We don’t believe it’s a job well done to take expensive materials and make something beautiful; we prefer using modest materials and putting a smile on people’s faces,” says Morten Thuesen of his and partner Letizia Caramia’s design sensibility. “Both of us are a little tired of hearing all these intellectual references – sometimes it’s just nice that a product can ‘be’.”
Taking centre stage in the couple’s home in the storied Porta Venezia district of Milan is their affectionately named Carolino, meaning little trolley, which the pair made from leftovers in Caramia’s parents’ workshop during a Christmas lockdown when they wanted a wheelie tray to carry food and drinks between rooms. Beside it stands the stools they conjured at the same time from plywood and construction pillars. If it sounds like a high-achiever’s version of Jenga, then it’s an endearing one: the pieces took pride of place in their exhibition at the first post-pandemic Salone del Mobile fair at the showcase’s hotspot venue, Alcova, in 2021 to critical acclaim.
