Studio Paolo Ferrari

Profile:

Key points: Founded in 2016.

• In 2016, Paolo Ferrari also founded Editions Paolo Ferrari, a contemporary furniture collection handcrafted in Canada.

• Paolo Ferrari served as Design Director at Yabu Pushelberg for six years before founding his studio.

• Inspired by cinema, art, and architecture, Ferrari’s work balances the past and future to evoke awe and wonder.

Nationality: Canadian designer

Style: Paolo Ferrari creates designs that blend natural shapes with new ideas. He mixes simple styles with bold, eye-catching forms.

Instead of following short-lived trends, Ferrari aims to create spaces that feel lasting and meaningful. His style combines simple elements with careful details, creating rooms and objects that tell stories through their look and feel.

Ferrari gets ideas from movies and modern design. His work often mixes old and new styles. For example, in the Secret Room in Dubai, he paired walls that look like old paintings with a bar that seems futuristic. This makes the space feel both ancient and modern at the same time.

In another project called Alchemy, a cannabis store in Toronto, Ferrari designed a space that feels both dreamlike and down-to-earth. This shows his unique way of thinking about design.

Overview:

Studio Background: Studio Paolo Ferrari, located in Toronto, has become famous worldwide since it started in 2016.

The studio is known for making spaces that feel special and exciting. They mix new ideas with designs that look good for a long time. They have worked on prestigious projects in North America, the Middle East, Europe, and Asia.

Ferrari’s commitment to conceptual design is evident in collaborations with architects like Frank Gehry and Zaha Hadid, as well as in luxury interiors and custom furniture collections like Editions Paolo Ferrari.

Founders: Paolo Ferrari

Approach, design philosophy: Ferrari’s philosophy is guided by a deep exploration of art, architecture, and cinema.

He wants to create spaces that feel like complete, unique worlds. His goal is to mix bold, creative ideas with designs that feel true to different cultures and materials.

He wants his designs to tell stories and make people feel something special when they enter a space.

“We are of the mindset that a great project can be an entire world within itself” Source : Nuvomagazine

Style: Timeless yet experimental, Ferrari’s style integrates bold geometric forms with natural textures and materials.

His work is characterized by its ability to evoke tension between the past and the future, as seen in his juxtaposition of earthy materials with futuristic aesthetics.

Main inspirations: Ferrari draws heavily on diverse influences His influences include:

• Film: inspired by directors like Stanley Kubrick and David Lynch, Ferrari’s designs are structured like cinematic narratives.

• Art: minimalists such as Donald Judd and Isamu Noguchi inform his exploration of form and material.

• Architecture: he takes cues from modernist masters like Alvar Aalto and contemporary innovators like Rem Koolhaas.

As Ferrari notes:

• “I design interiors to tell you a story, as if spaces and scenes are chapters in a story”, Source : PaoloFerrari

• “I’m always drawn to furniture that strikes an unexpected balance between the new and familiar,” Source : Sightunseen

Identity and aesthetics: The identity of Studio Paolo Ferrari is rooted in creating immersive, transformative spaces.

Ferrari starts with big ideas and uses them to create bold and exciting designs. He mixes dream-like beauty with natural textures. This makes rooms that feel both long-lasting and eye-catching.

Ferrari's work is about more than just how things look. He wants to create spaces that make people feel something new and interesting. By combining unusual ideas with familiar materials, he makes places that are both comfortable and surprising.

Values: The studio values innovation, collaboration, and cultural specificity.

Ferrari’s projects prioritize authentic storytelling and meaningful connections between people, spaces, and materials.

Creative process:

The studio’s process begins with abstract concepts that guide design decisions. Ferrari employs “conceptual guardrails” to maintain cohesion while taking risks (Source : NuvoMagazine).

Materials, narratives, and spatial relationships are carefully curated to create immersive, site-specific works.

Production and materials:

Materials play a central role in Ferrari’s designs.

The studio blends modern techniques with traditional craftsmanship, as seen in the use of sand-cast bronze for the Desert Rock Resort in Saudi Arabia and irregular terracotta tiles for Alchemy, a Toronto-based cannabis dispensary.

Production methods:

Ferrari’s process emphasizes the emotional and tactile qualities of materials, balancing natural and futuristic elements. This approach ensures that each project feels authentic and enduring.

Main categories:

• Furniture

• Interiors

• Objects

Notable collections:

• Editions Paolo Ferrari (2016): A handcrafted furniture collection exploring the intersection of sculpture and function.

Major projects:

• Secret Room, Five Palm Jumeirah Hotel, Dubai: A subterranean bar blending futuristic and classical aesthetics.

• Alchemy, Toronto: A cannabis dispensary inspired by David Lynch’s cinematic surrealism.

• Desert Rock Resort, Saudi Arabia: A resort design incorporating local materials and ancient techniques.

• Forma Tower, Toronto: Interiors for a Frank Gehry-designed luxury residential tower.

• Zibi House, Ottawa.

• Renovation of seven office tower lobbies, Toronto.

Press/media quotes:

Press : https://www.paoloferrari.com/press

• Jay Merrick : “Paolo Ferrari: the creative origins of his designs”

• DesignLines, 2019 : “Inside the Secret World of Studio Paolo Ferrari”

• NuvoMagazine, 2022 : “Experiment & Elegance: Paolo Ferrari Designs the Stuff of Dreams”

Awards and distinctions:

Hospitality Design Awards

• Long Bar & Terrace, Raffles Boston (Bar, Club + Lounge)

• Daphne, Toronto (Upscale Restaurant)

Restaurant & Bar Design Awards

• AHEAD Americas Award 2024 (Long Bar, Raffles Boston)

• OPAL Award London Platinum (Daphne)

• DNA Paris Award 2024 (Daphne)

• Gold Key Award 2024 (Long Bar, Raffles Boston)

• Gold Key Award 2023 (Daphne - Fine Dining)

• SIT Design Award 2024 (Daphne - Interior Design of the Year)

• LIV Hospitality Design Awards 2023 (Daphne, Long Bar)

Residential & House Design Awards

• DNA Paris Awards 2023 (Muskoka Lake House)

• Loop Design Awards 2023 (Muskoka Lake House)

• Interior Design Awards 2023 (Muskoka Lake House)

• AZ Awards 2023 (Muskoka Lake House)

• Architecture MasterPrize 2023 (Muskoka Lake House)

Retail & other Awards

• FX Awards 2023 (The Bedford - International Interior Design)

• Built Design Awards 2021 (Alchemy)

• Canadian Interiors Awards 2021 (Alchemy)

• HD Awards 2021 (Alchemy)

• ICCO Air Canada Business Excellence Award 2022

https://www.paoloferrari.com/awards

Headquarters and website:

• 300 Campbell Ave., Suite 200

  Toronto, ON M6P 3V6, Canada

• https://www.paoloferrari.com