RODRIGO TORRES  from

As a graduate student at the prestigious Domus Academy in Milan, Italy, Rodrigo Torres discovered a connection between his Latin American cultural and modernist design influences and the school's emphasis on design as storytelling. Torres' diverse portfolio of products, from Landscape Forms' Torres lights to smart faucets, furniture, pencil sharpeners, and toys, reflects a design imprint that marries the whimsical with the rational. The honest, sleek aesthetic of Torres' products pays tribute to another great influence in his life, Italian designer Stefano Giovannoni, with whom he studied and worked. Design by Rodrigo Torres was founded in 2004, and while Torres works with clients around the world, his studio remains in his native Colombia. He has collaborated on award-winning designs with companies including Alessi, Poliform, Oras, Cassina IXC, Nike, Microsoft, Domodinamica, and Potocco. In 2016, Torres received the Red Dot Award for Il Bagno Alessi SENSE smart faucets by Oras and the Lapiz de Acero design award in 2005, 2008, and 2016. Torres' work has been recognized in publications and exhibitions in Europe, Asia, and the U.S., and his design influence is expanding through his role as a visiting professor and project leader in Domus Academy's Product and Interactive Design Program and as a visiting professor at the Istituto Europeo di Design in Turin.