Riccardo Rizzetto Studio and Riccardo Rizzetto

In this interview, we are joined by Riccardo Rizzetto – Founder, Art Director, and Interior Architect at Riccardo Rizzetto Studio. Located in Northern Italy near Venice, Rizzetto Studio is busy with art direction, interior renovations, and remodeling. Riccardo does not conform to industry trends and is keen on preserving the tactile quality of design – real and close to nature.

Tallbox Ask is produced by www.tallboxdesign.com / email: george@tallbox.co.uk

Who are Riccardo Rizzetto Studio and Riccardo Rizzetto?

I am an interior architect from Italy. Riccardo Rizzetto Studio is a practice which intertwines architecture with interior, furniture and objects design. Moreover, in order to be able to bring online and offline worlds together, Riccardo Rizzetto Studio also does art direction, content creation, social media marketing and art curation.

I like to mention all the aspects that the Studio touches as I think it is very important to remember how a thing can influence the other. The most exciting part is when, in some projects, all the different fields get together to collaborate in the creation of a unicum, whether it is an art exhibition or the interiors of a new restaurant.

I always love to team up with different people to share knowledge and experiences: among the others, I think the role of the project manager who helps me is crucial as, thanks to her (Alessandra), I can stay focused more on the creative aspects and she makes sure that all the projects are carried out at the standards we aim.

The Studio is located in the north of Italy, near Venice, but I move around and travel a lot to meet clients and get inspired by anything that comes my way.

What are your responsibilities at Riccardo Rizzetto Studio?

I am the founder and creative director of the Studio. I meet clients, get to know them before designing in accordance with their requirements and always trying to sympathize with them in order to help them to reach their dreams.

I work closely with all the people who are called in on any project, from the makers and contractors to the web developers, to be sure and conscious of any phase of the design and decisional process.

How Riccardo Rizzetto Studio became what it is today?

I started working as a photographer when I was 15 years old, and then I eventually evolved my practice into a multidisciplinary studio step by step, always trying to stay loyal to my own pace, without wanting to put any label or limit to what I can potentially do as a practitioner and especially as a persona.

I think the personal side is always the most important part and that things should follow it in order to always be consistent with what we really want to do and so be able to deliver something we are happy with. This is not always simple to remember, but it is something I always aim to do.

How did you get interested in interior architecture?

I think that architecture, furniture, and art, in general, have always been something I have been attracted to.

I still remember the fun episode when my parents set up a VHS to record what I was watching on tv when they were away when I was little: they must have been so disappointed when they actually realised I was spending my afternoons just watching antiques and modern art auctions on tv rather than cartoons.

On what projects do you work on at the moment? / Recent or upcoming projects?

At the moment, apart from the clients, I work on a continuative basis doing art direction and social media for them, I am working on the renovation of an apartment (Apartamento B) in my hometown, Bassano del Grappa, and in the partial remodellation of a private 70s villa in the countryside.

Another project I am constantly carrying on is to work with local realities to realise pieces of collectible design. That is also the reason why I decided to spend more time living in Italy (I was living in between Italy and London before). I like the idea of using a project to connect to others and to connect makers with each other.

How did you find your first client?

Generally through connecting with someone in a bar, during dinner, or at a party. Also, social media are helping in the game but generally, all the best projects come up from real connections. I really need to feel the other in order to be on the same lane and deliver something that we could be happy with on both sides.

How does it look like your dream Interior architecture client?

To me, as I said also above, the dialogue is fundamental: I think everything I do is born from dialogues.

A project is always about exchanging, so to me, the perfect client is the one who believes in me and is interested in dialoguing with me in order to get the project to the best.

The more I can understand about a client the better I can design for him. I don’t like to impose things, I want things to rise up from a shared clay that I am going to mould.

Tell us about your most recent encounter with obstacles at work.

I think the biggest obstacle is to not be understood. This is my main concern, to not be able to establish the right dialectic with who I have in front. The rest is irrelevant. Clients and new jobs always come along spontaneously if you stay steady and loyal to yourself.

What milestones you have set for Riccardo Rizzetto Studio in the next 12 months?

In the next period, I hope to reinforce the production of furniture and curate more shows.

Describe your personal approach in designing interior architecture?

I love materials and colours. I love to use materials coming from the tradition of a place to try to purpose them in a new way, through fresh new eyes which can help in reconsidering the potential of a material that perhaps has been put on a side just because it is not considered trendy anymore.

I don’t agree with trends setting parameters: I think that if something is good it doesn’t matter if it is trendy today or not. Quality is not something that expires

How to recognize Riccardo Rizzetto Studio's project signature?

I don’t think I have and I don’t wanna have a signature. To me, it is important that every project rises from the ground it gets seeded in so my eye must adapt to the found situation.

For sure, there are some red threads in my practice, I think more in the rationale and theoretical aspect of it. I think one of the common and main aspects is for sure the sensibility:

I think this is what unites all the things I do, the lens through which I read and design. Another thing could be that I always love to work with small artisans and so there are just skilled master craftsmen coming in any project and bringing their added value, resulting from all the know-how they accumulated since they started working.

What was the most expensive Interior project you worked on?

For sure the remodeling of a private villa in the countryside of my hometown, where all the new flooring has been made out of travertine and I designed bespoke furniture and boiseries in teak wood.

The lamps are 50s Venini or Seguso and I also advised on the art pieces to place in: we got a nice mix of contemporary and modern art pieces.

Do you use architecture and interior design renderings, and how?

I use renders as a trial for myself. They help me think and imagine the outcome. It is a great and fast way for me to try out different solutions and ideas as soon as they come up to my mind. Obviously, it is also a good and easier way to show to the clients some ideas and give a realistic glimpse.

What CAD/BIM software do you use in your projects?

I mainly use Autocad and Rhinoceros. Sometimes Sketchup, but lately, I am working primarily on Rhinoceros from the first layouts to the renders to have all in one software.

How do you organize your time around projects and personal life? Any tips?

Since my life is my job and my job is my life, there is no clear difference. Luckily my passion and interests became my job, so there is no clear distinction between my personal life and work life. Even when I am watching a movie, I am actually doing research, I would say.

If you were to give advice to your younger self, what would it be?

To try to see beyond the limit in order to keep on working on the dreams you want to achieve, no matter what is limiting you in a specific moment. Later on, it will just be another obstacle you have learnt how to jump.