Inventive, creative, poetic, boundaryless, stimulating, crafted, distinctive, personal and bespoke are all words that may go some way to describing Alessandro’s every design endeavour. Avoidance of the straightforward, love of illusion and devotion to craft, assures all who commission him, be it for the creation of a new space, the re-imagining of an existing one, or for the invention of a product piece, that the outcome will be uniquely innovative, appropriately useful, exquisitely made and beyond convention.
Alessandro was not always an architect. First he was a professional dancer, then stage actor, then policeman. Then he became an architect. And he will tell you that these apparently diverse, previous experiences, contribute to all he creates today. The awareness of stage, space and audience, the ability to understand and reflect varying personalities, the tenacity and patience to persist and examine every detail and all possibilities.
His formal training began at home in Italy, where he studied Art and Interior Architecture. He then headed to England and the Oxford School of Architecture, where he was granted a distinction and awarded the coveted Michael King memorial prize. He furthered his training at the prestigious Architectural Association in London. Alessandro went on to Foster + Partners, widely regarded as one of the most innovative architectural and design practices in the world, where a variety of projects included a prestigious hotel in London. After Foster + Partners followed a series of collaborative ventures, including designing for the renowned Italian glass blowing company Venini. Awards followed, such as the Crea Award for the Flow light by Vibia.
Most recently he has founded his new studio Alessandro Isola Ltd. With his creatively like-minded team he works internationally, with current projects in England, Italy and Russia. Alessandro’s work spans small and large projects, focussing on bespoke interior architectural solutions, inclusive of developing furniture systems and product pieces as an integral part of such a brief, or separately for large scale production.
For much of his production, Alessandro returns to his native Italy to source true independent craftsmen, that over generations have perfected a particular craft technique. This bygone artisan know-how and timeless quality is sensitively paired with latter day advancements in technology, to create beautifully built, modern-day solutions, that through the use of imaginative, often forgotten materials, creates rich design outcomes, that are just as fascinating to touch as they are to observe and use. Though highly crafted and more often than not bespoke, all that Alessandro designs, brings with it, carefully considered, functional flexibility and modularity, that can be adapted and re-arranged to suit changing surroundings, mood and desire.
Alessandro’s work has been published in many international consumer and industry magazines, including the Building Design Magazine, as part of the ‘Prestigious annual selection of UK talent’, the Financial Times ‘How to spend it’, and Vogue amongst many others.
