Maison & Objet Americas: designer of the year

Zanini de Zanine has been selected as the first Designer of the Year for Maison&Objet Americas. This award is a key moment for any Maison & Objet and it solidifies the Miami event as a cultural landmark for the entire continent.

Joining the ranks of such vaulted previous winners such as Zaha Hadid, Patricia Urquiola, Philippe Starck, Paola Navone, and so many others, Zanini de Zanine embodies the balance of artistry and commercial design, local and international appeal, and the devotion to excellence that Maison & Objet has come to represent.

SEE ALSO: ABOUT MAISON & OBJET AMERICAS

Born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 1978, Zanini de Zanine began working with wood even before he learned to walk, under the tutelage of his father, the celebrated Brazilian architect and designer, José Zanine Caldas. Zanini, whose full name translates as “Zanini, son of Zanine”, was raised from birth to be a furniture designer, a pursuit to which he has dedicated his life. Using the same hand tools that have been used for generations, with the age-old techniques of traditional Brazilian carpentry and craftsmanship, Zanini’s artisanship belies his age.

Armed with a degree in Industrial Design from Pontifíca Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro (PUC-RIO) in 2002, Zanini added considerable technical ability to his already impressive arsenal. With an enduring passion for both his native land, and a devotion to preserve it, Zanini’s meticulous work is always created with a strong ecological tenet. To that end, in 2003, he opened his own atelier producing furniture and sculptures using reclaimed materials like the finest exotic hardwoods, which are painstakingly, salvaged, some from his father’s architectural projects. This use of columns, beams and posts of old houses was baptized as “Contemporary Carpentry”.

In 2005, he began to create a new line of furniture produced industrially, using controlled origin wood and different materials such as plastic, acrylic, metals and other parts of manufactured products. “I experiment with new technologies, such as injection materials, all the while looking for rich textures and colors that excite me. I’m drawn to the counterpoint of craft and industrial, which balance and complement each other” To represent this new furniture line, he opened Studio Zanini in 2011. Quickly garnering some of the most prestigious design awards in Brazil and abroad, along with major exhibitions of his work, Zanini has already designed pieces for such international powerhouse brands such as Tolix (France), Cappellini, Poltrona Frau and Slamp (Italy), and Espasso (USA), among others.

As the first ambassador for MAISON&OBJET AMERICAS Zanini de Zanine will be giving a keynote address at the fair, to be held at the Miami Beach Convention Center May 12-15, 2015.