From the study of materials to the metaverse, from the Wabi-Sabi philosophy to the aesthetics of the Modern Movement, Emanuele Svetti works to realize dreams, always placing humanity at the center of gravity.
Could you tell us about your approach to architecture?
I can only start from my love for my work.
What I love is building relationships with people, whose expectations and dreams I need to interpret… I love doing research, traveling, exploring, and experimenting — for example — with new cuts, textures, materials. As well as revisiting traditional materials to reinterpret them in a modern way. I really enjoy harmonizing spaces, colors…
The common thread in all my projects is that at the center there has been, is, and always will be the human being. It is the person who creates the space, who uses it, and who is the primary point of reference when beginning to design. Depending on the project, this could be the homeowner, a guest, a client, and nowadays also an influencer — in the sense that they wield a communication tool of immense power: I’m talking about social media and the digital feedback it generates. But it always starts there. With the human being.
In these twenty years of my career, the opportunity to travel has been very important to me. Since I have worked in the United States, especially on the West Coast, in North Africa, the Emirates, Spain, France, Germany, Russia, China, and of course throughout Italy.
Travel remains my main source of inspiration, both professionally and for my personal growth. It helps me fill the mental containers that, like everyone, I have at my disposal. And that I try daily to enrich with new substance — much like the care and nurturing involved in floriculture and gardening.
That’s why I often say: all of my projects are a journey, just as every journey is a project. It’s my way of expressing the emotional “melting pot” stirred by encounters with realities. I like to define as alien — because they are less familiar — but that help to enrich the mental flow and make the design process more sophisticated.
How did these twenty years of your career begin?
During my university studies in Florence, I was fortunate to have Roberto Segoni, a master of Design, among my mentors. Professionally, I then grew up in the contract world with Gianluca Colombo and the Del Tongo family. In 2005, we created the Del Tongo contract division from zero, and I was their consultant until 2010, bringing together with the whole team the turnover from zero to peaks of even 30 million euros.
In that period, I developed a “designer-carpenter” mindset, which I still carry with me today. Rarely does an architect have it, but it is essential to achieve the level of attention to detail that I demand in every one of my creations. When I start a project, I often feel very close to Walt Disney and his most famous motto: “If you can dream it, you can do it.”
But to transform a dream into something concrete, you need to find a balance and therefore add a fundamental component: sustainability. This should be understood not only in terms of ecology and environmental respect, but also—and above all—in economic terms.
Jumping back to my academic years, there was an episode in my education that forever shaped my approach to architecture: during a day in the library, I was literally struck by the geometries and almost floating structures of Richard Neutra, as well as his great attention to defining the real needs of his clients. This immediately became one of the cornerstones of my work.
I never start without first listening to the client and trying to interpret their desires—I don’t like self-referentiality. This applies both to large-scale and small-scale projects, from buildings to objects.
Do you collaborate with artists or include artworks in your designs?
Absolutely yes. For me, there is no project that doesn’t include a connection between the architect’s artistic expression (which consists of transforming dreams into real volumes) and artistic influences already present in the concept phase, extending to materials and textures that may be inspired by artworks.
I also seek and find art in the experience of travel, where I make sure to visit museums, exhibitions, and galleries, trying to attend events such as the Biennale, Art Basel, Arte Fiera, and many others. I have friends who are gallery owners, and I enjoy collecting artworks because, fundamentally, I am interested in everything that represents beauty—not as a fixed canon, but as a kind of illumination. I am fascinated by the Wabi-Sabi culture, where beauty is a manifestation of the world in that very moment, beyond any logic.
How did you come to know Cinquerosso Arte, and what do you think about it?
We have met several times, first virtually and then in person for the first time with Francesca at this year’s Fuorisalone. This allowed us to better understand how we could mutually support each other.
For about two years now, I have been working on a project called SUIT-E Hotel in the Metaverse, a non-physical space that celebrates the aesthetic and artistic expression of a digital product. During that occasion, we discussed it and exchanged our views.
We are now collaborating on a project for a hotel in Milan, where we would like to feature photographic works by Franco Covi in the rooms, with the aim of offering guests an immersive and harmonious experience focused on the proportion and elegance of the female body.
