Friday Five with Francesco Favaretto

Photo by Alessandro Piccolo

Francesco Favaretto is a designer and Creative Director of Favaretto & Partners Design Studio. Born in Padua, Italy, the son of designer Paolo Favaretto, his childhood was surrounded by industrial design and interior architecture. After graduating from an arts-based high school, he studied Industrial Design at the IUAV in Venice. After striking out on his own path, Francesco became a founding partner of clothing company MOFODESIGN, and continues with their art direction, guiding the production and communication for their collections. In 2009, Francesco joined his father as a partner of Favaretto & Partners Design Studio. He effectively extended the studio’s design capabilities to cover new areas of design, both tangible and digital. The studio itself balances innovation and function with form and aesthetic and has collaborated with prestigious companies worldwide, including Bernhardt Design in the United States. Outside of designing products, Francesco is a guest lecturer at the University of Architecture and Design of IUAV of Venice. He has spoken about industrial design, process, factories, material, master craftsmanship and the future of the design industry. Today, Francesco is joining us for Friday Five!

Photo: Marco Rossetto

1. Venice
I’m totally in love with this shot! A friend of mine, photographer Marco Rossetto, got this amazing shot of Venice during the pandemic. It’s the Canal Grande from Accademia Bridge, and in the back the Basilica Santa Maria della Salute. Seeing Venice this empty will probably never happen again.

Photo: Francesco Favaretto

2. Black Bic Cristal Ballpoint Pen
This is my tool, my third arm, my best partner, my best confident and my psychologist. It doesn’t judge you, only shows you your actual mood when you stop to see what you have sketched. I have a black Bic pen on every surface, table, shelf, on my scooter, in my car, backpack – everywhere.

Photo: Francesco Favaretto

3. My Son, Alvise
He is two years old and is hands down my best project – my sunshine, my day, my night, my inspiration and my smile! I call him Sorcio, “rat” in English. I really love this picture because I see his lovely best friend koala and him, just woken up from a nap and smiling, smiling, smiling… as every day!

Photo courtesy of Knoll

4. WOMB Armchair, designed by Eero Saarinen 1948 for Knoll
For sure, my favorite armchair. A real all-in design, it balances design and functionality, aesthetics and comfort. It’s essentially a basket with pillows that looks soft from the front, structured from the back, with extreme roundness that creates the perfect dialogue.

Photo: Francesco Favaretto

5. Chapstick
Like my Bic pen, it’s an essential. I’m really addicted to Chapstick – I can’t leave my house without it! It has become, in last 15 years, part of me. I probably have more chapsticks than Bic pens with and around me.

Work by Francesco Favaretto:

Jube for Vistosi

BomBom for Bernhardt Design

D-Series for Sunon