Dossofiorito is a multidisciplinary design studio established in Verona in 2012 by Livia Rossi (Italy, 1980) and Gianluca Giabardo (Italy, 1982). Livia Rossi studied fashion design in Italy at the University of Florence, and in the UK at Central Saint Martins. In 2010, she obtained a BA in Design at Goldsmith College, University of London. Gianluca Giabardo trained as an industrial designer at Politecnico di Milano, obtaining a MSc and a Master of European Design-MEDes- through studies at the ABK in Stuttgart and at UIAH in Helsinki. In addition to his work for Dossofiorito, Giabardo joined the Politecnico di Milano as a research fellow in 2013. Their different backgrounds and design methodology has brought them, through continuous confrontation, to achieve a more comprehensive approach to the design practice. Studio Dossofiorito is located in an old car workshop, where they carry out their design experiments with a very hands-on approach. Several of their projects have focused on rethinking the relationship with indoor nature, in terms of a cohabitation more respectful and attentive to the needs of the plant and more enriching for the human. Through their vases and functional appendices, they suggest new ways of interacting with the domestic world of plants.

Ludmilla
The inspiration for the project has been the figure of Princess Ludmilla (1908-1974), remembered as a passionate gardener and a proverbial green thumb. She was keen on cultivating flowers to cut and arrange in the many vases of Schloss Hollenegg. Ludmilla’s vases are born from the desire to bring back the scent and colourful presence of a continuous succession of flowers. The shape of the glass vases recalls the antique ceramic vases in the Castle, but instead of cut flowers, they will host a variety of bulbous plants. This shift from cut flowers to bulbs allows to witness, not only the last two steps of a flower’s life (blooming and decay), but to slowly observe and enjoy the whole life cycle of a flower plant: from sprouting, to decaying. The overlapping of an outer and inner vase creates two separate water compartments. Using the natural magnifying properties of water, the outer vase, with its rounded walls, becomes a magnifying vessel creating a strong focal point to observe the development of the bulb. Playing with the shape of the inner vase, various visual effects can be obtained.