ferruccio laviani designs a greek theatre-inspired stage for mara at salone del mobile 2026

An arena-like space by Ferruccio Laviani provided a fitting stage for the Italian manufacturer’s increasingly sophisticated design collection.

It was a bit surreal, to be honest with you. I’d tripped along to the MARA stand at this year’s Salone del Mobile to conduct an interview with long-established (and, no, that’s not an euphemistic way of saying older) Italian designer Ferruccio Laviani, who, as well as contributing to the manufacturer’s increasingly sophisticated product portfolio, had created their fair-stand concept – a kind of micro abstraction of an ancient arena in which visitors, upon entering, found themselves surrounded by the brand’s latest products, displayed on ascending tiers.

‘The designer as design’ was a phrase that passed through my mind as Laviani invited me to take a seat on one of the steps, among the exhibited objects. ‘The idea is a little bit like a Greek theatre,’ he set out explaining. ‘The people were sitting there, discussing things. I mean, I don’t want to be Plato or something like that, but I wanted to achieve a place like that, one that’s not just for objects, but for people – meeting, looking around, discussing, exchanging opinions.’

at Salone del Mobile 2026, Ferruccio Laviani turned MARA’s fair stand into a micro-arena modeled on a Greek theatre – a space conceived for people to meet and exchange, not just for objects to be displayed | all images courtesy of MARA

beyond its utilitarian function, Laviani argues, design should connect us to each other and carry a social purpose, drawing visitors into a shared experience

And so, we discussed. And we exchanged. I asked Laviani if design, beyond its utilitarian function, should try to connect us. If it has a social purpose. His response was as pragmatic as it was poetic, underscoring what’s made him such a perennial and sought-after collaborator for brands who aspire to more than just the moving of inventory. ‘I want visitors to a fair stand to have a certain experience, to be involved in a special landscape that is a different reality from outside. It’s about creating a place that is lived by them, so they truly discover the brand – in this case MARA – and discover the products and the collection. A place that’s not just graphically or photographically designed, but also that delivers a memorable atmosphere.’

‘I WANTED TO ACHIEVE A PLACE LIKE THAT, ON THAT’S NOT JUST FOR OBJECTS, BUT FOR PEOPLE’

Laviani’s initial connection to MARA was driven in part by biography. ‘When they first called me,’ he says, ‘I was interested to get to know them because they’re from the Brescia province. It was the province of my father. The Bresciani are always a very particular typology of people – very tough, very strong, very hardworking. They have a completely different vision from the other parts of Lombardy region.’

Laviani’s Elle bookcase system, expanded this year with integrated storage and hanging rails, embodies MARA’s open-ended approach – a fixed structure made to evolve through new additions

A prime example of this hard work, on a product level, is the Laviani-authored bookcase-cum-space-shaping system called Elle, which, at this year’s Salone, saw the introduction of integrated storage elements and other accessories, such as hanging rails. The open-endedness of this micro-architectural programme appeals greatly to the designer. ‘We’re trying to see the whole potential we have with the structure. So, the structure remains the same, but, as a system, we try to make it evolve into something different, something new, adding new items every time that turn it into something else.’

THE COLLECTION TAKES MARA’S TECHNICAL EXPERTISE AND WRAPS IT IN A MORE ARCHITECTURAL LANGUAGE

The idea of evolution ran through some of the other MARA launches, too. Aera, designed by Marcello Ziliani, is a seating collection that finds its character in restraint – a line that appears almost reduced to its essentials, where the structure tapers and the details do the work. It’s the kind of product that reveals itself gradually rather than demanding attention and, therefore, lends itself equally to offices, hospitality spaces and domestic settings.

defined by a graphic, double-T-shaped structure, the Otto series by christophe pillet balances carefully controlled proportions with structural strength

Christophe Pillet describes wrapping MARA’s patented height-adjustment mechanism in a more architectural language, transforming the brand’s engineering into an expression of beauty

Also on show was Otto – Christophe Pillet’s interpretation of the table as a meeting point between engineering and expression. The collection takes MARA’s technical expertise (in particular its patented height-adjustment mechanism) and wraps it in a more architectural language, defined by a strongly graphic double-T-shaped structure and carefully controlled proportions. ‘I dressed a Mara mechanism, transforming its modernity into an expression of beauty,’ is how Pillet puts it.

a natural evolution of an iconic modular system, the B302 steel planter integrates nature into contemporary design

MARA’s wider line-up shared one idea – furniture that changes with use: Marcello Ziliani’s pared-back Aera seating, Christophe Pillet’s architectural Otto table, Francesco Barbi’s recyclable B302 Vase and the tenth-anniversary Argo Libro, all built around shifting need

A biophilic kind of beauty, meanwhile, was delivered via Francesco Barbi’s new B302 Vase, a 100% recyclable, steel planter module, conceived for MARA’s existing B302 modular bookcase, while the manufacturer’s iconic Argo Libro folding table offered aesthetic elevation via different means. Its tenth anniversary was marked in Milan with a limited-edition series that sees its table-top radiate with a reflective, polished-steel finish. Originally developed for environments where flexibility is required (the tables in the collection rest on effortless castors), such as offices to educational spaces, Argo Libro continues to occupy that space between furniture and infrastructure – a system designed not around a fixed moment, but around the continual shifts in user need and behavior.

Guest Feature by Simon Keane-Cowell / Architonic

The post ferruccio laviani designs a greek theatre-inspired stage for mara at salone del mobile 2026 appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.