Nicole Valenti

Design, Craft and the Dialogue Between Italy and Morocco

Nicole Valenti

Nicole Valenti is an Italian designer, artist and journalist whose practice moves fluidly between design, craft, contemporary art and cultural production. Trained in decoration and multimedia design at the Accademia di Belle Arti in Florence, she founded NIVA design in 2017, developing collections in collaboration with Italian artisans and manufacturers. In 2022 she relocated to Marrakech, where direct engagement with Moroccan craft heritage became central to her research. She now divides her practice between Italy and Morocco, working across product design, interior design, installation and editorial writing.

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ORIGINS: BETWEEN DECORATION AND DESIGN

Valenti's formation began at the Liceo Artistico Giovanni Pascoli in Bolzano, followed by a degree in Decoration at the Accademia di Belle Arti in Florence, with a specialization in Design and Multimedia Arts. A scholarship brought her back to the Accademia in 2008 to teach in the Decoration department. In 2017 she founded NIVA design, a creative studio developing contemporary collections with Italian artisans and manufacturers, extending her practice into art direction, visual identity and content production. That same year, her Prisma Oro door handle received the A' Design Award. Her work has since appeared at the Fuorisalone in Milan, Maison & Objet in Paris, WantedDesign Manhattan, Ambiente Frankfurt and the Venice Biennale, and has been selected by platforms including Artemest, 1stDibs and Archiproducts.

In 2022, Valenti relocated to Marrakech, where sustained engagement with Moroccan artisanal heritage reshaped the direction of her work. She is vice president of the Afrika Maroc association and a driving force behind Zawya, a social and cultural project in the heart of the Marrakech medina dedicated to training, craft preservation and professional opportunity for young artisans. She oversees its strategic and creative development, curating workshops and collaborations with local and international makers. Zawya has been featured in the Lonely Planet guide and has produced programming for 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair Marrakech. Valenti is currently developing a design district within the medina, converting spaces into studios dedicated to design, art and craft.

Design, for Nicole, is not a language imposed on a place. It is a conversation that begins with listening, to a technique, a material, a hand that already knows what it is doing.

In 2024, Valenti founded Dune Project in Marrakech, a multidisciplinary studio dedicated to design, production and consultancy across residential, hospitality and institutional commissions, with particular attention to the exchange between Italian and Moroccan production cultures. She is currently overseeing the interior design of the Residence of the Italian Ambassador to Morocco in Rabat, developing furniture and decorative interventions in dialogue with the building's architecture and its dual cultural context. Alongside her design practice, Valenti has written for We Wealth since 2022, covering design, craft, collectible design and contemporary art. Her work has been featured in The World of Interiors, AD, L'Officiel, Il Sole 24 Ore, Grazia, Vanity Fair and Amica.