Beauty That Needs No Interpreter

Luca Fuso, CEO of Cassina and Zanotta, discusses his philosophy of design, the great design treasures in the Cassina archive, and the radical spirit that epitomizes Zanotta. Watch the full video to learn more.

Design as Order

Luca Fuso, CEO of Cassina and Zanotta, remembers being moved by design at an early age. “I was pretty young. I think it was a natural thing because I’m very orderly. I like to plan things in advance,” Luca says. “And design is the quintessence of this because it’s a way to create things that are both functional and beautiful at the same time.”

Luca sees design as a thoughtful approach that transforms chaos into elegant order. “This is why I believe I like design so much,” Luca says. “The beauty of the best design is when it’s something that you don’t need an interpreter to understand. It’s something you understand at first look.”

The world is chaotic and noisy, creating a tumult that is often baffling and alienating but thoughtful design is a remedy. Luca’s philosophy of design—as a source of clarity that calms and transcends the noise—will only gain more attention as we design spaces with neurodiversity in mind.

The Rich Archive of Cassina

When Luca first joined Cassina, he found the sheer breadth of the collection breathtaking. Stretching back over a century, the Cassina archive includes beautiful work from as far back as the 1920s. With such a rich history of working with so many storied designers, the Cassina archive is a genuine microcosm of modern design, boasting the work of dozens of masters from every design generation, including Charlotte Perriand, Patricia Urquiola, Le Corbusier, and Carlo Scarpa.

The ability to harmoniously mix pieces from all over the design timeline informs what Luca calls the Cassina Perspective. “The spirit of a brand should be understood by what it does,” Luca says. And with the myriad jewels in its design archives, Cassina may well be unique in its ability to combine masters of the past, titans of the present, and up-and-comers of tomorrow in one setting—with every piece enhancing the others.

The Radical Spirit of Zanotta

Zanotta—a new member of the Haworth Group—boasts a collection “full of incredibly creative products that stem from very creative minds in the last 70 years,” Luca says, telling us Zanotta stories as we sit in Gomma armchairs. Gomma which means “chewing gum” in Italian, was designed before the Zanotta era, but Luca believes Gomma represents the “radical spirit” that epitomizes the company.

Gomma “was designed in the most creative period of the 20th century—from ’65 to ’75,” he says. “And if you look at it today, more than 50 years later, it is still a great design and it’s still super comfortable and suitable for many different uses. And this is also design: when you can do something for different purposes in different places.”

And Gomma is just one among many gems in the Zanotta collection, which Luca aims to revivify. “There are many products that we believe we can bring back to life in the collection,” he says. “Our goal is to revive this spirit and bring back that radical approach that characterized Zanotta for many, many years.”

Luca Fuso’s insights into design, Cassina’s heritage, and Zanotta’s creativity show how thoughtful design can transform our spaces. These stories inspire us to value both beauty and function in our everyday lives.