The Sensitive Home: Architecture, Wellbeing and the Inner Dimension

(April 2026) – As part of the Press Café initiative at Cersaie 2025, Elena Dallorso, Senior Features Editor of AD magazine, interviewed designer and artist Elena Salmistraro on the theme of “Living and Wellbeing”.

Elena Salmistraro’s journey began in art, progressed to the world of fashion and eventually arrived at design and home interiors. She herself describes this training path as a series of mistakes that ultimately led her to where she is today, while providing her with the added sensitivity of an artist when approaching residential projects.

Salmistraro views the sensitive home as a space that fosters well-being. Within this vision, she is inspired by objects – even mass-produced items – that possess a colour or mark so emotionally resonant that they could be passed down as family heirlooms through the generations.

When asked what a “sensitive home” means to her, Salmistraro replies that it is “a home that understands us, that makes us feel good and becomes something of a sanctuary”. As a product designer, she sees the sensitive home as the place one is delighted to return to after a holiday, precisely because it is where we find objects that are, in essence, an extension of ourselves.

Turning to the home, the conversation shifts to interior architecture as an added tool for wellbeing. This is evident, Salmistraro notes, in the use of light and the choice of materials. In this regard, she discusses her relationship with ceramics, which stems not only from the collections she has designed but also from years of ceramic courses that allowed her to gain a hands-on understanding of the material.

The conversation continues with a focus on some of Salmistraro’s design projects and the importance of nature as a source of inspiration. It encompasses not only the designer’s tangible output but also concepts ranging from beauty as a form of care to art and the emotions evoked by objects.

Watch the video of AD’s Press Café at Cersaie 2025.