Roman Holiday
Wallpaper|December 2019
Studio Kueng Caputo celebrates the architecture of Fendi’s HQ with bold volumes, hot hues and a palm tree.
Alyn Griffiths
Roman Holiday

Designed in the late 1930s at the behest of Benito Mussolini, the Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana is viewed by many as Rome’s most recognisable 20th-century landmark. Home to the fashion house Fendi since 2015, the iconic palazzo (W*201) will be celebrated in an exhibition at this year’s Design Miami, where Fendi has invited Swiss studio Kueng Caputo to create a family of objects referencing the HQ’s architecture, as part of an ongoing programme promoting emerging design talent at the fair.

Sarah Kueng and Lovis Caputo developed a simple visual language of planes and arches to evoke the superposed loggias of Fendi’s travertine-clad ‘Square Colosseum’. The Zurich-based designers, who are known for their experimental process and playful use of materials, gathered further inspiration during a research trip to Fendi’s archives. ‘We love how committed Fendi is to preserving the heritage and future of craft,’ says Caputo.

This story is from the December 2019 edition of Wallpaper.

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This story is from the December 2019 edition of Wallpaper.

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