Fabrizio Crisa

LEGENDARY INTERVIEW

Design Legends ("DL") had the distinct honour to interview legendary designer Fabrizio Crisa ("FC") for their original perspective and innovative approach to design as well as their creative lifestyle, we are very pleased to share our interview with our distinguished readers.

DL: Could you please tell us a bit about your design background and education?

FC : I am Global Design Director of the Elica Group. I was born in 1973 and graduated in Industrial Design from the Faculty of Architecture at La Sapienza University in Rome. I have been with Elica since 2005, but a few years ago I was appointed Design Director, a key role in the product design and innovation process.

DL: What motivates you to design in general, why did you become a designer?

FC : My work is characterized by creativity and aesthetic sense, rationality, and the search for innovative solutions. My passion for beauty and technological innovations allows me to create unique and distinctive objects.

DL: Did you choose to become a designer, or you were forced to become one?

FC : Initially, I studied aeronautical engineering, which seemed like the right choice, but then I looked inside myself and realized that it wasn't what I wanted. Today, the word “design” is overused, but when I chose to study industrial design, I didn't really know what it was or what it meant to be a designer. However, I knew what I felt: a strong passion for products, the emotions, curiosity, and suggestions they provoked in me, the moments when I took everything apart in my mind and rebuilt it in a different way, the tendency to always imagine how to improve every object or how to find new functions, the vibrations and sensations of falling in love with certain products. And so, I realized that I had this problem, an illness, which I only later discovered was called design.

DL: What should young designers do to become a design legend like you?

FC : We designers face many challenges, and to respond quickly, we certainly need speed, versatility, and the ability to interpret change ahead of the curve. No less important is the ability to offer ideas that not only satisfy needs but also create new ones.

DL: What makes a good design a really good design, how do you evaluate good design?

FC : Design is the cornerstone of our design philosophy, which aims to achieve a balance between form and function. In my personal journey at Elica, I have always tried to approach new projects by changing the rules, observing with fresh eyes to study innovative solutions that are far removed from the classic idea of a range hood. To design new models, you need to change your perspective and shift your focus from the product to the need, to the person. The starting point for good design is the search for a solution to a need, a necessity, or a problem. In this way, the product dematerializes, leaving room for new concepts, thus completing the design flow.

DL: What is your secret recipe of success in design, what is your secret ingredient?

FC : Today, when we think of a new product, many doubts immediately arise about the possible paths to take: form or function? Luxury or simplicity? Durability or ephemerality? Fashion or classicism? Should we seek essentiality by eliminating the superfluous or choose excess? Design must respond to all these doubts with creative and productive choices. Design understood as “planning,” giving meaning to products, a purpose, a mission. I can say that I experience “design” as a state of mind, an attitude aimed at the continuous and obsessive search for “beauty.” Beauty understood as the aesthetic emotion of things. When we talk about beauty, we touch on a delicate subject, difficult to rationalize because it borders on the “subjective.” Beauty is everything that takes our breath away, everything that creates desire, everything that makes us laugh and gives pleasure to our eyes and our soul. A sunset, a flower, a starry sky, a kiss, a poem, a pair of high-heeled shoes, a song, a journey, a perfume: all these things are beauty, or rather, “can” be beauty, because in reality a sunset may seem like the most beautiful thing in the world, but if our mood changes, the same sunset can evoke completely different and less beautiful feelings. So, we can say that beauty is the emotion that everything around us provokes in us, therefore beauty is within us and good design must be able to stimulate these emotions.

DL: Who are some other design masters and legends you get inspired from?

FC : Sebbene ammiri molti designer, architetti, antropologi e visionari, senza dubbio la persona che ammiro di più e che considero un grande maestro è Dieter Rams. Credo che, come designer, Rams abbia davvero cambiato il mondo e l'idea di un prodotto come oggetto che dovrebbe soddisfare e arricchire la vita delle persone. Innovativo, concettualmente rivoluzionario, formalmente essenziale e amante dei dettagli: queste sono tutte caratteristiche che costituiscono la base del mio approccio al design. Credo che Rams sia stato un grande maestro per tutti e ho avuto la fortuna di incontrarlo durante la cerimonia in cui gli è stato assegnato il Compasso d'Oro alla carriera a Milano. Ho persino un “selfie” con lui, che è stato più emozionante di quello che avrei potuto scattare con Freddie Mercury.

DL: What is your greatest design, which aspects of that design makes you think it is great?

FC : The most revolutionary products he has ever created, in addition to the NikolaTesla One, an induction hob with built-in extractor fan, which won the Compasso d'Oro award in 2018, are: Lhov and Ariachef Pro. Lhov is the first all-in-one cooking solution (hob, hood, and oven) on the market, revolutionary and innovative, which won an Honorable Mention at the Compasso d'Oro International and the Compasso d'Oro ADI award in 2024. The super-linear black glass design is a unique synthesis of aesthetic research and performance: perfectly flush with the kitchen cabinets, it integrates cutting-edge functions, diversified cooking areas and modes, and a display that controls the product and allows you to fulfill your every desire. Finally: a new-generation extraction system that captures vapors and odors from the hob and, for the first time, from the oven as well. Ariachef Pro, on the other hand, won the Compasso d'Oro International award. The latter is an innovative mobile system, thanks to a clever movement system, which integrates cooking and extraction in a monolithic and essential synthesis, distributed in Japan by Ariafina, a brand with which the Elica Group, in partnership with Fuji Industrial Co. Ltd, has been present in the high-end Japanese market for over 20 years. Receiving these two new awards is not just recognition of the quality of our projects: for me, it is confirmation that design, when it dares, can break new ground.

DL: How do you define design, what is design for you?

FC : Design is the cornerstone of our design philosophy, which aims to achieve a balance between form and function. In my personal journey at Elica, I have always tried to approach new projects by changing the rules, looking at things with fresh eyes to study innovative solutions that are far removed from the classic idea of a range hood. Today, the term “range hood” feels restrictive to me; I feel it is outdated. The hood as such is an object that is installed above the hob and extracts fumes. I prefer to talk about functionality, well-being, and the pleasure of enjoying moments spent in the kitchen. I like to talk about air treatment that can take place in a different way than we have always imagined. To design new models, we need to change our perspective and shift our focus from the product to the need, to the person. The starting point should not be the design of a new range, but the solution to a need, a necessity, or a problem. In this way, the product dematerializes, leaving room for new concepts.

DL: What helped you to become a great designer?

FC : I don't know exactly why I became a designer. Initially, I studied aeronautical engineering, which seemed like the right choice, but then I looked inside myself and realized that it wasn't what I wanted. Today, the word “design” is overused, but when I chose to study industrial design, I didn't really know what it was or what it meant to be a designer. However, I knew what I felt: a strong passion for products, the emotions, curiosity, and suggestions they aroused in me, the moments when I took everything apart in my mind and rebuilt it differently, the tendency to always imagine how to improve every object or how to find new functions, the vibrations and sensations of falling in love with certain products. And so I realized that I had this problem, an illness, which I only later discovered was called design. Today, I couldn't imagine myself any other way. I think I was born with it, just like you are born male or female, tall or short, blond or brunette. I believe I was born with a congenital and acute form of “designitis.” And there is no cure, it comes suddenly, it keeps you awake at night, it comes when you least expect it, it makes you look like an alien when everyone else is drinking an aperitif and you're just looking at how the glass is made, or when you're in front of the TV and you find yourself behind the shelf to see how the back is made.

DL: What’s your ultimate goal as a designer?

FC : When I design a product, when I think of something new, I always start with a vision, an exciting image that represents the final stage of a design process. I imagine the feelings that someone seeing that product might experience. And everything stems from that vision. As far as I'm concerned, I can say that the creative process that leads to a new product idea paradoxically begins at the very end. And between the beginning and the end, every product has a unique, long, and complex story to tell. The consumer who comes across your product and looks at that image will only see the result, and if you've done a good job, then your product will excite them and be chosen over 10, 100, or 1,000 others.

DL: What are you currently working on that you are especially excited about?

FC : I am currently developing concepts and evaluating the feasibility of a completely new product family that will be presented at Eurocucina 2026. I have worked extensively on the 2025 products and am now focusing on improving them, bringing innovation, technology, and design to the new products. Stay tuned to find out what Elica is capable of...

DL: How long does it take you to finalize a design project?

FC : The creative process cannot be repeated because it always happens differently: by its very nature, design cannot be elaborated and rationalized precisely because it depends on people's vision and not on organization or rules. Therefore, there is no rule that establishes what is right and how to do it.

DL: When you have a new design project, where do you start?

FC : Intuition and talent are essential for a product to work. No product will ever stand out from the crowd if it merely responds to a series of market demands. Design responds to a question that no one has ever asked. It is design and vision that make the difference. Ultimately, it is obsessive attention to detail that makes the difference.

DL: Do you think design sets the trends or trends set the designs?

FC : I always try to be curious about everything around me. Despite my work commitments, I find time to travel. I visit trade fairs in various fields, from interior design to products and technology. I am also in constant dialogue with other professionals in my network. I often take the time to chat with them and keep my knowledge of the specific sector up to date.

DL: What kind of design software and equipment do you use in your work?

FC : During the product design phase, 3D modeling software is used to visualize everything that the mind produces, before moving on to rendering and graphics software. The software is supported by mechanical equipment used to create the first prototypes, before the product's aesthetics are finalized.

DL: How did you develop your skills as a master designer?

FC : The constant pursuit of beauty and perfection that I strive to instill in every product allows me to stay up to date and constantly expand my knowledge. To create and conceive something new, you have to keep up with the times, anticipating what should be designed and what users might need, without neglecting trends in home furnishings.

DL: What makes your day great as a designer, how do you motivate yourself?

FC : I always try to be curious about everything around me. Despite my work commitments, I find time to travel. I visit trade fairs in various fields, from interior design to products and technology. I am also in constant dialogue with other professionals in my network. I often take the time to chat with them and keep my knowledge of the specific sector up to date.

DL: When you were a little child, was it obvious that you would become a great designer?

FC : I was a curious child, I liked taking apart toys and appliances, and I spent a lot of time helping my father repair things. Growing up, I became very passionate about music and then Wi-Fi systems. I couldn't afford the latest models, so I repaired broken ones. The same thing happened with personal computers: I quickly learned how to assemble my own PC; at that time, my desk was full of hardware, and I spent my time modeling objects, as far as was possible at the time. My first choice for university was to study engineering, but I soon realized that something was missing; so, I switched to product design and from that moment on I knew it was the right choice for me.