over the last few years he received several awards and nominations, including: Italian Rising Talent Awards 2018 at MAISON&OBJET / Winner, Wallpaper* Design Awards 2018 / Officine Panerai Next Generation Designer of the Year / Shortlisted, ADI Ceramics & Bathroom Design Award 2018 / Winner, EDIDA – Elle Deco International Design Awards 2019 / Young Talent of the Year / Shortlisted.
Clients
Over the last few years the studio received commissions by private and international clients, including Galleria Rossana Orlandi, SEEDS London, Wallpaper* Magazine, Desalto, among others.
Studio
The studio is located in an industrial building on the outskirts of Milan, which has been entirely renovated by Guglielmo Poletti. Besides serving as his office and workshop, the space also represents the designer's first project which relates to an architectural scale.
Exhibitions
2020
September–October / Milano Design City / Desalto / ‘La casa del collezionista’ / Cantù / IT
September / The Venice Glass Week / Mr.Lawrence & Desalto / ‘Glass Utopia’ / Venice / IT
May / Mr.Lawrence & Cambi Casa d'Aste / ‘Design Loves Milano’ / Milan / IT
January / Maison&Objet / Decoratori Bassanesi / Paris / FR
January / imm cologne / Desalto / Cologne / DE
2019
September / Cersaie / Decoratori Bassanesi / Bologna / IT
June–July / The National Museum of Singapore / ‘Wallpaper* Handmade X Singapore’ / Singapore / SG
May / ICFF / Decoratori Bassanesi / ‘Ceramics of Italy’ / Javits Center / New York / USA
April / Salone del Mobile.Milano / Desalto / Milan / IT
April / Milan Design Week – Fuorisalone / Desalto / Milan / IT
April / Milan Design Week – Fuorisalone / Wallpaper* Magazine / ‘Wallpaper* Handmade X’ / Milan / IT
April / Milan Design Week – Fuorisalone / Galleria Rossana Orlandi / Milan / IT
March–April / Christie's Italia & AIL Milano / ‘Una Mano per AIL’ / Milan / IT
March / COLLECTIBLE / SEEDS London Gallery / Brussels / BE
February / Madrid Design Festival / Galleria Rossana Orlandi / Madrid / ES
February / Het Nieuwe Instituut / ‘Dead Darlings #11 — Design’ / Rotterdam / NL
January / Maison&Objet / Decoratori Bassanesi / Paris / FR
2018
October / PAD London Art + Design / Galleria Rossana Orlandi / London / UK
September / Cersaie / Decoratori Bassanesi / Bologna / IT
May / Schloss Hollenegg for Design / ‘Legacy’ / Schwanberg / AUT
April / Milan Design Week – Fuorisalone / Galleria Rossana Orlandi / Milan / IT
April / Milan Design Week – Fuorisalone / SEEDS London Gallery / Milan / IT
February / ARCOmadrid / Galleria Rossana Orlandi & AD Architectural Digest Spain / Madrid / ES
January / Maison&Objet / ‘Rising Talent Awards Italy’ / Paris / FR
2017
November / Operæ – PHM | Piemonte Handmade / SEEDS London Gallery / Turin / IT
October / PAD London Art + Design / Galleria Rossana Orlandi / London / UK
June / Bratislava Design Week / ZOYA Gallery / Bratislava / SK
May–Ongoing / Design museum Gent / ‘Maarten Van Severen & Co. — A Wild Thing’ / Ghent / BE
April / Milan Design Week – Fuorisalone / Spazio Rossana Orlandi / Milan / IT
March–April / Spazio MIL – Archivio Sacchi & Pierre Dupont / ‘Relazione di Appartenenza’ / Milan / IT
February–May / SEEDS London Gallery / ‘SUPPORTS / SURFACES*’ / London / UK
2016
October / Dutch Design Week / Design Academy Eindhoven Graduation Show / ‘In Need Of...’ / Eindhoven / NL
October / Biennale Interieur / The Maarten Van Severen Foundation / ‘MVSC01 Erwan Bouroullec’ / Kortrijk / BE
2015
March / Kazerne / ‘From A to Z in One Day with Maarten Baas’ / Eindhoven / NL
2014
April / Salone del Mobile.Milano / Salone Satellite / Milan / IT
Awards & Recognition
2020
Archiproducts Design Awards 2020 / Furniture / Archiproducts / IT / Winner
Wallpaper* Design Awards 2020 / Best Dinner Guests / Wallpaper* Magazine / UK / Winner
2019
Kaldewei Future Award by AW Architektur & Wohnen 2020 / AW Architektur & Wohnen / DE / Shortlisted
Dezeen Awards 2019 / Emerging designer of the year / Dezeen / UK / Longlisted
Archiproducts Design Awards 2019 / Furniture / Archiproducts / IT / Longlisted
Stylepark Selected Award / Stylepark Magazine / Salone del Mobile.Milano 2019 / Milano / IT / Winner
2018
EDIDA – ELLE DECO INTERNATIONAL DESIGN AWARDS 2019 / Young Talent of the Year / Elle Decor Italia / IT / Shortlisted
ADI Ceramics & Bathroom Design Award / ADI – Associazione per il Disegno Industriale / Cersaie 2018 / Bologna / IT / Winner
Wallpaper* Design Awards 2018 / Officine Panerai Next Generation Designer of the Year / Wallpaper* Magazine / UK / Shortlisted
Rising Talent Awards Italy / MAISON&OBJET / Paris / FR / Winner
2017
Design Museum Gent / Equilibrium Stool – Prototype Edition / Ghent / BE / Acquisitions
2015
MVSC01 Erwan Bouroullec / The Maarten van Severen Foundation / Ghent / BE / Selected
Talks & Lectures
2019
June / Bati-C Design / Decoratori Bassanesi / Luxembourg / LU
2018
January / MAISON&OBJET / ‘Rising Talents: The New Stars of Italian Design’ / Paris / FR
2017
December / MADE Program / Rosario Gagliardi Academy of Fine Arts / Syracuse / IT
June / Bratislava Design Week / BADW Design Lectures / Bratislava / SK
Acquisitions
2017
Design Museum Gent / Equilibrium Stool – Prototype Edition / Ghent / BE