MILAN - Rodolfo Agrella, the Venezuelan designer, artist and architect who has served as art director of the International Contemporary Furniture Fair since 2023, is taking on a new challenge. The family-run Italian furniture maker Potocco has appointed him to lead its creative team.
Agrella shared the first images of his vision for the brand Thursday at 3daysofdesign in Copenhagen, a three-day event that opened Wednesday. In his new role, he will develop a visual identity that builds on Potocco's heritage, according to a statement from his design firm Rads. The move supports Potocco's growth plans in Europe, the United States and Asia.
"What interests me most is the opportunity to visually shape this next chapter of the company while building on a legacy that has evolved over generations," Agrella said. "My goal is to develop a contemporary visual language that feels internationally relevant while remaining deeply connected to the identity and values that define Potocco."
Potocco was founded in 1919 in Manzano, a town in northeastern Italy's Udine province. The company is known for its woodworking and Italian craftsmanship. Today it is led by Antonino Potocco, along with his daughters Alice and Marianna, representing the fourth and fifth generations of the family. The brand has a global presence with dedicated divisions in the U.S. and Asia-Pacific.
Agrella founded Rads in 2015. The firm handles art and creative direction, spatial interventions, product and graphic design. During Milan Design Week in April, he showed a suspended brass mobile called Natyam, created with India's Shakti Design Residency at Alcova. He also drew international attention in 2025 when he designed a reliquary for a fragment of the remains of Carmen Elena Rendiles Martínez, Venezuela's first saint.
Originally reported by WWD