My career started as a punishment – or maybe a form of education. I was a lively child, so my parents sent me to a workshop to learn a craft. The owner, an exceptionally skilled traditional carpenter, was severe, but his workshop was a place of respect and affection. He gave me my love for this craft.

While working, I studied architecture at university, but I didn't find my own way there. On the contrary, the rigidity of the system drove me to explore new ways to express myself, trying at the same time to connect objects with their function in a more openminded way.

First of all, artisans should not leave the design part to the architect, like many do. Also, I am open to different materials – ceramic, glass, steel – if this is reasonable function-wise. Last but not least, as a painter, I also love decoration – it opens a door to your soul.

I like the meeting between nature and the artifice of man. For my project Ombra, I found a technique to print the shadow of an actual branch on MDF panels that I used to create simple furniture pieces. Why MDF? I came to a point where, as a real wood lover, I wanted to waste it as little as possible.