Guido Canali is one of the most important names in modern classic design. This architect has dedicated years to the reconstruction of historic buildings – Parma’s National Gallery, Santa María della Scala in Siena, Grande Museo del Duomo di Milano, and counting. In native Italy, Canali has revealed true mastery when working on residential development as well as corporate buildings. Among them – spectacular Prada factory and the headquarters and the central office of a luxury kitchen appliances manufacturer Smeg®,

In this sense, for Canali, working environment is a key field to focus on. Therefore, he gives priority to the needs of the people who are going to live in the spaces designed by him. It’s not strange to discover in his designs trees and bushes in rooftops and stairs, as well as terraces and interior gardens, being his reinterpretation of the archetypical patio of a Roman domus.

Teaching has also been another of Guido Canali’s focal points. Once a lecturer at the Parma University, he is currently a full professor of architectonic composition at the Architecture Department at the Ferrara University.

Nevertheless, the name Canali has become so well-known thanks to the iconic knob he designed for Smeg®. This handle sets aside other conventional serigraphic brands, as his creator developed them with functionality and practicality for the final consumer in mind.

For more than 30 years, Guido Canali has contributed his genius and his broad knowledge of architecture to the esthetic design of kitchen appliances for the renowned Italian brand. The architect, for whom the beauty of the art is not at odds with the ingenuity and technological pragmatism, is also the artificer of line “Classic” by Smeg®. This product line, made up of items characterized by the timelessness and elegance of its lines, compact volumes, strict forms, sober and essential design, makes any kitchen take center stage.

His ability to conceive the design of parts and objects and his understanding of the space won him a vast number of awards and acknowledgements, among which: the Piranesi Prix de Rome (2011), Venice Biennale, Padua, Monaco and Mainz; Architecture Gold Medal, Triennale di Milano (2003, 2006 and 2009), Fritz Schumacher Preis (2004), Gold Compass (2004) and Inarch Award (1989-1990, 1991-1992), to name a few.

Enjoy an interview Smeg® made to a star architect at their own headquarters! In this video, Canali shares insights into his creations for the brand, as well as his esthetic concept of design and functional architecture.