Roberto Sironi is a young Italian designer. After graduating in design at Milan’s Politecnico, where he still works, he developed his style by investigating materials and the possibilities to work on them, reaching remarkable results. He presented his works in various exhibitions in Italy and Europe. In 2015 he received the Honorable mention at the ADI Compasso d’Oro International Award and his projects have been exhibited in New Delhi and Buenos Aires, within the travelling exhibition of Triennale Design Museum.

Tell us something about your studies and training.

I studied Design at the Politecnico University in Milan, where I still work as Research Fellow at the Design Department. I approach each project in two different ways: on the one side, the scientific research which I carry on with the Design Department; on the other side, the experimentation with the materials, thanks to a meaningful collaboration with the artisans that I carefully hand pick. This multi-faceted approach seems to work: in fact I can face each project through different perspectives, which are, actually, the two sides of the same coin.

I can face each project through different perspectives, which are, actually, the two sides of the same coin

I am fascinated by the contemporary aspects of anthropology. For this reason I study with interest the relationship between man and nature, as well as rituals and history.

Why did you decide to work in close collaboration with craftsmen?

I felt the need to enter into a fruitful dialogue with like-minded people, who are as sensitive as I am with regards to my project and who are an active part in the creation of the pieces. Thanks to the craftsmen’s experience and dexterity, and in particular, thanks to their availability to experiment, I can translate my initial idea into a specific material. Moreover, due to the small dimension of their ateliers, it is easier to get in touch with them and to enter immediately into the heart of the project.

What inspires your design? What kind of aesthetic do you pursue?

My aesthetic pursue always aims at the best realization of the idea I have in my mind. I am not tied to a specific style: every project requires its own language to reveal its potential to the fullest. I have many sources of inspiration: I am fascinated by the contemporary aspects of anthropology. For this reason I study with interest the relationship between man and nature, as well as rituals and history.

Starting from one of your most representative objects, can you explain how you developed it? Where did the idea come from, and how it became an actual object.


My last project – FUOCO – was born almost by chance: while I was having a walk on the mountains, I bumped into an area which had been damaged by a fire. I started to pick up some remains of burnt trees and I felt the need to investigate the artistic aspects of this natural process through the melting bronze technique. The Fonderia Artistica Battaglia, in Milan, to whom I had turned to develop the project, immediately approved it with excitement and we worked together on the process to transform the burnt wood in sculptures and bronze pieces of furniture. The skills of the artisans working at the Fonderia – derived from a time-honoured experience – allowed me to create these artworks obtaining a result which excedeed my expectations.

Which are your future projects?

I’m working on a couple of projects which have a double purpose: on one side to continue with my “linguistic” research on the materials, on the other side to continue with the analysis of my anthropological subjects, which become objects, pieces of furniture and artworks that can express my point of view and be seen as a contemporary consideration on the themes that I study.