Felicia Ferrone's international namesake brand, based in Chicago and Milan, Italy, is known for delivering the unexpected through a seemingly simple gesture. Archetypes are reinvented; typologies are crossed and blended. European influences, minimalist aesthetics, mastery of proportion, and meticulously considered details are the hallmarks of fferrone. Often lighthearted and whimsical, the furniture and objects are timeless. Through close collaborations with master artisans, each piece is handcrafted allowing for innovative use of materials and production techniques, underlying another fundamental attribute to her design philosophy and approach.
Born in Chicago, Felicia Ferrone graduated with a degree in architecture from Miami University, Ohio, after which she moved to Milan, Italy. Ferrone’s expansive reach is informed by her early experience as an architect in Milan, where she was first taught to “blur boundaries.” In a series of positions with some of Italy’s most notable design luminaries she developed her belief that all aspects of design are interdependent, that nothing exists in a vacuum but always in relation to the environment, objects, and systems that surround it.
Ferrone's award winning work is included in the Art Institute of Chicago’s permanent collection, is a recipient of a GOOD DESIGN Award and awarded the prestigious Intellectual Property Law Association of Chicago Creator of the Year in 2022 for contribution to the field through her design and utility patents.
She was also included in Woman Made: Great Women Designs published by Phaidon, recognized as 1 of 200 women who have shaped the history of design.
In 2017, she was a Jury Member at The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity and for Archiproducts in 2022 for Product Design. Ferrone regularly lectures throughout the US speaking on topics which range from her design practice to what original design means as a designer and educator. She is also an active member of Be Original Americas.
She is the Director of Undergraduate Studies in Industrial Design and a Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), which is recognized as one of the top ten design programs in the US. Previously, Ferrone held the position of Director of the Graduate Program in Industrial Design from 2015-2022 at UIC and prior to that, she was a lecturer at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago from 2010-2015.
Her glassware, home accessories and furniture designs have been widely exhibited and published internationally. Ferrone's designs are also regularly used in films and TV shows.
Producing and distributing her own work under her brand, fferrone, she also does commissioned work for clients, such as Audi, Boffi, and The Macallan among others. Clients include: Gucci, Louis Vuitton Foundation, Trussardi, Audi, Rimadesio, Bulthaup, Poliform, Molteni, Minotti, Peck, Flexform, Meridiani, Ernestomeda, Arclinea, Starbucks, and Society Limonta.
Cool Hunting Video: Fferrone Design from Cool Hunting on Vimeo.
Felicia Ferrone in Woman Made: Great Women Designers An immersive, timely celebration of more than 200 women product designers from the early twentieth century to the present day
“America by Design”. Season 1 Episode 1. MWC Productions. June 16, 2021
Articles about Felicia Ferrone:
The Study - 10 TRAILBLAZING FEMALE DESIGNERS - From pioneering visionaries to contemporary talents, get to know some of the most important women in design.
New City Design- Design 50: Who Shapes Chicago 2019
Luxury Living - Hoch die Gläser (in German)
FvF - Clear cut: A look at Felicia Ferrone’s purposeful Milanese-inspired designs
DeLood - A look at Felicia Ferrone’s purposeful Milanese-inspired designs
Breaking In: Interview Excerpt: Felicia Ferrone, Founder, fferrone design, Chicago
A Conversation with Felicia Ferrone on “What Is Design? A Designer’s View” - March 11, 2019 - Chicago-Kent Center for Design, Law & Technology c∆
design < law > technology
design < law > technology