A designed piece arrives with paperwork: drawings, specifications, and parts that still exist

There is a practical difference between a designed piece and a copied one, and it has nothing to do with taste: the designed one comes with documentation. A real project produces drawings, declared materials, defined versions and a parts structure that someone is responsible for maintaining. A copy reproduces the silhouette and stops there — which is why it photographs well and fails at the moment a castor breaks, a gas cylinder gives out, or a second batch has to match the first.

The designers on this page — Italian and international — were commissioned by the manufacturers, not by us: the factory chooses whom to entrust with a project and carries it through to production, documentation included. We distribute the result, so a name appears here only when pieces from that work are on our sites.

For a project that has to be defended in a review — where quantities are large, the fit-out happens in phases and someone will ask for specifications a year later — that paperwork is not bureaucracy. It is the difference between a floor you can extend and a floor you can only replace.

FAQ

Who commissions these designers?
The manufacturers. An Italian factory decides which designer to entrust with a project and carries the collaboration through production, documentation included. We distribute the result, so a name appears here only when pieces from that work are available through us.
Are the same names available for projects in India?
Yes: the page shows what we can supply, not a museum roster. Where a piece is listed under a name, it can be quoted and shipped for an Indian project like any other reference.
What documentation comes with a designed piece?
The manufacturer's technical file for each product, downloadable from its page: declared materials, versions and the data a project reviewer will ask for. It is what allows a specification to be checked by someone who was not in the room.
Why does it matter for a large, phased project?
Because the second phase has to match the first. Documented products and ranges kept in production are what let a floor be extended a year later with pieces that belong to it, rather than replaced entirely.
Which pieces appear under each name on this list?
Only those we can actually supply from that body of work — with their versions, materials and technical files. Nothing is listed for prestige alone.

How to tell a designed piece from a lookalike

The difference is checkable, not a matter of opinion. Five things to look at.

Look for both names
A genuine piece declares its manufacturer and, where applicable, its designer, and both appear in the factory's own material. An unattributed «designer chair» is a style, not a project.
Check whether a family exists
Design work rarely produces a single object: the existence of variants — heights, bases, arm options — indicates a real project rather than a copied outline.
Ask for the technical file
Request the data sheet with dimensions and materials. What a lookalike lacks is usually exactly what does not appear in a photograph.
Turn the piece over
Look at how the parts meet underneath. Copying tends to stop where the buyer stops looking.
Ask about spare parts by model
Ask which wearing parts are available for that specific model. A piece built to last has an answer; a lookalike has a shrug.