3D printing, Swiss manufacturing, and natural materials: Elisa Berger designs a reconfigurable and durable furniture system.

A modular heart, capable of transforming into a bottle rack, bedside table, bookcase, wardrobe, or wall unit, adapting to changing living needs over time. From a move to the simple desire to renovate spaces, to the need to adapt to a growing family, the same elements can be separated, reassembled, and assigned a new function. This is the idea behind More Love, the collection created by the interior architect and product designer Elisa Berger, founder of the eponymous studio based in Lugano.

The system is based on a single heart-shaped module, which can be used individually or connected to others to create compositions of varying sizes and uses. Its very geometry, characterized by three curves, paradoxically represented one of the main obstacles to its production. Wood, which was initially considered, is a living material. This means, in other words, that it can move over time and compromise the precision needed to properly fit the different elements together.

The solution came almost by chance, during a fair in Lugano, through the meeting with a local company specialized in 3D printing of PLA, a plant-based material derived from corn. This technology allowed the project to be translated into a product made entirely in Switzerland, reconfigurable and therefore designed to last beyond a single function.

A geometry born twenty years ago, but rethought for the present

The origin of More Love It dates back over twenty years, when Elisa Berger, still at university, designed an arrow-shaped geometric element capable of interlocking and creating modular compositions. The project was later produced in wood and met with good commercial success, so much so that the designer revived the principle much later. About two years ago, she began rethinking that same idea, adopting less angular and more contemporary lines. The result is a curved geometry that can be read as an "L," but which, when viewed as a whole, immediately recalls a heart.

The name of the collection derives from Casa Amor, a Saint-Tropez venue linked to the slogan “Más amor, por favorA formula that Berger chose to transfer into design to also give the object a communicative function. Speaking of the heart as aesthetic choice and recognizable sign The creator herself is the one around which the entire collection develops:

We live in difficult times, with wars, crises, economic instability, and uncertainty. We see it even in couples: many young people don't get married or have children because they struggle to plan for the future. I liked the idea of ​​bringing feelings back into everyday life and instilling a positive message even in furnishings.

Where wood fails, bioplastic from renewable sources takes over.

From a technical standpoint, Más Amor was born from the intersection of modular design and additive manufacturing. The geometry of the individual element, composed of three curves that must fit together precisely, had made it difficult—as mentioned—to work with wood. Being a living material, its natural variations could have compromised the interlocking of the modules. PLA was the solution. a plant-based material derived from corn, 3D-printed by a company in the Lugano area. The entire production is therefore made in Switzerland and made to order.

Each module measures 40 x 40 x 35 centimeters and can be used individually or drilled and connected to other elements, vertically or horizontally. Furthermore, the composition is not fixed: the modules can be separated, re-drilled with a standard drill, and reassembled in a different configuration. For example, a bedside table can become part of a bookcase, a shoe rack, or a bottle rack, avoiding the need to replace the piece when the home or the needs of its user change.

The shape design is registered at European levelThe collection is currently available in white, black, and dove gray, with a wood-effect finish soon to be added. Hybrid solutions with a PLA structure and wooden doors are already under development.

Development prospects, between new applications and reuse over time

Still in the initial marketing phase, Más Amor will be presented from September in some stores in Lugano and at dedicated events. Its modularity allows for the imagination applications that go beyond home furnishings, from installations for hotels and restaurants to temporary structures for trade shows and public events, and modular reception desks that are easy to assemble and reconfigure. The collection will also be developed with new sizes, colors, and material combinations, reflecting the needs emerging from discussions with customers and professionals.

The goal is to keep the project open to functions not initially foreseen, making the transformation capacity – intrinsic in its very structure – one of its main elements of innovation:

"If your home or needs change, it's not necessary to throw away or sell the furniture. The modules can be separated and reassembled to create something different. This is also the eco-sustainable aspect of the project: extending the life of the elements by adapting them over time."

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