Milano The School of Design

Camille Ferreira has been named a Winner at the European Product Design Awards 2025, in the Home Furniture Accessories category, thanks to her project Pebble: Once again, Istituto Marangoni Milano Design celebrates an important international achievement.

This award confirms the creative excellence of our students and highlights, through an elegant and functional object, a key theme in contemporary design: how human intuition can guide technology — rather than be replaced by it.

From AI to Design Craft: the Creative Process Behind Pebble

Starting from the first question we asked her — what was the creative process behind Pebble, and how did you balance AI-generated ideas with your own personal design touch? — Camille describes a very clear approach: for her, AI is not a creative shortcut, but a raw material to be interpreted.

“As a designer, the use of AI has become a fundamental tool for me. Not to replace creativity or innovation, but I see it as an abstract or ethereal material, filled with information that the designer needs to chip away at and get to the core concept and design.”

This is where her authorial vision comes into play — shaped by selection, care, and intention. Camille also references an iconic quote by Michelangelo:

“I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.” For me, the creative process has become much more expansive with the introduction of AI, and the skill of a designer now is to know how to hone in on what really matters amongst the influx of possibilities.

The result is an object that turns technology into form, and an idea into a refined, tangible, and domestic experience.

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An Accessory that Elevates Everyday Devices

Pebble brings order and beauty into contemporary spaces: an accessory designed to give our most essential everyday devices — laptops — the elevated space they truly deserve, instead of being hidden away among clutter and surfaces.

Its shape evokes a smoothed pebble: soft, sculptural, and essential. A metaphor that mirrors the project’s own design journey — starting from raw concepts and arriving at an elegant, human-centred synthesis.

In the presentation, the project is described as a transition “From AI to Handcrafted”, featuring materials such as solid walnut wood and stainless steel, expressing a perfect harmony between traditional craftsmanship and the digital future.

What Winning the EPDA Means: Pride and New Opportunities

The second question — what does this award mean to you personally and professionally, and how do you think it will influence your future? — opens a more emotional perspective, which Camille shares with sincerity:

“Winning the EPDA for Pebble is a dream realised. I didn’t think at this point in my career I would even be able to achieve something like this.”

She also highlights how crucial the support of her educational journey has been:

“But with the guidance, wisdom and much needed pressure from my professors, this pushed me to submit to this prestigious competition.”

Beyond recognition, the award brings a key element for professional growth: the opportunity to connect with an international network of designers and industry leaders.

“The ability to network and meet with leading student and professional designers from winning this award excites me greatly!”

A New Milestone for Istituto Marangoni Milano Design

The success of Pebble further confirms the role of Istituto Marangoni Milano Design as a place where creativity, design culture, and technological innovation naturally coexist. A path that shapes designers who are able to interpret the present with awareness and create objects that combine functionality, aesthetics, and vision.

A result that celebrates Camille Ferreira’s talent and, at the same time, the energy and outstanding quality of the Marangoni community on the international stage.