Italian Designer Elena Salmistraro Shares How She Turned Her Passion For Ceramics Into A Career

She creates playful designs and has a distinctive aesthetic that allows her to stand out

A visit to Elena Salmistraro’s colourful studio feels akin to travelling into a parallel world full of wonder and whimsy—from anthropomorphic figures to vases in the shapes of fantastic beasts, her oeuvre encompasses a vibrant array of ceramics, furniture and accessories.

Her distinctive aesthetic has made her highly sought-after, given her work as an artist, a curator and as a product designer. During our visit to her studio in Milan, she talked us through her two biggest passions: drawing and ceramics.

Ceramic vases from the Primate collection for Bosa; Milan-based designer and artist Elena Salmistraro

Above Elena Salmistraro

What sparked your interest in ceramics?
Elena Salmistraro (ES) After some brief stints with design studios, I felt the need to challenge myself with a more solid material. I took ceramic courses at the Cova school in Milan, and I started modelling vases and an infinite number of useless objects that helped me to understand the secrets and potential of this material. I also bought a small oven that I still have in the studio.

Above A pair of ceramic figurines from the Most Illustrious collection designed by Elena Salmistraro for Bosa

How did you turn your passion for ceramics into a career?
ES My formal experiments allowed me to be selected to be part of an exhibition at Superstudio during Milan Design Week in 2012. I presented conceptual objects made with the materials I knew best, and above all, are completely handmade. These caught the attention of Andrea Branzi and Silvana Annicchiarico who selected me for The New Italian Design exhibition.

After that, I started collaborating with companies like Bosa Ceramiche. It has been a dream come true—with these brands, I can bring my knowledge of ceramics to a higher level while having fun and trying to create something new and fascinating.

13.2.2011 If not now, when by Elena Salmistraro is an artwork inspired by the feminist movement

Above Ceramic vases from the Primate collection for Bosa; Milan-based designer and artist Elena Salmistraro

Tell us more about how your drawings shape your design process.
ES I draw continuously; I’ve always done it and I couldn’t do without it. I know how to tell a story with a drawing and to load it with positivity and joy. The dialogue between two-dimensional design and the three-dimensional object is something that fascinates me very much.

Recently, I realised that I have been drawing a character that looks like me, and I confess that it has been a kind of a shock, as I would never want my ego to take over my alter ego. Another recurrent element in my drawings is a big eye—it represents my grandfather, perhaps the person I love the most in my life.

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Italian Designer Elena Salmistraro Shares How She Turned Her Passion For Ceramics Into A Career