The Royal Academy hung his work: Francesco Rota

London has a habit of testing foreign designers, and Francesco Rota passed twice. His work has been exhibited at the Royal Academy of Arts, and in 2013 Wallpaper* placed him among the finalists of its Judges’ Award as Designer of the Year — a shortlist, not a courtesy. Born in Milan in 1966, running his own studio since 1998, he works across products, lighting, offices, showrooms and private houses, and the results share one temperament: pure, composed forms, colour handled with restraint, comfort that never needs explaining.

Since 2013 he has also been art director of Lapalma, where his modular seating system ADD — Red Dot 2016 — sets the tone for the whole catalogue. La Mercanti composes it section by section for British lobbies and collaborative floors, the way a gallery hangs a wall: nothing shouting, everything placed.