Portrait of a true milanese designer
This is the Milan of reconstruction, where the seed of the designer’s inexhaustible constructive energy lies, an energy that marks her more as a maker than a talker. A modern, fair-haired interpretation of a lively and enterprising Milanese spirit, Giovanna indeed comes from a family of engineers, architects, and building contractors, in short, a family of “builders” whose influence has left a strong and decisive mark on Milan and throughout Italy. The same Giovanna’s beautiful home-atelier, a Liberty gem in a city that cherishes its hidden corners, was built by her great-grandfather, engineer Alfonso Morganti, but is Giovanna’s grandfather, Renato, architect and son of Alfonso, the key figure in this fascinating family story. It is with him, in the post-war period that the Morganti builders’ legacy began to blend, like the bronze that the designer now so dearly loves, into the urban fabric of Milan and Italy. It all began with the reconstruction of La Scala, gutted by bombings, which was rebuilt in record time and reopened in 1946 with a historic concert by Toscanini. This was followed by the first highways reconnecting the country, industrial buildings, and public works including the early Esselunga supermarkets for the Caprotti family and the Rinascente and UPIM department stores. These were the ravenous years of that economic boom, captured in black-and-white by great directors of the time like Visconti and De Sica.
In 1951 and 1952, Morganti created what is still today a revolutionary project, both in design and engineering terms: the Breda Pavilions at the Milan Trade Fair, realized in collaboration with the extraordinary and visionary architect Luciano Baldessari. Giovanna loves to tell that it is here, at the heart of this family story that blends vision and innovation, pragmatism and reverence for the well-made, that her creative inspiration was born. First as an architect and artist and today as a designer of “Piccoli Smalti”: interior objects crafted by reinterpreting ancient artisanal traditions with a unique style. Chief among these is the enameling technique, her deep passion and “poetic garden”, as her grandfather Renato Morganti used to call it, but recently she’s been captivated by the technique of sand-cast bronze, and who knows which other manual excellence will inspire the designer in the future, allowing her to explore her creativity in a balance between dreams, “dazzling color” (another quote from the senior Morganti), and architectural precision. Giovanna’s works echo many influences. Chief among them is Gio Ponti, whose mastery of geometries and unexpected softness became his unmistakable signature, as well as Sonia Delaunay’s dancing color palettes and the refined edges of the finest Art Deco. Her works convey an idea of luxurious opulence in materials and exquisitely elegant combinations, recalling the 1920s interiors by decorator Eileen Gray.
Indeed, Giovanna has undoubtedly seen much and internalized even more, yet she continues to find creative inspiration in her own passionate aesthetic talismans: the shimmering night sea, autumn, Rothko’s orange hues bleeding into burgundy, the hard stone colors in Modigliani’s portraits, elongated like icons, the sensual shadows at La Scala as the performance begins, Severini’s fractured, poetic lombard lights, and, above all, Milan. A Milan both secret and frenzied, where even the grey of the concrete can pulse with energy, the same beautiful, subversive energy that the designer infuses into all her creations.
We ship worldwide. Our design pieces are all handmade by artisans and will be delivered to you accordingly with the leadtime agreed on the order
Beside our own e-shop you can find our unique pieces in some, selected design stores. Phisical & On line.
