Felicia Ferrone was born in Chicago and educated in the U.S. Her research and creative practice—operating since 2001 under the namesake brand Fferrone Design—is deeply informed by early professional experiences as an architect in Milan. While working in the studios of some of Italy’s most notable architects (Antonio Citterio, Vittorio Gregotti, Piero Lissoni, and Silvana Sermisoni), Ferrone was taught to “blur the boundaries” of design as she solidified a belief in the interdependence of all aspects of design and of the relationship between design and context.
Ferrone’s work has been widely exhibited, distributed, and published. In addition to her self-initiated work, she has completed commissions for Audi, Boffi, Cool Hunting, and The Macallan. Ferrone is featured in Woman Made: Great Women Designers, a celebration of 200 product designers from the early twentieth century to the present day (Phaidon, 2021). She has served as a juror for the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity and for Archiproducts and Core 77 Design Awards.
In addition to her practice, Ferrone is director of Undergraduate Studies and Clinical Associate Professor of Industrial Design in the School of Design at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) where she seeks to inspire the next generation of dynamic thinkers and makers who—while taught to create the singular, highly resolved formal object—are guided to arrive at their design solutions through a process of deep research and critical thinking. Ferrone served as Director of Graduate Studies of Industrial Design at UIC from 2015–2022 and taught as Lecturer at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago from 2010–2015.
Recognition
Felicia Ferrone recognized by IPLAC for U.S. and European patents held, for impact on the local design and community, and for the significance and potential impact of creative work as a whole.
The IPLAC Creator of the Year Award (COTY) draws primarily from the Chicago metropolitan area to award a single recipient annually. Awardees, which may be organizations or individuals, are recognized for creative achievements in substantive areas protected by patents, trademarks, and copyrights. Previous winners have included Leo Burnett advertising; Kraft Foods; author, Scott Turow; and engineer, Nick Holonyak, Jr., for his work in the innovation of LED technology. Felicia Ferrone is the first visual designer to receive the award.
Felicia Ferrone named to the 2022 Newcity Design Hall of Fame: Interior Architecture & Design for Home alongside Richard Wright (Wright Auction), Holly Hunt (Holly Hunt), Cheryl Durst (International Interior Design Association), Kara Mann (Kara Mann Design), and Scott Wilson (MINIMAL).
Published by Newcity media, Newcity Design is a newsletter dedicated to news, reviews, and features about fashion, architecture, graphic design, and product design in Chicago. With nominations solicited by peer nomination, Newcity releases its annual Design 50 each spring to recognize the city’s leading and emerging personalities of design.
Newcity Design Hall of Fame is a list of individuals who’ve made the Design 50 list again and again, representing cornerstones of Chicago’s design scene.
The Flight glassware collection was awarded for Excellent Product Design in the Tabletop category of the German Design Awards. Jury statement: With the exclusive Flight Glassware Collection, Fferrone succeeded in making an extremely elegant homage to the iconic Chicago towers by Bertrand Goldberg.
German Design Award annually honor groundbreaking design achievements and publicize design trends across interdisciplinary sectors.
Felicia Ferrone is featured in the most comprehensive book on women designers published to date, with 241 women from over 50 countries and works from the early twentieth century to 2021.
This glorious visual celebration of the most incredible and impactful design ever produced by women designers flips the script on what is historically considered a man’s world. The book includes icons and trailblazers past and present such as Ray Eames, Eileen Gray, Florence Knoll, Ilse Crawford, Faye Toogood, Nathalie du Pasquier, it records and illuminates the fascinating and overlooked history of women preeminent in the field. Each designer is represented by a key product and short text in an A-Z survey that shines a vital spotlight on the most extraordinary objects made by women designers but, more importantly, offers a compelling primer on the best in the field of design demonstrating that design is not—and never has been—a man’s world.— Phaidon
Phaidon is one of the leading global publishers specializing in architecture, design, fashion, and photography.
Felicia Ferrone named as one of ten trailblazing female designers in an article coinciding with Women’s History Month and celebrating exceptional and iconic paying tribute to icons of the field including Florence Knoll, Zaha Hadid, Charlotte Perriand, Eileen Gray and fellow contemporaries Bec Brittain, Anna Karlin, Nika Zupanc, and Nada Debs.
The Study is a 1stDibs online editorial publishing platform that accompanies the 1stDibs online marketplace for extraordinary vintage, antique and contemporary furniture, home décor, art, and design.
Fferrone Design Shift table is selected for inclusion in the permanent collection of The Art Institute of Chicago.
The Art Institute of Chicago, founded in 1879, is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the world. Its permanent collection of nearly 300,000 iconic works is stewarded by eleven curatorial departments and augmented by more than 30 annual exhibitions that illuminate aspects of the collection.
Felicia Ferrone thrice named one the Newcity Design 50, a list of Chicago’s most respected and most influential designers.
Newcity is a media company based in Chicago, founded in 1986 and dedicated to exploration of the city’s arts and culture. With nominations solicited by peer nomination, Newcity releases its annual Design 50 each spring to recognize the city’s leading and emerging personalities of design. Considering leadership, influence, and vision, the list includes people who “lead Chicago’s design ecosystem into steady, collaborative growth, those who make a splash putting the city in the national and international spotlight and those, whose up-and-coming nature doesn’t compromise their big ventures, visions, and ideas.”
Fferrone Design awarded for the Talise Water Carafe.
Architectural Digest (AD) is an American monthly magazine founded in 1920. Its principal subjects are interior design and landscaping. The AD Cleverest Awards represent a selection of the most beautiful, useful, and surprising products that debut each year.
Fferrone Design named Best Accessories Collection by NYNOW Accent on Design for four glassware collections: Revolution, Margot, Dearborn, and Tulip.
NYNow is a juried international product design showcase. In 2014 it was considered North America’s leading, semi-annual, home accessories trade show.
Fferrone Design received the American Society of Interior Designers ASID Top Shelf Award for presenting the Best Furniture Collection in 2014 at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair.
The International Contemporary Furniture Fair has been recognized as North America’s leading platform for global design. With more than 600 annual exhibitors, representing both established brands and emerging designers, the event is held at the Javits Center in New York City each May.
Fferrone Design Revolution Glass Prototypes selected for inclusion in the permanent collection of The Art Institute of Chicago.
The Art Institute of Chicago, founded in 1879, is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the world. Its permanent collection of nearly 300,000 iconic works is stewarded by eleven curatorial departments and augmented by more than 30 annual exhibitions that illuminate aspects of the collection.
Felicia Ferrone received a Good Design Award for the Revolution Water/Wine Glass.
GOOD DESIGN began in 1950 as a partnership between the Museum of Modern Art in New York (MoMA) and the Merchandise Mart in Chicago and is continued today by The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design and the Metropolitan Arts Press, Ltc. Awards are presented each year to the most innovative and cutting edge industrial design, product design and graphic design produced globally.
Lectures / Panels
Advanced Design, SQ1, 2023
Invited Lecturer: Design Entrepreneurship as Empowerment
Chicago IL
October 4
Square One design conference, a unique event that delves into the thrilling and transformative influence of modern tools and methodologies on the industrial design and education landscape. It explores the world of tomorrow, where cutting-edge objects, graphic design, and groundbreaking educational approaches are revolutionizing the way we learn, create, and comprehend design.
European Design School: Design Support Talks, 2023
Virtual Presentation:
Felicia Ferrone: Empowerment Through Design Entrepreneurship
March 14
Presentation on the role of agency and empowerment in design entrepreneurship.
European Design School (EDS) is a worldwide center for business training and collaboration between designers based in Kyiv, Ukraine. Design Support Talks is a series of online sessions that feature internationally recognized architects, interior designers, and product designers who present in support of the EDS mission to connect and expand the Ukrainian design community.
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), 2022
Virtual Presentation: Fferrone Design
October 27
Delivered a talk on Fferrone Design to SOM global offices. The presentation explored ways in which design can challenge assumptions, subvert expectations, and shape visual culture through seemingly simple gestures. SOM is an internationally renowned and historically significant architecture, urban planning, and engineering firm with offices throughout the US and the world.
SOM has designed some of the most iconic buildings in the world including John Hancock Center and Sears Tower, Chicago. One World Trade Center, New York, and the world’s tallest building, Burj Khalifa, Dubai UAE.
Be Original Americas: Virtual Student Fellowship, 2022
Virtual Presentation:
Felicia Ferrone: Pathways of Design Entrepreneurship
November 8
Career pathway presentation tracking migrations from Milan to Chicago, and back, as a designer and design entrepreneur. The talk focused on the importance of producing original work and the role of originality and authenticity in shaping visual culture. Attendees were students and faculty from national and international universities.
Be Original Americas is a nonprofit organization committed to informing and educating manufacturers, design professionals, and individuals about the economic, ethical, and environmental value of authentic and original design.
Pomellato Showroom, 2022
Invited Panelist
Pomellato & Women Made: Great Women Designers by Phaidon
Milan, Italy
June 7
Invited along with Professor Alba Cappellieri (Politecnico di Milano) to discuss issues around gender in the field and the ways in which female designs are challenging assumptions and archetypes. Pomellato is an Italian jewelry company founded by Pino Rabolini in 1967. The event took place during Milan Design Week.
Intellectual Property Law Association of Chicago, 2022
Virtual Presentation
May 17
Presentation that connected the ways in which design can challenge assumptions, subvert expectations, and shape visual culture through seemingly simple gestures. And how this approach might result in designs with the potential for patent protection.
The Intellectual Property Law Association of Chicago (IPLAC) is the first Intellectual Property (IP) law bar association in the country composed of leaders and professionals who are committed to protecting innovation in Chicago and nationally, by advancing the tenets of IP law.
America ByDesign | Innovations, 2021
TV Host
Milwaukee WI
America By Design | Season 1 Episode 1 | CBS
America By Design | Season 1 Episode 5 | CBS
ByDesign produces a television series that provides broadcast audiences with insight into what it takes to imagine, create, and bring to life new innovative designs in furniture, healthcare, housing, and more. Episodes showcase impactful design and new concepts from the most innovative emerging and established brands in the United States. America ByDesign is available on CBS News Streaming Network and the ByDesign YouTube channel.
Kent State College of Law, Illinois Institute of Technology, 2019
Invited Lecturer: What is Design? A Designer's View
Chicago IL
March 11
Provided the designer’s perspective in a dialog with Edward Lee, Professor of Law and Director of the IID Program in Intellectual Property Law, that focused on the importance of originality and authenticity in the future of design.
Maryland Institute College of Art, 2017
Invited Lecturer
Baltimore MD
February 1
Invited to deliver a talk on the studio practice of Fferrone Design.
Be Original Americas, Chicago 2017, 2016, 2014
Designtex Showroom
Chicago IL
March 9, 2017
Ligne Roset Showroom
Chicago IL
October 8, 2016
Cranbrook Academy of Art
Bloomfield Hills MI
October 8, 2014
Regularly invited as one of four nationally recognized participants to discuss intellectual property and the importance of originality and authenticity in the future of design.
Be Original Americas is a nonprofit organization committed to informing and educating manufacturers, design professionals, and individuals about the economic, ethical, and environmental value of authentic and original design.
Portland Design Week, 2016
Invited Lecturer: Crossover
Portland OR
April 15-23
Invited presentation in a Portland Design Week event sponsored by Ziba Design and the League of Women Designers. The theme explored ways in which participating designers connect interdisciplinary design thinking to specific projects in their practice.
IDEO, 2016
Invited Lecturer
Chicago IL
April 8
Invited to deliver a talk about the studio practice of Fferrone Design at the Chicago office of IDEO, an international design and innovation consulting firm.
Soho House: The Art of Glassware, 2016
Invited Panelist: The Art of Glassware
Chicago IL
March 10
Invited to present the work of Fferrone Design and participated in a panel discussion with Martin Kastner of Crucial Design on process and innovation in contemporary glassware design.
Segal Institute, Northwestern University, 2016
Invited Lecturer
Chicago IL
March 8
Invited to deliver a talk on the studio practice of Fferrone Design and to meet with students in the Multidisciplinary MBA + MS Design Innovation (MMM) Program.
Segal Design Institute is dedicated to the study of human-centered design within Northwestern’s McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science.
Rhode Island School of Design, 2015
Invited Lecturer and Juror
Providence RI
April 3
Invited to lecture about the studio practice of Fferrone Design and to serve as a guest critic in the RISD Industrial Design department.
ICFF Lecture Series, 2015
Invited Panelist: Design and the Hand
New York NY
Invited as one of four internationally recognized designers to discuss the role of craft in contemporary design.
The International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) serves as the North American showcase for “what's best and what's next” in objects of interior design. The exhibition and related lecture series features leading international furniture brands along with emerging and independent talent.
Cranbrook Academy of Art, 2014
Invited Lecturer and Critic
Bloomfield Hills MI
October 9
Invited to lecture about the studio practice of Fferrone Design and to serve as a guest critic for the Cranbrook 3D Form course.
Featured in Films/Series
Designed with intent to challenge archetype and expectation, Fferrone Design glassware collections have been featured as props for film and television productions, at times, hand-selected by the director to play a critical role in the development of a scene.
When used effectively, a distinctive prop can move a story forward, define a character, or become a symbol in and of itself. As an example, the plot of the thriller, Old (Director: M. Night Shyamalan, 2021), involves drinks offered to guests at a tropical resort that unknowingly advance the aging process. As such, the glassware (Fferrone May, Flight, and Dearborn collections) assume the role of a minor character—appearing as vessels of focus for delivery of the affected drinks and also as glassware in the hotel’s chemical lab. In the food-focused romantic comedy, Always Be My Maybe (Director: Kahnatchka Khan, 2019), the Revolution collection is used to support the film’s narrative in a key dining scene as an expression of experimental haute cuisine. Most often, when Fferrone glassware is selected as film prop, it is for science fiction productions set far into the future. In this context, often as one of the few props on set, the distinctive glassware is used to support futuristic speculative worldbuilding.
The Marvels, 2023
Director: Nia DaCosta
Performers: Brie Larson, Park Seo-joon, Zawe Ashton, Iman Vellani
Marvel Studios, 2023.
Featuring the May Collection
John Wick: Chapter 4, 2023
Director: Chad Stahelski
Performers: Keanu Reeves, Donnie Yen, Bill Skarsgård, Laurence Fishburne
Lionsgate, 2023
Featuring the May Collection
Star Wars Andor, 2022
Director: Tony Gilroy
Performers: Diego Luna, Kyle Soller, Stellan Skarsgård
Lucasfilm, 2022
Featuring the May Collection
“Preparing to Live.” Foundation Series, 2021
AppleTV+.
September 24, 2021
TV/Streaming
Featuring the Tulip Collection
Old, 2021
Director: M. Knight Shyamalan
Performers: Gael García Bernal, Vicky Krieps, Rufus Sewell
Universal Pictures, 2021
Featuring the May, Flight, and Dearborn Collection
Always Be My Maybe, 2019
Directors: Nahnatchka Khan
Performers: Ali Wong, Randall Park, Keanu Reeves
Netflix, 2019
Featuring the Revolution Collection
Solo: A Star Wars Story, 2018
Director: Ron Howard
Performers: Alden Ehrenreich, Woody Harrelson, Emilia Clarke
Lucasfilms, 2018
Featuring the Tulip Collection
Alien: Covenant, 2017
Director: Ridley Scott
Performers: Michael Fassbender, Katherine Waterston, Billy Crudup
Twentieth Century Fox, 2017
Featuring the Tulip Collection
“Chestnut.” / “The Adversary.” episodes, Westworld, 2016
HBO. November 6, 2016. TV/Streaming
Featuring the Revolution Collection
October 7, 2016. TV/Streaming
Featuring the Revolution Collection
“The Body.” Stranger Things, 2016
Netflix
July 15, 2016
Streaming
Featuring the Dearborn Collection
Oblivion, 2013
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Performers: Tom Cruise, Morgan Freeman, Andrea Riseborough
Universal Pictures, 2013.
Featuring the Revolution Collection
Jury Participation
Archiproducts Design Award, 2023
IInvited Juror for Product Design
Virtual
Archiproducts is a multiplatform publisher and resource repository that serves as the “ultimate source of inspiration” for architecture and design professionals. Each year, the Archiproducts Design Awards program assembles a jury of design leaders to reflect upon the creative scene and to reward products that by means of new materials, shapes or functions are able to revolutionize and improve the quality of life.
Core77 Design Award, 2023
Invited Juror for Product Design: Home & Living
Chicago IL
Core77 is the leading American website and online magazine dedicated to industrial design. The Core77 Design Awards recognize the broad spectrum of design and celebrate principles of inclusivity, innovation, and excellence.
Archiproducts Design Award, 2022
IInvited Juror for Product Design
Virtual
Archiproducts is a multiplatform publisher and resource repository that serves as the “ultimate source of inspiration” for architecture and design professionals. Each year, the Archiproducts Design Awards program assembles a jury of design leaders to reflect upon the creative scene and to reward products that by means of new materials, shapes or functions are able to revolutionize and improve the quality of life.
ADC 97th Annual Awards, 2018
Invited Juror for Product Design
New York NY
The Art Directors Club (ADC) produces an international awards program celebrating creative excellence in advertising and design. The jury for the 97th Annual ADC Awards consisted of 23 women and 18 men representing nine countries who selected awardees based on the program’s historic focus of honoring the best in craft, design, and innovation.
Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, 2017
Invited Juror for Lions Awards: Product Design
Cannes France
The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity is a global event for those working in creative communications, advertising, and related fields. The five day festival, which incorporates the Lions awards, is held annually at the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès during the last week of June. The event draws 15,000 registered delegates from 90 countries to celebrate the best in international creativity in brand communication. Cannes Lions juries are drawn from experts in each field from around the world.
Exhibitions
The Chicago Architecture Center presents a holiday gallery experience — Archetypes: A Designed Object Pop-Up Shop. As a seasonal extension of the CAC Design Store, the center’s entry space will be transformed into a gallery featuring prototypes, passion projects, and other one-of-a-kind items produced by the Chicago architecture and design community. Pieces range from chairs and tables to glassware, ceramics, and artwork, with a focus on singular pieces that are iterations of a larger creative and design process. The gallery will be open for viewing and shopping from November 16 through January 7 and is co-curated by Modern Luxury Interiors. Member discounts at the design store do not apply to this pop-up shop.
On November 16, the Walker Art Center will launch Idea House 3, a new retail platform within the institution that will feature the work of an international cadre of leading and emerging designers and celebrate design experimentation and innovation. The new 1500 square foot collectible design store will be organized to suggest the different rooms of a home, with handpicked furniture, lighting, tableware, textiles, and a wide array of design objects presented to capture how one might live with the works on view. Idea House 3 will emphasize boundary-breaking makers and craftsmanship in its many forms and give special focus to single and special edition pieces as well as new works exclusive to the store. To support its vision to present a diverse range of makers, the Walker will regularly invite design experts and creatives from across disciplines to curate the “Guest Room” of Idea House 3, exploring different themes and bringing a depth of perspectives to the space. The establishment of Idea House 3 adds a compelling new chapter to the long legacy of design within the Walker’s multidisciplinary program, which can be traced to its earliest days as a public institution. Once it launches in November, Idea House 3 Idea will have an online presence on the Walker website, allowing for broad engagement with the content.
Salon Art + Design, produced by Sanford L. Smith + Associates, returns to the Park Avenue Armory in New York City November 9-13, 2023. Salon presents the world’s best design – vintage, modern and contemporary – enhanced by blue-chip 20th century art, and features leading art and design galleries from all over the world, spotlighting the trends of collectible design.
The Salon’s inclusivity and willingness to consider both fine and decorative art in the context of contemporary life is predicated on the belief that today, more than ever, designers and collectors create environments rather than collect objects. The success of the Salon lies in the quality of its exhibiting galle
STILL NOW. The Dinner featured Fferrone Design glassware collections and designed objects within an imaginative interpretation of a dinner where inspirations from Renaissance banquets, still life paintings of the 1600s, and contemporary art references come together to explore themes of memory, emotion, and sustainability.
The exhibition and related events were held at Villa Mirabello Foundation during Milan Design Week 2023. It was held as part of Fuorisalone, the set of events distributed in different areas of Milan on the same days as the annual Salone Internazionale del Mobile. STILL NOW. The Dinner case study.
- Juried international interior design trade show.
- Javits Center, New York, NY, May 21-24.
- Exhibition of new works: Edgewater Mirror, Block Daybed, ZigZag Bookshelf, Fold Bench, Corner Shelves, Ishicoro 2, and glassware collections
- International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) is North America’s leading juried trade show for contemporary furnishing design and is ranked as one of the top ten best shows globally.
- Juried international product and furniture design trade show.
- Paris Nord Villepinte, Paris, France. January 19-23.
- Works exhibited: Edgewater Mirror, Ahn Etagere, Corner Shelves, Ishicoro 2, Jaeho Tables, and glassware collections
- Maison & Objet is a leading international juried home accessories trade show that takes place twice a year in Paris.
- Juried international interior design trade show.
- Javits Center, New York, NY, May 14-17.
- Exhibition of new works: Ahn Credenza, Ahn Etagere, Ishicoro 2, Corner Shelves, and glassware collections.
- International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) is North America’s leading juried trade show for contemporary furnishing design and is ranked as one of the top ten best shows globally.
- Group show featuring the PikaPika Mirror.
- Volume Gallery, Chicago. July 24 – August 9.
- Volume Gallery is one of two leading US galleries that focus on American design.
- Juried international interior design trade show.
- Javits Center, New York, NY, May 16-19.
- Exhibition of new works: Fold Bench, Frame Mirror, Corner Shelves, Ishicoro Table, and Jaeho Tables.
- International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) is North America’s leading juried trade show for contemporary furnishing design and is ranked as one of the top ten best shows globally.
- Juried international product design trade show.
- Javits Center, New York, NY, January 31 – February 4.
- Javits Center, New York, NY, August 15 – 19.
- NYNOW, at the time, was considered North America’s leading, semi-annual, juried contemporary home accessories trade show.
- Juried international interior design trade show.
- Javits Center, New York, NY. June 12-20.
- Featuring new works: Magazine Table, Jaeho Tables, Corner Shelves, Florentine LED Pendant Lights, Frame Mirror, and Ahn Table.
- International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) is North America’s leading juried trade show for contemporary furnishing design and is ranked as one of the top ten best shows globally.
- Juried international product design trade show.
- Javits Center, New York, NY, August 15-19.
- NYNOW, at the time, was considered North America’s leading, semi-annual, juried contemporary home accessories trade show.
- Group exhibition curated by Ric Valicenti.
- Chicago Cultural Center. May 31–November 2.
- Group exhibition supported by the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events featuring the best of contemporary Chicago Design. Works included: ZigZag Bookcase, Revolution Collection, and Magazine Table.
- Invited Group exhibition curated by Jacques Barret.
- Mona Bismarch American Center, Paris, France, May 19 – May 25.
- One of 15 American designers to have work included in the exhibition during Paris Design Week; works included Jaeho Table, Magazine Table, Revolution Glassware Collection, and Doppio.
- An exhibition curated by Felicia Ferrone and David Krell featuring the work of 14 internationally known Chicago-based design studios.
- Emerging technological advances, enhanced research capabilities, new distribution channels, and crowdfunding sources encourage designers of today to produce their own work, bypassing traditional licensing models. Relationship by Design explored the connections formed between designers and manufacturers during self-initiated projects. Innovations in materials, processes and typologies are often the result of designers working closely with manufacturers.
- The exhibition was mounted during Neocon World Trade Fair, Merchandise Mart, Chicago, June
- Solo exhibition of new limited edition works of furniture and lighting.
- Volume Gallery, Chicago, October 14 – November 17.
- Felicia Ferrone additionally designed the gallery installation and lighting design. Featured works: Unir Table, Shift Table, Tuck Bench, Lume LED kinetic chandelier, and PikaPika mirror.
- Volume Gallery is one of two leading US galleries that focus on American design.