Fantini Cosmi has played its own part in this story. Since 1931, technological innovation and attention to aesthetics have guided the evolution of the company’s products, helping transform thermostats, programmable thermostats and ventilation systems into devices that blend increasingly seamlessly into domestic environments.
Over these 95 years, Fantini Cosmi has collaborated with some of the leading names in Italian design, sharing the belief that even a technical device can be beautiful, intuitive and enjoyable to use.
When Technology Meets Design
Our homes have changed profoundly over the past few decades. Living spaces have become increasingly refined, technological systems more advanced, and control devices have become an integral part of everyday family life.
While thermostats were once expected primarily to perform their function accurately and reliably, today’s expectations are much broader. A programmable thermostat must be easy to program and intuitive to use, while also blending harmoniously with the interior décor without being intrusive.
The same applies to Mechanical Ventilation Systems (MVHR), which must ensure efficient air exchange and contribute to people’s well-being while integrating discreetly into living spaces.
Design has therefore become an integral part of innovation, helping to improve not only the appearance of products but also the experience of those who use and install them.
For Fantini Cosmi, this focus is not a recent trend, but rather a journey built over time, also through collaborations with designers who have helped define the aesthetic identity of entire generations of products.
Giorgetto Giugiaro: Bringing Great Italian Design into Our Homes
One of the most prestigious collaborations in Fantini Cosmi’s history is undoubtedly the one with Giorgetto Giugiaro, one of the most renowned names in Italian industrial design, whose distinctive style has left its mark across a wide range of industries.
His creativity also found expression in the world of Fantini Cosmi temperature control, resulting in the Intellitherm C25 and C26 programmable thermostats. These commercially successful products represented a significant milestone in the aesthetic evolution of Fantini Cosmi devices.
Thanks to Giugiaro’s contribution, the programmable thermostat was no longer simply a technical device mounted on a wall. It became an object designed with the same attention to shapes and proportions as other elements of the home.
The collaboration continued in 2003 with the Intellitherm C75 and C76 models, featuring soft, flowing lines that expressed a design language capable of making technology feel more familiar and approachable.
Through these products, Fantini Cosmi design became part of everyday life in many Italian homes, accompanying the evolution of domestic comfort.
Marco Fossati: Elegance, Simplicity and Innovation
Another important chapter in Fantini Cosmi’s history began in 2005 with its collaboration with designer Marco Fossati, who contributed to the aesthetic development of numerous Fantini Cosmi devices.
His work accompanied the evolution of temperature control towards increasingly modern solutions, characterised by clean lines, minimalist shapes and intuitive interfaces.
Products bearing his signature include the C60 and C63 thermostats, the Intellitherm C68 programmable thermostats, and the Intellicomfort CH140, CH141 and CH150 models. The latter received the Comfort&Design award at Mostra Convegno Expocomfort.
In subsequent years, the collaboration also led to the development of the C37 and C38 flush-mounted thermostats, presented at MCE 2018, as well as touchscreen solutions such as Intellicomfort CH180 and Intellitouch CH193 Wi-Fi.
Although different in terms of technology and functionality, these products share a clear design philosophy: making technological complexity easy to manage, through aesthetics that enhance the user experience.
With the evolution of digital technologies and connectivity, device design has also taken on new responsibilities. It is no longer simply about creating an attractive exterior, but about understanding the relationship between people and technology, making every interaction immediate and natural.
Marcello Vecchi and the Evolution of Ventilation Design
Attention to aesthetics has not been limited to temperature control devices.
Between 2010 and 2014, Fantini Cosmi also collaborated with designer Marcello Vecchi, who contributed to the aesthetic evolution of ventilation products under the Aspira brand.
This collaboration gave rise to Aspirante, the brand’s first universal extractor fan, featuring a distinctive design that subsequently evolved into the Aspirvelo series.
Once again, the design challenge was to combine the technical requirements of an air extraction device with shapes capable of blending harmoniously into their surroundings.
This approach anticipated a need that is increasingly important today: high-performance technological systems that are also discreet and consistent with the architecture of the spaces in which they are installed.
Red Dot Design Award 2021: When Innovation Earns International Design Recognition
One of the most significant milestones in this journey came in 2021, when Fantini Cosmi celebrated its 90th anniversary and received a prestigious international award.
ECOCOMFORT 2.0 Smart, the decentralised Mechanical Ventilation System (MVHR) unit designed by Marco Fossati, won the Red Dot Design Award 2021, one of the world’s most prestigious international design awards.
The product stood out for its ability to combine advanced air exchange technologies with a minimalist aesthetic, featuring a circular white cover and a single multifunction button with a multicolour LED.
However, ECOCOMFORT 2.0 Smart’s design goes beyond its appearance. The removable cover, secured by magnets, was also designed to simplify installation and maintenance operations. It is a tangible example of how good design does more than make a product attractive: it can also make it more practical, accessible and functional.
The Red Dot Design Award therefore represented important recognition not only of the device’s aesthetics, but also of a design approach that places technological innovation, functionality and user experience on an equal footing.
Comfort Design Today: Technology That Blends into Living Spaces
Today, this philosophy continues to guide the evolution of Fantini Cosmi solutions.
The smart programmable thermostats in the C900 series, for example, respond to the needs of contemporary living with a minimalist design, conceived to blend into domestic environments and make comfort management simple, even remotely.
The latest ventilation solutions, such as RHINOCOMFORT 3, also reflect the company’s commitment to integrating advanced air quality and heat recovery technologies into devices suited to contemporary living spaces.
Discover how Fantini Cosmi solutions have evolved over the past decades.
