Christian Pellizzari on Murano Glass, Nature and Collectible Design

Collectibles

27 Aug

Words: designeers
AUGUST 2026

WEBSITE: christianpellizzari.it
INSTAGRAM: @christianpellizzari

DESIGNEERS

You moved from fashion, an industry driven by constant novelty, into creating objects intended to endure. Has your understanding of luxury shifted from newness towards permanence?

Christian Pellizzari

I can’t really compare the two worlds because, as you said, in the fashion world I need to come up with a new collection every six months, responding to constantly changing moods. In the design world I’m exploring now, I am inspired by flora and fauna, nature and the world itself. I like to make unique art pieces that combine these influences into something that has never existed before.

DESIGNEERS

What has stayed with you most strongly from your years in fashion, whether an instinct for silhouette, proportion, colour, movement or storytelling, and how does it continue to influence your work today?

Christian Pellizzari

I used to watch people in the street and observe what they wore and how they wore it. Today, I’m inspired by nature, and my work aims to express the resilience of nature in response to humans.

DESIGNEERS

Your work frequently draws upon plants, landscapes and natural forms. What makes a particular botanical reference compelling enough for you to translate it into glass?

Christian Pellizzari

My first art piece was a palm that has a tail like a snake. This piece perfectly represents what I want to make with my work, from the drawing and first samples to the glass pieces and finally making it happen.

DESIGNEERS

Working with Murano glass requires both precision and an acceptance of unpredictability. How does the dialogue between your original vision, the material and the glass artisans shape the finished work?

Christian Pellizzari

There is a long process behind each finished piece. First of all, I design the piece, and then I explain my vision to the Murano master glassmaker, who makes each piece individually. We start with prototypes and, until I’m satisfied, we keep trying to make the final piece as close as possible to my original design.

“I’m inspired by nature, and my work aims to express the resilience of nature in response to humans.”

Christian Pellizzari

DESIGNEERS

Your pieces sit between sculpture, lighting and installation. How do you hope they change the atmosphere or emotional experience of an interior?

Christian Pellizzari

I have to say that all the art pieces I make have a life that depends on the time you are looking at them. What is most rewarding is that different people see different things.

I had a call from a client in Australia who said she was hypnotised by the piece she bought and could not stop looking at it. I want to bring a similar feeling to people who buy my art pieces and live with them.

DESIGNEERS

How do you see the relationship between fashion designers and the growing world of collectible design? What can each discipline bring to the other?

Christian Pellizzari

I define myself as a creative person, and the process of creating something that didn’t exist before is pretty much the same. What brought me to art and design was a very natural process. I started to design a piece for myself, and it ended up being shown at NOMAD Capri. From there, it’s history.

DESIGNEERS

If you could define your creative philosophy in three words, what would they be?

Christian Pellizzari

Oniric. Metamorphosis. Matter.

DESIGNEeRS

If you could have dinner with one artist, designer or creative figure from history, who would it be, and what would be on the menu?

Christian Pellizzari

I would choose Hieronymus Bosch. I would love to understand how he managed to transform the natural world, human imagination and the grotesque into something so mysterious and beautiful.

For dinner, I would keep it simple: pasta with tomato sauce and Parmigiano, my favourite meal, a good glass of wine, and perhaps some good bread. I think the conversation would be much more interesting than the menu.