Arabella Rocca is a renowned architect and designer celebrated for her vibrant, imaginative approach and distinctive aesthetic. A graduate of the Faculty of Architecture at La Sapienza University in Rome, Arabella has established herself by boldly incorporating diverse color palettes into her designs.
We had the opportunity to interview her—read on to learn more!
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Hello Arabella! Let’s start with the basics. Where did you grow up, and where do you currently work and live?
I was born in Biella, Piedmont, a northern Italian region. My mother was from Piedmont, while my father was from Calabria, which is in the south. I currently live and work in Rome.
When or how have you understood you wanted to become an artist?
There wasn’t a specific moment; I’ve always been passionate about art and interested in art, photography, architecture, and design. However, until the day before enrolling in architecture university, I was sure I would study literature and art history. Until the day before starting to work for an architecture firm (with which I then worked for 10 years and was a partner for 8), I thought I would work in the world of art and architecture magazines.
Can you say something about your technique and tell us what drives you to make art?
I don’t consider myself an artist; I’m an architect and a designer. Art is a passion, but it has never become a profession. My works are architectural and interior projects in which each piece of furniture is often thought and designed, thus becoming a unique piece. The vases that I design and produce for Pop Pot are reinterpretations of ancient Roman amphorae, but they become pieces of art when (and lately, I’ve been doing it) I involve artists so that they offer me their vision.
What distinguishes your work?
Indeed, the most evident feature is the color, but among the less striking but equally essential characteristics is an almost maniacal attention to detail, proportion, and balance.
Which of your artworks mainly represents you?
Pop Pot is definitely a synthesis of many years of work. In this project, historical research reinterprets tradition and our archetypes through strong technology and innovation, with specific attention to detail and chromatic choices. They combine my more formal, more controlled side with my pop soul.
What or who inspires your work?
Every day, every moment, and every place can inspire you if you let yourself be part of the surroundings. But traveling has undoubtedly always been my most significant source of inspiration.
Is there something else, outside arts, that keeps you motivated?
People, places, my daughters, the sea, the sun, photography, and an infinite number of small tangible or intangible things that generate positive energy and creative drive. I am a curious person who is constantly discovering.
How would you like people to engage with your work?
Professionally, with the right trust and the proper participation. As many do and as, unfortunately, some still fail to do, the architect often becomes almost a psychotherapist, suffering fears, outbursts, control mania, joys and disappointments, doubts and certainties of his clients. Sometimes the process of renovating a house becomes a beautiful friendship that consolidates over time, but occasionally personal spaces are too invaded. The relationship with clients is one of the most fascinating aspects of this job but also one of the most tiring.
Spread the word! Do you have anything exciting on the horizon?
Many. The most immediate? Next week, for the Milan design week, I will be present in three locations.
First at the Salone del Mobile in a collaboration of Pop Pot with Egoitaliano, an all-Italian sofa brand based in Matera. They make beautiful research both in shapes and colors with particular attention to recycling and sustainability. We are very similar, and this will be the second edition together at the Salone del Mobile.
Then, always with Pop Pot, we will be in the fuori salone in Brera, in the showcase of Moroni Gomma. They are a historic design shop in Milan, which has recently become one of our retailers.
As an architect, always in the context of the design week, I was invited to participate in the Foodies’ Challenge 2025. This is a contest that unites architects and chefs in creating a dish that will be on show through a video at the Park Hyatt on April 9th.
For the realization of this project, I involved Chef Gianni Pinto from the Noi restaurant in Madrid, a Colombian artist, Nicolas Villamizar, and a video maker from Madrid, Quique Santamaria. Pop Pot is the producer of the dish, printed in 3D. Giacomo Sanna, my partner in Pop Pot, is an expert in artificial intelligence. We had fun together and included this new technology in the dish’s design. The theme was mythology, and we will soon be able to present our new Circe dish, which will be part of a new collection of 3D-printed dishes.
To discover more about Arabella Rocca, go to her website or follow her on Instagram!
