«The Italian Way of Living – a model for those around the world who seek to refine their taste and approach to life – must be capable of offering a different paradigm, an archetype of the Vita Nova that our planet demands: rediscovering the Art of Care and creating the Design of Care». This is how Davide Rampello ended his article for Interni magazine, published on 5 October 2020, at the height of the pandemic crisis. «Drawing on the extraordinary state of mind we all experienced at that time,» Davide Rampello reflects six years later, «we came to realise just how significant this concept was. We therefore developed a structured programme of reflection that initially involved the studio’s own team before expanding to include figures from a wide range of disciplines, arts and professions with whom we began an ongoing dialogue. Our aim was to understand how a theme rooted in the very soul of homo curiosus – whose desire for knowledge is the first sign of a willingness to care for the world around us – could be interpreted in a way that would breathe new life into the culture of design.
Those exchanges resulted in two published volumes. They bring together our conversations, a selection of design projects developed by Rampello & Partners, and reflections from the team itself. In the meantime, we have also introduced a profound change to our design methodology, applying it across every field in which we work. We have codified this approach into a set of eight
uiding principles, within which ‘Care’ stands as one of the key concepts». Turning more specifically to interior design Davide Rampello begins with the word’s etymology. «Arredo (furnishing) is a late medieval term of Frankish origin that literally means ‘to take care of’. It demonstrates that the interior designer’s role is to care for the individual who places their trust in them and to guide them in what is perhaps the most important task of all: caring for their home.
Coming back to the present day, the extraordinary influence of Italian design around the world is not solely the result of the unquestionable genius of the great masters of the 20th century. It is, above all, the product of an exceptional ability to execute ideas perfectly. Anyone wishing to create an object as a true work of art must do so in Italy – at least for now, although China, the world’s largest manufacturing nation, is making remarkable progress. Such flawless execution is the result of meticulous attention to detail, the result of ongoing technological research and the pursuit of ever more refined craftsmanship, both of which are defining characteristics of Italian manufacturing. This is a quality deeply embedded in the very soul of Italy and evident across
every field of applied art.
"WE MUST DIRECT AND
USE OUR KNOWLEDGE
AND OUR TOOLS WITH
THE PROFOUND AND
RESPONSIBLE SPIRIT
OF CARE"
It also encompasses the agri-food sector, one of the areas in which Italian excellence is most widely recognised throughout the world. We must safeguard these centres of excellence, and to do so we need a unified vision that respects differences while remaining cohesive through the very concept
of care – a concept that must extend beyond individual products to include care for the territories from which they emerge. In this regard, I see a worrying lack of care in education, particularly in technical and vocational training. It needs to become more rigorous and better structured if we are to preserve the expertise required to sustain and enhance the extraordinary qualities of our country».
Davide Rampello’s perspective also extends to the way the design of care can add value to the kitchen within our homes. «The kitchen is, metaphorically speaking, the space that most strengthens the family community. Now our increasingly compressed schedules risk reducing the kitchen to little more than a place where frozen ready meals are reheated and eaten alone. Instead, we should once again design spaces that reinforce a deeper sense of community»
"CARE FOR OURSELVES
AND, IN TURN, BECOMING
CARETAKERS OF ALL
THAT EXISTS BEYOND
OURSELVES, ACTING
TOGETHER AS CUSTODIANS
OF THE WORLD AND
EVERYTHING IN IT"
