Francesco Balzano

Born in Paris in 1979, Francesco Balzano grew up in France and spent his summers in Venice, Florence, Rome and Capri, cities that still shape his eye. He studied drawing, interior design and architecture at Penninghen, then joined Joseph Dirand’s studio, working on major projects around the world.

He opened his own atelier in 2018 to design custom and limited-edition furniture, and founded his interior design studio, After Bach, in 2020. The photography collective Sogno Studio, which he co-founded, followed in 2023, then Sattio Studio in 2024, where he is artistic director.

His pieces come down to a few lines and a few noble materials: oak, lacquer, onyx, marble, cedar, resin. His collections often start from a reference in art or architecture, from Giorgio de Chirico to Arte Povera and the Italian Renaissance. Most are made in editions of twelve, signed and numbered, with French master craftsmen such as Ateliers Saint-Jacques.

Named several times to AD France’s AD100, he held his first solo show in New York, Inizio, in 2024. In 2025 he was in residence at the Villa Medici in Rome with the Fondation Bettencourt Schueller. His Tessuto collection, born of that stay, was unveiled there in April 2026.