Italian design visionary Fabio Novembre weaves architecture, history, and humanistic symbolism into every piece, speaking an unmistakably personal dialect of Italy’s rich cultural narrative. At this year’s Salone del Mobile in Milan, his latest creation for Kartell—LA COUPOLE—demonstrated once again how he transforms cultural signifiers into contemporary design language, making objects vessels of memory and emotion.
Kartell X Fabio Novembre: New Release Preview
Building on the inspiration of his TRULLO series, LA COUPOLE reinterprets the iconic church dome—an architectural marvel typically crowning the altar—scaled down and cast in transparent plastic. Functioning like a lantern, its form captures and diffuses light, while its clear shell can shelter cake, snacks, or any treasured object beneath.
“When you take an architectural element and turn it into an everyday object, makes it much more interesting and intriguing in some ways.” Fabio explains.
Interview Highlights
Before the formal interview even began, iko iN couldn’t resist pulling up a photo on his phone: cradling a TRULLO piece in his arms, the ultimate badge of fandom. With that shared moment we dove right into his fresh Kartell collaboration.
From left to right: Interviewer Iko iN and Fabio Novembre
Q: Your new LA COUPOLE piece clearly echoes your earlier TRULLO series. Would you say it’s an evolution of that concept?
A: “TRULLO is an archetypal southern Italian building, a symbol of my homeland. With LA COUPOLE, I’ve elevated that symbol to a national level, the cathedral dome itself. It’s not only the most complex structural element, but also a powerful emblem of light and spirituality. By recasting it in transparent plastic, it becomes a miniature architecture: you can place cake or keepsakes beneath, or simply marvel at how it refracts light. You can interpret it the way you want.”
Q: Your work is often described as a bold and emotional. What role does storytelling play when collaborating with a brand like Kartell?
A:“For me, storytelling is always essential because you cannot only answer to functions. A great story outweighs mere function—we don’t need another sofa or table. Working with Kartell feels like creating an Italian souvenir: owning the product is like taking a piece of Italy home. We come from a land repeatedly conquered yet eternally rich in beauty and culture—these designs are our cultural flags carried around the world.”
Q: Many of your pieces involve the human form or strong symbolism. How do you see the intersection of design and identity today?
A:“To me, design must be inseparable from its author’s identity. I consider myself an ‘authorial designer,’ not just a designer. My deep emotional connection to the human body—our ultimate image of perfection—inspires everything I do. From the NEMO face chair to the HIM AND HER armchair, and even my MURANO glassware with Venini, it’s all about body elements in the soul of objects, each piece reflects that human-centric faith and love.”
Q: Your work overflows with Italian cultural vitality. Is that cultural tension itself part of your creative process?
A:“Though I dream of being a passport-free global citizen, I’m inherently Italian. My designs are rooted in our food, landscape, sea, and light. It’s interesting because everybody has got such a personal background to transform into objects, into architecture, into everything they do. Because it’s such a personal background. That’s why I despise ‘international style’—it strips objects of origin, you really cannot recognize what is this. ”
Fabio Novembre’s creations never chase trends; they broadcast profound cultural parables to the world. As he puts it, “We may view the world from different angles, but in the end we are all brothers, we are just human beings.” Indeed, design is the universal language that transcends borders and speaks to our shared humanity.
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Further Reading:
[2025 Milan Design Week Series]
