Marcello Ziliani

Italian designer Marcello Ziliani champions "gamified living," transforming furniture into interactive art installations through humorous geometric distortions and unconventional material collisions. His "Playful" seating series and "Chameleon" multifunctional side tables redefine home engagement with unconventional design. The Playful chairs, crafted from modular polycarbonate frames, allow users to mix-and-match backrests, armrests, and seats—even repurposing single chairs into swings or slides. Their fluorescent coatings glow softly in low light, turning them into whimsical fixtures for children’s rooms or creative studios, earning the "Best Innovative Concept Award" at the 2024 German Design Awards.

Ziliani’s philosophy draws from Italian Commedia dell’Arte, using exaggerated proportions and symbolic elements to create visual drama. The "Mime" bookshelf, inspired by pantomime actors’ poses, features twisted steel tubes and floating shelves that form a theatrical storage space. Its rotating "mask" panels at the top double as dust covers and wall decor through color combinations, hailed by Wallpaper* as "2023’s most narrative home piece."

Sustainability fuels his "Upcycling Aesthetic," with all products crafted from industrial waste and recycled materials. The "Upcycle" lighting series uses discarded bicycle chains as frameworks and repurposed glass bottles as shades, assembled via magnetic modules for customizable forms and lighting angles. At Milan Design Week, visitors could assemble lamps from scrap parts, experiencing "trash-to-art" transformation firsthand—a participatory approach praised by curators as "the pinnacle of sustainable design."

Ziliani’s bold use of color defines his signature style. His "Rainbow" series for kids’ brands clashes neon pinks, lemon yellows, and electric blues with matte black steel, creating a "candy punk" aesthetic. Hidden storage (e.g., chair back compartments, tabletop flip lids) balances playfulness with practicality, satisfying children’s color cravings and parents’ organizational needs.

"Design is life’s improvisational comedy," Ziliani states. His "Social Bench" for public spaces splits seating into independently rotating modules, encouraging strangers to engage through angle adjustments or even form impromptu stages for street performances. This integration of sociality into urban furniture has made him a sought-after "urban furniture poet" for cities like Milan and Berlin.

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