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About

Alessandro Sarfatti: "We must to work in all directions, and in each one find a small amount of innovation" – my father used to say this, and he was right; because as long as we move forward, towards something that’s more meaningful, more respectful and more relevant – each step is as valuable as the other, deserving the same consideration and respect. I like to think of this capacity to capture the best of what’s been, and turning it into the heart of what’s to come, as the essence of evolution. As such, I also see it as the starting point for Astep, the company that I have just created. A company that looks at the future yet also continues on the path devised by two great entrepreneurs: my father Riccardo Sarfatti and by his father Gino Sarfatti." Timeless inventions Astep is a design company that brings to the domestic landscape, the experience, knowledge and the future-oriented outlook that has been nurtured in my family for three generations, and bridges it with the latest developments in digital technologies. Our name “Astep” indicates the necessary motion of a never-ending journey – the journey of evolution. It points to a natural but essential move towards the creation of something that’s better, more substantial, more worthwhile. Astep represents our admiration for timeless inventions: objects that – regardless of when they were designed or made – retain their edge, their capacity to affect our lives, advancing the manner in which we live. History Like all good Italian tales, mine also starts a long time ago; and is, of course, a family affair. In 1939 my grandfather Gino Sarfatti founded Arteluce, a company that – for the first time – introduced design to the lighting business. In 1978 my father Riccardo went a step further: by creating Luceplan together with my mother Sandra Severi and architect Paolo Rizzatto, he linked design with technology and envisaged a new business model – working with specialized, talented and carefully handpicked industrial craft