What does the idea of “opening a door” mean to you when you think about your father’s world?

Opening a door and stepping into my father’s world means risking the discovery of something absurd, surprising, and funny – and, above all, being certain to find a small piece of happiness there. It is a poetic world, populated by dreamers with oversized noses-sometimes naïve, but always ready for wild adventures.

How did you come up with the idea of translating your father’s drawings into furniture?

When the idea of creating a line of furniture inspired by Mordillo was presented to me, I must admit I was somewhat skeptical at first. I had imagined that we would rather have thought of a children’s line, but Philippe, the co-director of Mordillo Studio, convinced me to try the adventure so, we rose to the challenge. I then discovered just how inspiring his work is, rich and full of possibilities.
The first time I saw the result, I was completely charmed. I was delighted to see this crooked building turn into a bookcase, or the mountains so often drawn by my father become an armchair. That’s when I realized we had risen to the challenge and I can already imagine everything we can create! His work is an endless source of inspiration.

What do you think your father would have said if he could see this collection today?

I think he would have been very surprised and would have loved to see his drawings come to life in our 3D world! He would have placed his favorite books in the bookcase and would surely have sipped a little coffee seated in his armchair while admiring the coffee table. He might have found it quite unusual, but also very amusing to be able to touch his drawings, to see them come to life.

Why would you personally love to meet visitors at Salone del Mobile?

Whether they are familiar with my father’s work or not, it will be interesting and constructive to gather visitors’ reactions. I must admit it will probably be intimidating, and I sincerely hope that what we have imagined will appeal to them. I know that the announcement of our project on our Instagram mordillo_fanpage received comments from fans who were both surprised and delighted, and I truly hope they will enjoy the result as much as we do and find it successful and faithful to the drawings they love so much.

What was the biggest challenge in translating Mordillo’s drawings into physical objects?

Mordillo’s universe resonates deeply with our approach to radical, contemporary design, where objects are not just functional, but narrative and expressive entities within a living environment.
Our role was to carefully preserve his unique visual language while translating those gestures into tangible, functional forms. The key was not to attenuate his vision, but to extend it into space: through an in-depth process of research and observation, we deconstructed his illustrations, studying how elements like mountains, buildings, and landscapes are drawn from different angles and proportions. We looked beyond the lines, focusing on volumes, relationships, and the recurring elements that define his world. From there, we actively reinterpreted them, transforming mountains into an armchair, a building into a bookshelf, shifting their function while maintaining their original poetic and visual identity.

Where did you have to find a balance between art and usability?

The balance was a seamless extension of the approach we established from the beginning. Much like in the translation of Mordillo’s drawings, we allowed some of the characteristic silhouettes of his illustrations to lead, ensuring that the essence of his language remained intact. We then rigorously imagined and embedded functions in them, by engineering proportions, joints, stability and comfort.
For us, design is always expressive; it never stops being narrative or communicative. Furniture is part of that same world, where function and expression are not opposites, but coexist and reinforce each other.

What should people feel when they encounter these pieces?

They should feel a sense of immersion, like stepping into a world rather than simply observing objects. These pieces are not meant to sit passively in a space; they actively create an atmosphere shaped by fantasy and imagination. Ideally, they spark curiosity, a sense of play, and a bit of surprise, something familiar, yet slightly unexpected. They invite people not only to use them, but also to connect with them and imagine their story, allowing users to momentarily detach from reality and engage with a more imaginative, almost dreamlike dimension of Mordillo.