Homo Faber, the international biennial exhibition held in Venice and celebrating European and global master craftsmanship, has become the place to be for design and interiors firms.
The fourth edition, “Homo Faber 2026: An Island of Light,” is open to the public at Fondazione Giorgio Cini, San Giorgio Maggiore island in Venice until Sept. 30. The showcase is running alongside a calendar of events throughout the city. In addition to installations conceived by world-class master artisans and creatives like artistic director Es Devlin, the calendar features events and curations by design and home firms such as furniture firm Giorgetti, marble firm del Savio 1910, metal finishings company De Castelli, design platform Artemest and storied Venetian fabrics brand Fortuny. Design furniture firm Cappellini made an appearance in the food-and-beverage spaces with its Newood and Newood Light seating by designers Alberto Brogliato and Federico Traverso.
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Where Artisan DNA Shines
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Giorgetti, which specializes in traditional luxury furniture, decided to make its debut at the event to take advantage of the opportunity to express its artisan DNA and highlight the craftsmanship woven into its products, chief executive officer Giovanni del Vecchio explained.
Giorgetti unveiled “The Feast of Light,” a collection of white porcelain, glass, fabric and paper objects, arranged on the reflective surface of a huge illuminated table to create an effect of absolute purity. Nineteen Summa poufs created exclusively by Giorgetti’s creative director Giancarlo Bosio using fabrics and colors selected by Es Devlin were staged as an integral part of the narrative.
“There is a strong alignment of values, which makes the project extremely relevant, valid and interesting for us to explore. I hope the conditions will allow us to engage with it more deeply in the next edition,” he said.
Homo Faber organizer Alberto Cavalli, who is the executive director of the Michelangelo Foundation, said the event is rooted in a privileged and fruitful dialogue between creativity and craftsmanship, art and design, manual dexterity and inspiring intuition. It is no surprise to him that the event has piqued the interest of more home firms this year.
“More and more, the quality of the artworks presented and crafted by the master artisans has inspired creative minds. Homo Faber is not intended as a design event; but for sure, fostering a dialogue between fine crafts and design, art, decoration is one of our missions, in order to give artisans more opportunities to express their talent,” he said.
Interacting With Venetian Lifestyle
Fortuny capitalized on the event’s momentum and proximity to its headquarters to release its first wallpaper collection.
For the debut, the family-run firm teamed with historic Italian rehabilitation community San Patrignano and its Casa D’Arte project, employing their artisans to create effects inspired by marble, lime wash and embossed leather, entirely handcrafted through artisanal processes.
Design platform Artemest made its own debut at Homo Faber, opening the doors to its first Venetian curation, which also features the debut of design-forward duo Draga & Aurel.
Conceived by cofounder and creative director Ippolita Rostagno, Artemest took over the cultural space designed by Piero Lissoni and owned by Italian yacht-maker Sanlorenzo. The hub, which opened in 2025, is housed in a 1940s home formerly owned by the famed Toso glassmaking family. The current exhibition, titled “Ca’ Riflesso,” Venetian for “house of reflection,” has unfolded as part of the art and design event series Homo Faber in Città.
“We had a long conversation with Alberto Cavalli and Hanneli Rupert of Homo Faber about the opportunity to create a more immersive Artemest experience at Homo Faber. We did not want to simply showcase beautiful objects. We wanted to create a real interior and show how exceptional craftsmanship can live naturally within contemporary design,” Artemest chief executive officer Marco Credendino told WWD.
The project reimagined a traditional Venetian home as the residence of an imaginary collector. It is filled with furniture, lighting, decor and artworks, all with a particular focus on Venetian craftsmanship.
Notable brands on show at the Artemest exhibition include some of the city’s most historic names, among them glassmakers Venini, WonderGlass, NasonMoretti, Micheluzzi Glass as well as fabled fabrics firms Tessitura Bevilacqua and Rubelli. Del Savio 1910 unveiled three creations from its Marble Marbling collection, designed by Zanellato/Bortotto: a black inlaid dining table and two Deca centrepieces while Draga & Aurel unveiled new lighting.
“We have always seen artisans as living geniuses, not as custodians of objects that belong in museums. They create beautiful things for people to live with, use and enjoy. Craftsmanship should be part of our everyday lives, and great design has the ability to give it a contemporary context,” Credendino said.
Storytelling Factor
Famous for its ornate decor and design for the home, Fornasetti has been with the event from the start and sees it is a way for it to present unique pieces that celebrate its heritage.
For this new edition, artistic director Barnaba Fornasetti explored the original archival design, of the firm’s “Mani e Farfalle” (Italian for hands and butterflies) motif, one of the most poetic designs in Fornasetti’s history, bringing together the human gesture and the natural world in a balance between reality and imagination.
The vase presented at Homo Faber was made on the glass-making island of Murano by Barbini Specchi Veneziani, bringing together the centuries-old tradition of hand engraving using stone and diamond wheels with Fornasetti’s distinctive visual language.
In essence, Cavalli said the mission remains fixed on celebrating artisan craft rather than elevating Homo Faber as a main design calendar event.
“For sure, fostering a dialogue between fine crafts and design, art, decoration is one of our missions, in order to give artisans more opportunities to express their talent. We are flattered by the attention that design firms pay to Homo Faber.”