Concetta Giannangeli: materials as the project’s guide

27 September 2026

For Concetta Giannangeli, design begins with listening: to the company, to places, to techniques and, above all, to the material itself, allowing it to freely suggest forms and directions. This approach lies at the heart of Medley for Gervasoni, a collection developed through the observation of the craft districts of Delhi and Moradabad and a fascination with the poetry of making. Cast aluminium preserves the marks of the production process, while woven steel wire becomes light and almost weightless, creating an ongoing dialogue between mass, volume and transparency. A project that transforms imperfection into an emotional trace, interpreting the gestures of the artisan through the interplay of material and light.

Interview conducted in Italian – English translation and editorial adaptation.

What do you like most about Gervasoni’s design identity, and how did you manage to blend your creative language with the company’s style, maintaining a balance between your personal research and the brand’s DNA?

I’ve been working with Gervasoni since 2020 as a design curator, and I’ve had the privilege of getting to know the company thoroughly, from the inside: a vantage point that has transformed into a design opportunity. I like to think of companies as “people,” and the creative process always begins with a relationship, an encounter, even before the idea for an object. For me, furnishings are not isolated presences, but organisms linked by a continuous dialogue with space, light, time, and the people who inhabit them. Gervasoni has an extraordinary history that began in 1882, marked by inspired intuitions and a fundamental chapter in the long partnership with Paola Navone. Imagining new scenarios means listening to this legacy, but also to that unique, almost romantic ability to travel and engage with manufacturers around the world. More than a signature or a creative language, I like to talk about a perspective: a way of observing the company’s DNA, gathering its stories, and recomposing them into objects capable of integrating gracefully and effortlessly into today’s environments.

Medley was born from observing the artisanal districts of Delhi and Moradabad and the techniques passed down from small manufacturers. When did you realize that this wealth of knowledge could be transformed into a contemporary collection for Gervasoni?

The attraction to geographically distant cultures and knowledge is part of Gervasoni’s profound spirit. The decisive moment was immersing myself in the atmosphere of the districts of Delhi and Moradabad: not to import an idea, but to allow myself to be influenced by the charm of local techniques. Traveling far only makes sense when you decide to let the authentic voice of those places speak. Design means tracing meaning, and for me, that meaning also lies in the poetry of making, in the flow of production phases. Medley was born precisely from this fascination with metal: from the fluid forms of molten aluminum to the geometric design of steel wire. I sought to translate ancient gestures into an abacus of essential shapes, transforming them into ready-made objects capable of telling a story of cultured and timeless imperfection.

Medley is described a collection of ready-mades in which the process itself suggests the object’s identity. How important is it, in your design approach, to let the material and production techniques guide the project, rather than starting from a pre-defined form?

It’s the heart of my research. More than a designer in the classical sense, I feel like a researcher who composes for ready-mades. I like the material and the manufacturing technique to dictate the pace, the rules of the game, and the direction to take.

The surfaces of the tables and lamps intentionally retain traces of manual workmanship, transforming imperfections into aesthetic value. In an age dominated by the pursuit of perfection, what meaning do you think the authenticity of craftsmanship has today?

I don’t believe there’s a real conflict between the pursuit of perfection and the authenticity of craftsmanship: they are two worlds that can enrich each other, depending on the field we operate in. In design, as in fashion, when the human hand intervenes, the object ceases to be an identical replica and imperfection becomes an emotional detail, a sign of uniqueness and a living energy. In the Medley tables, we chose not to smooth the memory of the process: the aluminum casting retains its reliefs, while the polished or etched surfaces capture the reflections of the environment like pools of water. The subtle irregularities thus transform into a tangible trace that changes with the light and the gaze, offering a different visual and tactile experience every time.

In the Medley collection, metal is reinterpreted in very different ways: sometimes material and sculptural, sometimes light and almost impalpable thanks to the intertwining of steel wires. What was the most interesting challenge in illustrating the multiple expressive possibilities of a single material without losing design coherence?

The most fascinating challenge was making the same material “sound” at different frequencies, maintaining a profound visual and conceptual harmony. Metal is often perceived as a cold, rigid, or industrial element. With Medley, I wanted to demonstrate the opposite: that it is a living, fluid material, capable of a viscerally engaging dialogue with light. The coherence of the project lies in its exploration of chiaroscuro. On the one hand, we have the dense and sculptural presence of the cast aluminum tables; on the other, the pendant lamps, which reinterpret an ancient weaving technique using galvanized steel wire woven in a radial pattern. The conical shape expands and diffuses a soft, projected light, creating a visual play of shadows that interacts with the reflective surfaces of the tables. The true common thread is the interpretation of the artisan’s gestures: whether casting molten aluminum or manually weaving a metal wire as if it were a textile fiber, the language remains the same. It’s a dialogue between weights, volumes, and transparencies where the elements complement each other, just like in the music tracks from which the collection takes its name.

Related articles