Francesco Rota

Francesco Rota, interior and product designer, was born in 1966 in Milan, where he currently lives and works. After graduating in industrial design from the Art Center College of Design in La Tour de Peilz, Switzerland, he opened his studio in 1998, focusing on design in various sectors including products, furnishings, lighting, showrooms, offices, private homes, and exhibitions. He has collaborated internationally with companies such as Alchemy, Arketipo, Bals Tokyo, Barilla, Driade, Fiat, Frag, John Richmond, Knoll International, KME Italy, Lapalma, Lema, Living Divani, L'Oreal Paris, Malo, Martini & Rossi, Mercedes Benz, Moroso, Paola Lenti, Oluce, Takano Co. Ltd, and Versus.

He has received three Honorable Mentions for the Compasso d'Oro for the products 'Add,' 'Linea,' and 'Island,' which are part of the Compasso d'Oro ADI Historical Collection, as well as three Special Mentions for the German Design Award (awarded by the German Design Council) for the products 'Daydream' (2014) and 'Kanji' (2016) produced by Paola Lenti and 'Add' (2016) designed for Lapalma. He was awarded a German Design Award Winner for 'Move' by Paola Lenti in 2016 and received three Red Dot Awards for the products 'Add,' 'Kanji,' and 'Move' in 2016, as well as two Good Design Awards for the products 'Kanji' and 'Move' in 2016. He received the Interior Design Best of the Year Awards 2014 for the product 'Cloud' and the MIAW, Muuuz International Design Award, in 2013 for the product 'Frame On' and in 2014 for the product 'Smile.' In 2013, he was a finalist for the Wallpaper Judges' Award in the 'Designer of the Year' category.

His work has been exhibited in shows and events organized by Italian and international institutions including the St. Etienne Biennale du Design, Hannover Messe, Triennale di Milano, Reggia di Venaria Reale in Turin, Moss in New York, Material Connection in New York, Biennale di Architettura in Venice, Royal Academy of Arts in London, The Merchandise Mart in Chicago, Miami Design District, Biltmore Fashion Park in Phoenix, and Bellerive Museum in Zurich. Since May 2004, he has been a professor at the European Institute of Design in the Master Research Study Program in Industrial Design, in collaboration with Magis. Since 2023, he has been the art director of Desalto.