Nov 14th, 2025

In a region where design is increasingly becoming a language of identity, memory, and modern expression, Desalto’s entrance into Arabia arrives at a meaningful moment. Under the creative direction of Francesco Rota, the brand steps into Dubai Design Week not merely as an exhibitor but as a storyteller, one that shapes emotion through material and transforms precision into poetry.

What makes this dialogue particularly compelling is how naturally Desalto’s language aligns with the cultural codes of Arabia. Geometry, proportion, craftsmanship, restraint, and an intimacy with materials all reflect a shared design sensibility. As the Gulf and especially Saudi Arabia defines an exciting new cultural era built on creativity, innovation, and heritage, Desalto enters as a thoughtful participant in this evolution. It is a brand that understands the balance between legacy and change, structure and softness, technique and emotion.

“Every curve in a De Salto piece is intentional. Nothing is loud, yet everything is deeply expressive.”

Design Philosophy and Identity

When you joined Desalto as Creative Director, what part of the brand’s identity felt essential to protect, and what new emotional direction did you wish to introduce?

When I joined Desalto, I felt a strong responsibility to protect its heritage, a company born from the mastery of metalwork, precision, and the authentic spirit of Italian craftsmanship. What I wanted to bring was an added emotional dimension, to transform the brand’s technical rigor into something that could be felt. Through material, color, and light, we aim to give form to emotion, to create furniture that is not only designed but experienced.

Desalto’s language often balances quiet restraint with emotional depth. How do you approach creating emotion in work defined by purity and precision?

Emotion emerges from the balance between aesthetic, function, and savoir faire. Every material choice, every detail, is considered for its ability to engage the senses. Light, texture, and proportion all work together so that purity does not feel cold but evokes an intimate, human response.

Materiality and Emotion

The idea that Metal is our nature is both strong and poetic. What does metal represent to you beyond its functional qualities?

Metal is Desalto’s DNA. It represents discipline, strength, and purity, but also flexibility and transformation. It is a metaphor for how design evolves, a hard material capable of expressing softness,lightness, and emotion when treated with intelligence and sensitivity.

Your pieces often explore contrast, such as the balance between solidity and lightness or structure and softness. What draws you to this tension?

Contrast creates energy. I am drawn to the interplay between opposites, solidity and lightness, structure and softness, where balance emerges from tension. It is this equilibrium that gives our pieces life, presence, and emotional resonance.

How do you transform industrial materials into pieces that feel human, emotional, and warm in a living space?

By using the Desalto Toolbox as a tool, we allow designers and clients to touch, observe, and taste every material, color, and texture, from upholstery to table tops to tubular elements. This multisensory experience is tactile, visual, and immersive, going far beyond a simple sample book. In this way, industrial materials become expressive, emotional, and human, telling the tangible story of Desalto’s world.

Dubai, Arabia, and Cultural Connection

Why did you choose Dubai Design Week as the moment to introduce Desalto to the region?

Dubai represents a meeting point between tradition and innovation, a city that values the art of making, geometry, and expressive form. The perfect stage to introduce Desalto’s identity and bespoke approach.

Dubai sits at the intersection of heritage and the future. How does Desalto speak to that duality

Desalto naturally embodies this duality. Our creations are timeless yet contemporary, rooted in Italian know how but projected into a global dialogue. We design objects that endure, not because they resist change, but because they evolve with it.

Arab culture holds deep respect for geometry, materiality, and poetic expression. What parallels do you see between Italian design values and the cultural design language of Arabia?

Both cultures share a deep respect for beauty, craftsmanship, and the dialogue between simplicity and ornament. In both, geometry, proportion, and tactility are used to communicate beauty and meaning.

How do you view the evolving creative landscape in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf, and what about this regional movement inspires you?

What inspires me most is the courage to define a new creative identity that honors heritage while embracing modernity. This mirrors Desalto’s philosophy, a dedication to material exploration, tailored solutions, and immersive design experiences.

Craft, Responsibility, and Future

Desalto blends artisanal craft with advanced manufacturing. How do you protect the emotional soul of craftsmanship while embracing innovation

Craftsmanship is not just a process; it is a way of thinking. Even as we integrate advanced technologies, we preserve the human gesture. Innovation allows us to expand the limits of what is possible, but emotion comes from the touch, precision, and care of the human hand.

Sustainability in design today requires more than material choices. What does responsible design truly mean to you?

Responsible design is about creating durable, timeless, and emotionally valuable pieces. Materials, production methods, and form must all contribute to a product that people treasure for years, maintaining its aesthetic and functional integrity.

Living, Feeling, and Culture

Today homes represent identity, sanctuary, and emotion. How does this influence the way you design for modern living?

La casa e quella di chi la abita e la vive. This means that homes reflect the identity of those who inhabit them and are defined entirely as personal experiences. Each project arises from the needs, desires, and emotions of those who will live in these spaces.

When you imagine a contemporary home in Arabia, what feelings, textures, or atmospheres come to mind?

I imagine spaces defined by light and shadow, by contrast and balance, places where materials breathe. Materials invite touch, finishes tell a story, and the whole environment becomes immersive and designed for the individual.

What emotion do you hope someone experiences when living with a Desalto piece, and what emotion remains years later?

I hope they feel the same excitement and emotional connection they felt when first choosing a Desalto piece, that sense of falling in love with the object, an emotion that time cannot erase. Over the years, this feeling will deepen, as the furniture becomes an integral part of their home and their personal story.

If Desalto could speak in one sentence as a cultural statement, what would it say?

Desalto transforms materials into bespoke multisensory experiences, creating iconic timeless objects where craftsmanship, emotion, and innovation coexist.