Formafantasma

Their design philosophy emphasises the importance of material and process over the final product. This ethos is evident not only in the studio’s name, but in every project they undertake. Trained at the Istituto Superiore per le Industrie Artistiche (ISIA) in Florence and then at the Design Academy Eindhoven, Trimarchi and Farresin have adopted a holistic approach that sees design as a means of understanding the world through research.

Formafantasma’s work continues to challenge convention and explore new realms and possibilities within product design, spatial projects, strategic planning and consultancy. With a particular focus on sustainability, the studio adopts an approach that encompasses the entire lifecycle of the product, from the sourcing of materials to the end of its useful life, championing the beauty and unpredictability of the creative process over mere aesthetics.

When we set out to design a material, whether for kitchens or for other architectural purposes, we find it fascinating not only to consider the aesthetics, but also to delve deeper into its components. Working closely with our clients, we explore how the materiality of the object itself can be enhanced.

Designers have a crucial role to play in innovating to address the current climate crisis. We need to initiate new processes. It is not just about providing beauty, but also content, revolutionising with more radical ideas and rethinking production processes.

One of the biggest challenges we face as professional designers is the common misconception among clients that the design process is all about style, form or just aesthetics. Fortunately, when we started working with Cosentino, we immediately connected because we shared the vision that it’s much more about understanding the processes involved in developing the material than just focusing on the aesthetics.

There are always personal reasons for working with a partner; it is not just about a financial agreement, but also about what you discover when you get to know their reality. When we travelled to Spain to visit the Cosentino factory, we were surprised by the number of young people working in the company and realised that Cosentino cares about the local economy and that it is vital to the people who live there. This fact made us want to work with them in a way that we would not have been able to force otherwise. When you work with a company like Cosentino, you know that you have to get involved in the production process, and that obviously includes getting to know the many people who work there, as well as understanding the constraints and opportunities of the production process.

Earthic is a highly engineered surface and this has allowed us to understand how we can incorporate different types of recycled materials, up to 30% of the final product. The first step was to thoroughly understand all the components and identify ways to improve their impact. For example, while the use of white is common in such processes, adding more white increases CO2 emissions during manufacturing. This is why we use different shades of grey.