Two modern, olive-colored, asymmetrical lounge chairs with smooth, curved shapes and thin metal legs on a white background.
Eda-Mame seating, 2018, for B&B Italia. Photography by B&B Italia.

September 9, 2026

Words: Julie Lasky

40 Years Of Lissoni & Partners

In 1986, Piero Lissoni opened a studio in Milan that has flowered into one of the most influential multidisciplinary practices in the world. Known for his beautifully restrained, luxurious environments—hotels, bars, yachts—and furnishings, the 2005 Interior Design Hall of Fame inductee, who opened a second studio in New York in 2008 and recently turned 70, has collaborated with many of Italy’s flagship companies—and is currently the creative director of Alpi, Boffi, Living Divani, Lualdi, Porro, and Sanlorenzo. Among the firm’s 15 partners is his cofounder, Nicoletta Canesi, as well as his brother Massimo, who heads the graphics division. He spoke to us on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of Lissoni & Partners.

  • Bald man wearing glasses and a blue striped shirt leans on a white table, looking at the camera with one hand on his chin.
    The cofounder of Lissoni & Partners Piero Lissoni in 2025. Photography by Veronica Gaido.
  • A black modern chair with curved armrests and four metal legs, photographed against a plain white background.
    His Piuma chairs, 2014, for Kartell. Photography courtesy of Kartell.
  • A modern grey plastic chair with armrests and four legs, photographed against a plain white background.
    Photography courtesy of Kartell.
  • A beige modern plastic chair with armrests and four straight legs is shown against a plain white background.
    Photography courtesy of Kartell.
  • A modern orange plastic chair with armrests and four legs, shown against a plain white background.
    Photography courtesy of Kartell.

Interior Design: When in your life did you know you wanted to be a designer?

Piero Lissoni: When I was around 13 or 14. I played with models then and started to draw a lot.

ID: What did your parents do?

PL: They restored antique furniture. My father specialized in big, scenic fabrics, for the Vatican and different museums. He had special fingers, like a violin maker. Unfortunately, my brothers and I have fingers like bananas.

ID: Did being surrounded by antiques make you more inclined to become a modernist as an act of rebellion?

PL: No, because those objects were full of culture, and for me they were inspiring. Some baroque chairs are unbelievable in terms of proportions.

  • A modern dark blue sectional sofa with a left chaise, thin black legs, and two accent pillows, one brown and one gray, placed against a plain white background.
    Lissoni’s Met modular sofa for Cassina, 1996. Photography courtesy of Cassina.
  • A large red spiral staircase stands over a shallow reflecting pool in a spacious industrial-style building with tall windows and indoor plants.
    The interior of Shangri-La Shougang Park, Beijing hotel, 2022. Photography ©Tsing Lim@Agent.
  • Minimalist dining room with a long red table, four wooden chairs, a black pendant light, black cabinet, and large windows letting in natural light.
    The Metallico table, 2011, for Porro. Photography by Kasia Gatkowska.
  • A round wall-mounted light fixture emits a soft, even glow, illuminating the surrounding wall.
    Button sconce for Flos, 2004. Photography courtesy of Flos.
  • Modern building with a large glass facade on the left and wood paneling on the right, featuring Chinese characters and surrounded by grass and trees under a clear sky.
    Shangri-La Shougang Park’s exterior. Photography ©Tsing Lim@Agent.

ID: At the Politecnico di Milano, you had some great Italian designers as teachers, like Marco Zanuso and Vico Magistretti.

PL: Yes, and Achille Castiglioni was for me a special hero. This was a rich moment in our history, and they were masters. On one side, they taught us to respect tradition, and, on the other, they taught us to push out of the past and turn to the future. They taught us to be different.

ID: Do you see that attitude in the younger generations now?

PL: Working today as a young designer or architect, it’s more difficult than before. A lot of factories are owned by financial groups. Many managers only know numbers, positions, and marketing.

ID: What inspired you to start your own consultancy with Nicoletta Canesi at age 30?

PL: Nicoletta and I worked together at G14, a Milanese studio that was like a unicorn at the time. It had an architecture section, a product design section, a graphic design section. I met her in this special atmosphere, and after one year, we decided it was time to do something on our own.

  • Hand-drawn sketch of overlapping rectangles and squares with some shaded areas, lines intersecting, and a horizontal base at the bottom.
    Lissoni’s pencil sketch of his Pina coffee maker for Alessi, 2006. Drawing courtesy of Piero Lissoni.
  • A modern black metal staircase with sharp angles connects stone and brick walls in an urban architectural space.
    Mandarin Oriental Conservatorium, Amsterdam hotel, 2011. Photography by Amit Geron.
  • Modern bar interior with red velvet stools, shelves of glassware, and rows of liquor bottles arranged along a wall.
    Camparino in Galleria bar, Milan, 2019. Photography by Santi Caleca.
  • Modern indoor swimming pool area with lounge chairs, a central pillar, and soft lighting, featuring a sleek, minimalist design.
    The Middle House hotel in Shanghai, 2018. Photography by Edmond Leong.

ID: Was there a moment when you realized that your studio was going to be a success?

PL: Right away, we became art directors for Boffi. We were so young. I told myself, ‘Okay, I don’t know where this is going, but it’s a good leap.’

ID: Has white always been your favorite or were you ever seduced by color?

PL: I’m totally crazy for colors, but I like to use black and white. I use a special warm white with a lot of density. And black or dull gray helps me to be precise. Sometimes I add colors. I use everything with, I hope, a lot of sensibility, but I glue everything together with white.

ID: Which of the 35 or so hotels that you’ve designed do you wish you could live in?

PL: I love all of them, and I hate all of them.

ID: Why do you hate them?

PL: Because of doubt. When I finish a project, I don’t see the beauty. I’m already trying to discover the mistakes. In my mind, none of them are good enough and I need to start again.

  • Two modern, olive-colored, asymmetrical lounge chairs with smooth, curved shapes and thin metal legs on a white background.
    Eda-Mame seating, 2018, for B&B Italia. Photography by B&B Italia.
  • Six tan, rectangular, upholstered cushions are arranged in a staggered, stepped pattern on a white background.
    Extrasoft modular sofa for Living Divani, 2008. Photography courtesy of Living Divani.
  • Modern kitchen with stainless steel island, floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the sea, an orange chair, and a white classical bust in the corner.
    The Sanlorenzo SX88 yacht, for which Lissoni & Partners designed the interiors, 2017. Photography by Tommaso Sartori.
  • Modern yacht deck with white lounge chairs, sofas, and a table, facing the sea. Sun is visible above the yacht’s roof structure, with calm water and distant hills in the background.
    Exterior of the yacht. Photography by Tommaso Sartori.

ID: But you said you love them all, too.

PL: Yes, many have survived well, like the Mandarin Oriental Conservatorium, Amsterdam, and the Middle House in Shanghai. And the Shangri-La Shougang Park, Beijing is a favorite. But at the same time, I think, Tomorrow, it’s time to design a new one.

ID: Among the designers who passed through your studio and went on to have their own important careers is Patricia Urquiola. Are you surprised by the direction her work took after she left you?

PL: Patricia was with me for six years, and when we were together, her personality aligned with the studio’s, in terms of linearity and purity at a very high level. But of course, she is Spanish and has this incredible energy. Without me, she started to use another language, another direction, another attitude, another alphabet, other aesthetics. Why not?

ID: Which are the projects and the products that most define you?

PL: All of them. In the end, my work is about maintaining consistency and the capacity to be constantly inside the process. Rather than make a personal statement, I try all the time to be one step back. And this level of silent noise is for me absolutely perfect.

ID: Is there anything else you’d like to share about the forces that created Piero Lissoni?

PL: Just one detail: When I was a university student, an old professor told me, ‘You know, Piero, you are only decorating, like a stupid Christmas tree.’ It was offensive but also motivating. I thought, Okay, I’ll show you who I am.

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