Essere Progetto: an interview with Del Savio 1910

Founded in 1910 in the Pordenone area, Del Savio 1910 originates within the tradition of terrazzo and mosaic craftsmanship rooted in the territory of Spilimbergo, historically renowned for its stone-working culture. Over three generations, from Secondiano to Mario, up to Manuele and Manuela Del Savio, the company has undergone significant transformations, evolving from traditional Venetian and Palladian flooring to more complex applications in furniture, cladding, and architecture.
This path has been shaped by moments of reconversion and adaptation, where artisanal knowledge has progressively integrated with advanced technologies and innovative production processes. Today, Del Savio 1910 operates as a laboratory of experimentation, where marble is deconstructed, hybridized, and developed through new design languages.

In recent years, this process has significantly accelerated. Driven by a strong desire to innovate and redefine its role within the stone surfaces landscape, the company has invested in research and development, expanding its know-how and reshaping its approach to marble: no longer just a material to be processed, but a living element to be constantly explored and challenged.

The collaboration with the studio Zanellato/Bortotto marked a key step in this evolution. Through a shared research process, the company embarked on a path of experimentation that opened up new expressive and design possibilities, while maintaining a strong connection to its identity and moving towards a more contemporary and open vision of such a traditional material as marble.

We explored this journey in relation to the Fuorisalone 2026 theme, “Being Design”, which invites reflection on design as a process rather than just a final outcome.

In recent years Del Savio 1910 has undergone a significant transformation. What led you to rethink your approach and invest in research and innovation on marble?

Over the past five years, the company felt the need to shift gears. Our know-how has grown considerably, allowing us to see marble in a completely new way. No longer just a material to be processed according to established methods, but a starting point to build new possibilities, moving beyond conventions and rethinking the material in terms of both its aesthetic qualities and its functionality.
We chose to invest in innovation and research to avoid remaining tied to a traditional production model, embracing instead a paradigm of continuous evolution. This path has led us to develop new applications, new languages, and a greater awareness of our role within the design process.

Your collaboration with Zanellato/Bortotto has been a pivotal moment. How did it influence your way of working?

The encounter with Zanellato/Bortotto was decisive. From the very beginning, a strong affinity emerged, oriented towards a shared research approach — not only on products, but on the very way of conceiving marble. Without predefined schemes, innovation and experimentation became new paradigms, challenging established logics and opening up new possibilities. This marked a real shift in our approach: no longer just execution, but active design development.

Today, much is said about “Being Design.” What does it mean for you in concrete terms?

For us, “Being Design” perfectly reflects the journey we have undertaken in recent years. Within an intense process of research and development aimed at refining our identity, we interpret “Being Design” as a process of revealing who we are as a company, and as an opportunity for synergy with brands, interior design studios, and collectible design galleries.
This dual dimension is essential: on one hand, the articulation of our own language; on the other, the relationship between this language, inherently open and receptive, and our collaborators.
For us, “Being Design” means having the ability to continuously reinterpret marble, adapting it to different contexts and actively contributing to the final outcome.

Your work involves collaborations across companies, studios, and galleries. What value do these relationships have?

Collaborations are fundamental, especially when they go beyond a simple supplier relationship. We believe it is essential to build deep connections, where projects are developed together and the material is reinterpreted each time in a different way.
This approach allows us to create unique outcomes and move beyond standardized logic. Working with companies, designers, and architecture studios means entering into an ongoing dialogue, where our contribution is not only technical but also, and above all, design-driven.

You will be present at Milan Design Week 2026 through multiple collaborations. How does this reflect the theme “Being Design”?

For Del Savio, participating in Milan Design Week represents an important milestone.
The company will present a distributed installation titled When Surface Takes Shape, which expresses a network of collaborations: the Orizzonti – Sfumature su marmo collection with Valcucine at their Brera flagship store; a new project with Andrea Mancuso for Nilufar Depot; and a collaboration within a project by REdDUO in the Porta Genova area, featuring selected pieces by david/nicolas.
When Surface Takes Shape embodies the essence of “Being Design”: it is the narrative of a creative process — from concept to realization, through rigorous testing phases — applied to different contexts where material is continuously reinterpreted. This journey, which unfolds across Milan from north to south, acts as a connecting thread, demonstrating the company’s ability to investigate material from its very origin, elevating artisanal tradition while projecting the expressive potential of marble into a contemporary dimension.
In this sense, marble becomes a starting point — almost a limit to overcome. And design is not a closed outcome, but an open process built through relationships, collaborations, and new possibilities.