Bassan & Benedetti have been shortlisted for Concept Over 40 Metres Award in The International Yacht & Aviation Awards. Read more about Interior Designer, Giulia Bassan, below:

Name: Giulia Bassan
Company: Bassan & Benedetti
Position within company: Interior Designer
Website: www.bassanebenedetti.com

Tell us a little about your background in design:
I have always had a deep attraction for design and aesthetics of everyday life. For this reason, I moved to Milan and I obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Interior Design at Politecnico of Milan. Then, I approached the world of yachting, fascinated by the growing challenges related to the theme of ‘Living the sea’, and I completed the Master’s degree course in Yacht Design.

How would you describe your personal design style?
I don’t think I have defined a ‘personal style’ yet. I’m still young, in recent years I have developed a personal taste, but it is not always reflected in my style. Every project makes me discover new sides of my personality and it’s all about the relationships I establish with each individual project. However, I think my cultural background guides my design choices, even unconsciously. I often confront myself with the masters of Italian design, reading books or studying projects that, even after many years, make me reflect on the concept of living spaces.

Where does your design inspiration come from?
I love to be inspired by everything, even by things that apparently have nothing to do with me and what I do. My design is full of crossovers between different disciplines. I think that design should not proceed in silos, every project is an opportunity to cross boundaries.

In what direction do you feel that design is moving towards in a general sense?
I think that the last few years and the pandemic reality enforced some tendencies and amplified reflections on new ways of living and the role of design as a social and cultural tool. The call of nature has been heard in the design world emphasizing the tendency to search for sustainable designs and slow down the rhythm of life at every level. A circular design economy, where the quality, safety and durability are the key aspects to give a longer life to the things we use. Another key aspect for the future is the delocalisation: the pandemic has increased the awareness that we live in a world without borders and physical distances. Smart working will become a normality, and the house (and not only) will have to undergo inevitable transformations, becoming multifunctional and versatile.

Name five key themes to consider when approaching design in 2022 and beyond:
Sustainability, Technology, Multi-functionality, Hygiene, Inclusion.

If you could offer one piece of advice when it comes to design schemes, what would it be?
Be curious and open-minded. There is always something new to learn and it is important to be able to challenge yourself. And also contradict yourself. In this regard, I quote a famous phrase by Walt Whitman, which is always a reminder for me: “Do I contradict myself? Very well, then I contradict myself, I am large, I contain multitudes.”

What was your favourite project to work on and why?
The project that excited me the most was LONTANO. Alessandro and I were on the same page since the beginning: we focused on different aspects of the project in order to our passions and interests, but with a continuous comparison, respect and mutual esteem. I think that trusting your team is the key aspect to the success of a good project. Moreover, as a final thesis project, LONTANO allowed us to fully express our growth and our concept of superyacht, as well as to build our identity as designers, free from external contamination. The collaboration with the shipyard and their engineering support allowed us to work on some technical aspects, making us even more aware of what we were doing.

What was your most challenging project to work on and why?
I face each new project as a challenge, trying to overcome my limits and get to know myself better. It is difficult to choose the most challenging project because each one, for different reasons, has tested me a lot. The first one that comes to mind is my three-year degree thesis project: I worked on the concept of a new corporate museum for the Italian furniture company Molteni&C. Designing a corporate museum made me think about the importance of design as a tool for a company to communicate its stories, values and goals. It becomes a key tool of the Customer Journey, a distinctive element of the relationship between companies and their audience. These are places of cultural and artistic value, in which the history of the company, the design, the brand and the typical values of the company converge. The visitors explore a universe that tells much more than a store, touching the their emotional chords and senses. For me, working closely with the company and studying their archives, was a real challenge to understand how to achieve these goal.

Which products/services could you not live without when designing?
I approached the world of design when technology had already become an integral part of the profession. I couldn’t imagine working without my laptop, hard disk, and design software. However, at the beginning of each project, I love to work with pen and paper, brainstorming several times, arriving at the concept stage with a clear idea of the project goals.

How important are The International Yacht & Aviation Awards?
As young designers, The International Yacht & Aviation Awards is an important opportunity to give visibility to our project and put ourselves on the line, comparing ourselves with other designers and the international nautical market. It is also an opportunity to stimulate innovation in the yachting market through new, young ideas, free from external contamination.

What projects are you currently working on?
I am not working on new projects right now. After graduation, Alessandro and I are taking time to focus on some aspects of LONTANO that, for time and circumstances, we had not developed. When you believe deeply in a project there is never an end point.

What are your aims and goals for the next twelve months?
I would like to find a job position that makes me satisfied and valued, and that gives me the opportunity to gain experience, fill in my gaps, meet new people. In October I will start an internship at Riva as Interior Designer and this will be an amazing experience to grow as a professional, working in a shipyard with a long tradition and prestige behind. In the meantime, I really believe in LONTANO concept and I will work – together with Alessandro – to give it more visibility. This competition is definitely an important goal and a starting point.

Final thoughts; tell us a little more about yourself and your daily inspirations:

Your most treasured possession?
My music playlist and my books.

Your favourite holiday destination?
A very difficult question, I love to travel and every place I go leaves me with indelible memories. I’m still recovering emotionally from the trip to Lanzarote I took a month ago: a magical, authentic, powerful place that left me with a primal, pure energy that I will never forget. Next trip? I definitely want to go to Provence during lavender bloom (I’ll have to wait a few months), rent a bike and get lost in the endless lilac hills, stopping occasionally at some local wineries of course.

Your favourite hotel, restaurant & bar?
I’ve travelled a lot and lived in different places throughout my life, so it’s really hard to choose specific places. To narrow the field I can tell you about La Spezia, the city where I have been living for 3 years now and where I have met wonderful places and people, where I go when I want to feel at home but without lifting a finger. Here, my favourite restaurant is ‘Maia e Battiston’, a place that has become a second home for me, where the owner knows my every taste and fills me with attention and care for details. My favorite bar is ‘La Rosa Blu’, a wine bar with many particular and experimental wines, where I often go after long and stressful days to taste amazing wines with friends, in a familiar and welcoming atmosphere. Actually I’ve never stayed in a hotel here in La Spezia, but there is a place that I’ve always found beautiful that is called “The Poet”: a modern, elegant and sophisticated design hotel where I will definitely go.

Your favourite book, film & song?
Be my Knife – David Grossman
Black Swan – Darren Aronofsky
Reckoner – Radiohead

Your favourite food and drink?
I like a lot of types of food, but if I had to choose one I would say “bigoli cacio e pepe”, typical Rome recipe based on pasta and cacio, a particular Italian cheese. I also love wine, especially “Amarone della Valpolicella”, an aged red wine from my home region.

Your favourite way to spend an afternoon?
Sometime I feel the need to take some time for myself. When it happens, I like to spend afternoons listening to my music for hours, maybe reading a book, escaping the world for a moment. It helps me find myself. I also love taking long walks by the sea, maybe stopping for a glass of wine in a local bar with my boyfriend or some friends. I think I have a strong connection to the sea. I couldn’t live without it.

If you weren’t a designer, what would you be?
I would have opened a bistro, designed to bring together my passion for food, wine, design and art. A place to eat and drink well, but also to participate in cultural events, workshops, labs. Maybe one day…

Bassan & Benedetti have been shortlisted for Concept Over 40 Metres Award in The International Yacht & Aviation Awards.

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