“Interpretation, collaboration and improvisation”.  These are the words that design duo Claudio Dondoli and Marco Pocci, better known as Dondoli & Pocci, use to describe their work.

Their design house, Archirivolto, has created hundreds of stylish designs for many of Italy’s biggest names in the furniture world.  Their specialist area is seating. So, we wondered, how do they manage to retain the best seats in the house?

We caught up with the creative duo to find out more and to celebrate a big anniversary.

GM: If our mathematics is correct, you will be celebrating your 40th anniversary in the furniture design business in 2023. That is an amazing achievement, congratulations! How do you keep your ideas fresh?

D&P: Yes, your calculations are correct, but the design has not aged.

Over the years, many young designers have supported us in the design of new products, in their creation and in supporting companies. Some are still with us; others have started parallel activities or even changed jobs. We have always believed in a large team, working with people of different backgrounds and design skills.  We work every day on new ideas by collaborating with colleagues in a continuous synergy.

GM: So why chairs?

D&P: The chair is the queen of furniture design. Perhaps the object that, most of all, has gone through all the different eras of design. The chair is a complex object full of contents: aesthetics, ethics, design, form, function and ergonomics. Companies recognize that we have a particular ability in reading trends in the world of seating. They continue to ask us to design new ones.

GM: What in your opinion is the key to a successful chair design?

D&P: To create a successful design, you must focus above all on its future intended use. Then, we must weave through the company style. Only at the end are ergonomics and details taken care of by prototyping the object.  We do this first in wood (as has always been done in the automotive world) then, with the materials we have defined with the company.

GM: One of your latest designs for Bonaldo is… not a chair. The superb Pin floor lamp has been a big hit with the design press over here. Why a light? Additionally, how did you arrive at the concept for its shape and materials?

D&P: We like to browse outside the world of the chair. Bonaldo gave us the opportunity. Therefore, we presented some lamps, aiming to tie ourselves to their brand new collection. We wanted a simple object, a discreet presence to put in the living room or to enhance any corner of the house. We thought of the Pin lamp.  It is slim, elegant and with a controlled light emission thanks to dark shading painted on the glass, which covers the direct light.

GM: And another new design, also not a chair… your Vertigo sideboard has a beautifully dramatic look (along with a dramatic name). What is behind the famous name and the look? What were your aims with this design?

D&P: Vertigo is a sideboard, a piece of furniture which in itself is very static. We therefore wanted to create an object that destabilizes the sense of the rigid. We did this by ‘moving’ the surface with a wave decoration, creating a breaking effect and with the simple function of containing that object.

GM: There is often a sense of theatre with your designs. Table base/legs, for example,  are the protagonists, with dynamic shapes and great sculptural appeal.

D&P: In the past we were involved with a theatre. The name of our design studio, Archirivolto, derives from the name of this theatre: the Archivolt of Genoa.

We followed this small theatre company when we were young; we brought artists to Colle di Val ‘d’Elsa (the small Tuscan town where Dondoli & Pocci are based) who later became international names. Actors such as Roberto Benigni for example. Some friends and collaborators of the time therefore called us Archi-RI-verso precisely to mention what we were trying to do with theatre in our country. That nickname has stuck with us. Therefore, we used it to title our work, which is made up of interpretation, collaboration and improvisation, just like that of the theatre.

GM: You obviously love playing with shapes, geometry, angles and materials. Yet there is also a soft, natural element to your company’s designs. The Bonaldo Arbor Collection, for example, takes inspiration from the petals of a water lily. Does nature play a large part in many of your designs?

D&P: Yes, nature is fundamental in our work. Nature already contains all the geometry that design needs. We work immersed in nature, our studio is located between a vineyard and a forest, where our animals live free… free even to enter the studio if they want!

GM: How much has an awareness of climate change impacted on your use of materials?

D&P: Very, very much. We know that it is not easy to work with zero impact. Indeed, perhaps today it is impossible. Even the simple walk of man on earth creates impact, but what we can do is collaborate with the company and the customer to create ethical objects that use renewable and regenerable materials. There are so many we just have to learn how to use them, manage them and make the public love them… a stumbling block that is not always easy.

GM: What at the moment, in your work, is your favourite material?

D&P: We have always loved working with all printable materials, such as plastic or aluminium. They allow you to free the design like no other material. You can shape them to your liking and make them look like the materials you want without technical constraints. They are sustainable materials because they are recyclable, and their finishes are multiple, allowing you to adapt the objects to their intended use.

GM: Do you have time for passions outside of work? If yes, what?

D&P: Passions have changed over the years, but now one above all has taken over. Because we fell in love with the world of wine. We planted vineyards all around the studio, we created a winery and the “Il Drago e la Fornace” brand.

We started as a joke, perhaps to produce some well-labelled bottles to give to our customers. Then the passion took us away and we created a real commercial structure. To date, after almost 10 years of existence, Il Drago e la Fornace sells throughout Italy and exports to various countries in Europe and around the world for the hospitality sector.

GM: With many, many thanks to Claudio Dondoli and Marco Pocci for their creativity, illuminating answers (and surprising passion!).  Cheers and happy anniversary for 2023!