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exploring taste—santa margherita gruppo vinicolo people —enrica cavarzan and marco zavagno

How did you come up with the idea of Studio Zaven? Wine and food are two different yet related items, one
ec: We met when we were both studying at IUAV in Venice, fluid, the other solid, and have different forms and pre-
but then took very different paths – Marco with Fabrica and sentations. What do they mean to you and how do you
Benetton, then in Spain and me with art and graphics for in- see their relationship?
stitutions. At a certain point we fell in love and moved in to- ec: I love traditional cooking and simple everyday food, but
gether, and that’s when we started working together. We both when I go out for dinner I like to experiment and try unex-
had our own jobs, but since we inevitably started influencing pected combinations. I enjoy food as an experience of discov-
each others work, we thought: why not combine our efforts, ery, both visually in terms of the plate’s composition and the
strengths and skills? synergy of tastes that meet. In some starred restaurants, food
becomes a real project, a construction. Then at home we like
Many designers end up living in their studios or transform cooking together, it’s time for us, when we can relax.
their homes into studios, organizing parties and dinners in
the midst of their projects. Is this something you’ve done? You both have origins in Veneto, a land renowned for its
mz: No, we have always tried to keep the two separate. We wine. How has this landscape influenced your work? How
found an independent studio far from where we live so we can has it taught to you design and create your region?
separate work from our family life. We felt the need to have two ec: More than Veneto, we are inspired by the whole of It-
different spaces, also to avoid conflicts and to set limits. Our aly. Obviously in Veneto there are outstanding artisans of
kids made this a must. Before they came along, we could always all types, including Venetian glassmakers. Let’s just say that
sleep over at the studio, now things are different. Although the there are great logistics and excellent manufacturers who
truth is, it’s almost impossible to truly separate the two areas make prototypes for the whole world, so why shouldn’t we
when you work together… take advantage of this?

ec: In the end, all our projects are born in the kitchen, after mz: Artisan production is very important and has won us the
we’ve put the kids to bed and cleaned up. In fact, our new house most awards, but we have also worked extensively with indus-
is designed around the kitchen, which for us is an essential trial manufacturing. In the end, each individual project is what
meeting place. It’s the place where we reload and work simply counts, but our roots have also been instrumental in our evo-
becomes a pleasure. lution as designers.

In your opinion as designers, what is the most homely object? Your have a very strong relationship with craftsmanship,
ec: For me, the perfect symbol of conviviality is the chopping even participating in an exhibition entitled The Future is
board! At dinners we always put everything on platters to Handmade with your Pila vases. How do you reconcile the
share, at the center of the table. past and the future?
mz: We adapt our various projects according to the client and
mz: I agree, and I would add the pitcher. It’s an object we adore their production system, but the underlying concept doesn’t
and have studied a lot, which is almost like the drinking equiv- change. If we work with an American multinational, we nat-
alent of the chopping board, the container that distributes wine urally approach the job differently to how we would with an
to other diners. artisan from Veneto, yet we try to keep the dialogue between
these two realities open.
What’s your favorite wine? Have you ever thought of de-
signing wineglasses? ec: The Pila series combines these two dimensions in a unique
ec: I like simple and classic wines, such as Sauvignon. It must be way, because it was born from an artisan background then
said that wine in Venice is democratic, where you can get a glass adapted to the industrial world through the creation of moulds.
for a euro even if this means a headache the morning after. But This being said, the first ten pieces were made by us. We visited
this will never change. this amazing craftsman, Antonio Bonaldi, who works at the
wheel and constantly pursues his quest for perfection. At the
mz: If I have to be honest, I prefer beer, but this year for the first time he was doing so by reproducing an egg. We commissioned
time we designed glasses for Arc on a large-scale and are waiting a perfect cylinder, but then tried to give it some random move-
for the prototypes, nothing too special, but still a novelty for us. ment, like a stack of books accumulated on a table. We were

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