Design Hub – from prototype to product
Design Hub is a space where ideas and visions become reality. Here architects, designers and creative people can develop prototypes with the technical and production support of Saglietti Group. From prototype to production, we make small batches or industrialized versions, leaving then to studios, designers or companies the management of sales and inclusion in their projects and channels.
From idea to industrial realization, without compromise
We shape the ideas of architects, brands and creatives, following each project from the initial idea to the finished product:
- We listen and analyze the idea by evaluating its technical, aesthetic and production potential
- We engineer and optimize the concept by translating it into a concrete and feasible project
- We prototype the first physical sample, working alongside the client in the testing and refinement stages
- We produce to order, in small batches or limited series, with the precision and flexibility of a lean and reliable industrial supply chain
- We deliver the finished product, also complete with study and implementation of packaging, ready to be shipped.
We do not handle the commercial or distribution side because we focus on what we do best: producing with method, quality and vision.
Design Hub is the technical answer to design creativity
Saglietti Group, with Design Hub, acts as a reliable technical partner for designers and architects, capable of transforming an idea into a real product, industrializable and ready for the global market. A bridge between creative thinking and productive concreteness between design and industry, between vision and reality.
Our success stories
StarsBOX: the microarchitecture that gave birth to Design Hub
StarsBOX was born in 2018 from an idea of architects Lara Sappa and Fabio Revetria: they wanted to create a lightweight, experiential microarchitecture that would allow people to sleep outdoors while observing the sky, reinterpreting the shepherds’ alpine beds. The goal was to design an essential, sustainable and easily transportable shelter that could offer an immersive experience in nature without impacting the landscape. The concept was clear: intimacy, lightness and open sky.
The main challenge involved transforming a poetic idea into a functional and durable object:
- solid but lightweight structure
- easy and smooth roof opening
- intuitive and quick assembly
- Easy transportation in remote natural settings
Design Hub's solution
In Design Hub we have supported Officina 82 at every stage:
- development of the first working prototypes
- Invention of the roof pitch opening system
- Complete engineering of the structure and components
- Definition of a compact and transportable assembly kit
- production of the first StarsBOX in small series
It was in this project that the method and spirit of Design Hub was defined: experimentation, prototyping, industrialization.
The result
The project generated immediate interest: the first 20 StarsBOXes weresold even before production.
Acknowledgements:
- BIG SEE Tourism Design Award (2021), Various – BIG SEE Make Sense
- Best Project on Archilovers (2018), an international social reference for architects and designers
Today StarsBOX can be found in lodges, parks and accommodations in Italy and abroad, becoming a symbol of sustainable experiential tourism.
Do you have an idea to implement? Let’s talk about it.
Karya: the home office collection created to evolve workspaces
Karya was born from the meeting with Playwood, an Italian startup founded by Stefano Guerrieri, Mirco Bonilauri and Carlotta Nizzoli, which had developed a connection system for furniture without screws or glues that was flexible and sustainable. Playwood was looking for a partner who could industrialize its idea without distorting its essence: smart, easy-to-assemble, sustainability-oriented furniture. What was needed was not just a manufacturer but a team capable of transforming the vision into a market-ready product.
The challenge consisted of:
- Adapting connectors to a complete modular system
- maintain lightness and solidity without hardware
- Design components suitable for flexible batch production
- ensure Made in Italy aesthetics and quality
Design Hub's solution
In Design Hub, we have supported Playwood along the entire journey:
- Making more than 30 prototypes to test functionality, ergonomics, and aesthetics
- Engineering each component to make it manufacturable
- Definition of a consistent and scalable modular system
- batch production with consistent quality
The growing need for home workspaces during the pandemic was the catalyst: the Karya collection was immediately embraced by the market. With a streamlined design that integrates grommets and device compartments, it assembles without screws in minutes, is made of durable birch plywood, and can be complemented with smart accessories that keep the workstation uncluttered and functional.
The result
In 2023, Karya officially entered the Saglietti Group catalog and is now available in the Studio Arredi. The collection has established itself as a functional, sustainable home office solution designed to last.
Meaningful recognition:
- Archiproducts Design Award (2021) for the Karya desk, awarded for its intelligent and responsible design.
Karya demonstrates how Design Hub can turn a good idea into a real, scalable, market-ready product.
Do you have a project that deserves to become concrete? Let’s make it a reality together.
Casattava: the desk that grows with those who use it
Casattava was born in 2017 from a collaboration between designers Matteo Zaghi (Turin, Italy) and Heikki Herranen (Finland), with the idea of creating an interlocking piece of wooden furniture capable of evolving over time. The goal was to design a flexible and durable desk capable of adapting to the stages of study and life: from elementary school to university. An intelligent piece of furniture in which functionality, sustainability and design coexisted without compromise.
The design challenge consisted of:
- Create a solid structure without tools, screws or glues
- Ensure simple and intuitive adjustments over time
- Maintain an essential and pleasing aesthetic
- designing compact, low-impact packaging
Design Hub's solution
In Design Hub we have:
- developed the interlocking mounting system
- Engineered the desk from FSC birch plywood.
- Taken care of functional details for daily use
- Defined a sustainable and replicable production system
Casattava is not only modular, it is designed to live and change along with its users.
The result
Casattava has become a recognized example of educational and sustainable design.
International Recognitions:
- Red Dot Design Award (2019)
- BIG SEE Wood Design Award
- Special commendation atFSC Design Award for ecological focus
The desk is full of clever solutions: chalkboard doors with hidden compartments, slots for pens and materials, hole for gum residue, top bar for lamp or paper roll. From 2026, Casattava will enter the Studio Arredi catalog and be ready to accompany a new generation of students, creatives and designers.
Casattava is proof of how Design Hub turns smart ideas into sustainable products that are ready to last.
Do you have a project that deserves to take shape? Tell us about it.
Babymoto: the toy that grows with the baby
Babymoto was born from a meeting between the Saglietti family and a wooden toy craftsman. Babymoto wanted to promote balance, autonomy and motor skills while maintaining the pure pleasure of play. A clear philosophy: the toy should last, evolve and accompany the child over time. Design Hub has transformed this idea into a complete line of products designed to accompany children’s growth.
The initial difficulties
Tackling the toy industry meant:
- Comply with very strict safety standards (CE, UNI EN-71)
- Ensure safe, tested and certified materials
- Design a modular system that is truly adaptable to growth
- maintain craftsmanship and quality Made in Italy
Design Hub's solution
In Design Hub we have:
- designed and engineered the structure 100% FSC birch plywood
- Developed a modular system with accessories that transform the bike over time
- Industrialized production while maintaining handcrafted finishes
- Designed compact and durable packaging
- built a comprehensive catalog of models and variants
The result was an evolutionary toy that does not wear out but continues to transform.
The result
The Babymoto line has achieved international spread, becoming a collection of:
- 9 models (including Chopper, Cross, Transformer, Turtleneck)
- 4 evolution kits (rocker, skates, third wheel…)
all designed to follow children from 12 months to 5 years old.
Babymoto has also initiated special collaborations, including: - Ducati Scrambler® Balance Bike
- Ducati 1299 Superleggera Balance Bike, collector’s edition
A symbolic episode: during the Spielwarenmesse in Nuremberg, a LEGO employee walked through the entire fair to come and see Babymoto live. The best recognition: the enthusiastic curiosity of the industry.
👉 Note: Babymoto production stopped after the pandemic, but the project remains a milestone in the Saglietti Group’s journey: it proved that Design Hub can transform a handcrafted idea into a certified, industrialized and internationally recognized product.
Do you have an idea that deserves to become a game that sticks? Tell us about it.
Ferifè: the brick that never ends
Ferifè was born as a game with no instructions and no predetermined goals: an essential brick that leans, does not fit together and allows endless constructions. Not a game to be “completed” but a continuous experience, where the value is not in the end result but in the process: balance, repetition, patience, creativity. The goal was to create a game that does not run out, that stimulates concentration and invites collaboration, far from the logic of disposability. Design Hub transformed the idea into a modular, safe, Made in Italy product designed to accompany children as they grow.
The initial difficulties
To turn the idea into a product was needed:
- Define a perfectly proportioned modular system
- Ensure safety and durability
- choose certified materials and non-toxic finishes
- Make the game suitable for children of different ages
- Design compact and easily manageable packaging
The challenge was to combine essentiality, safety, and durability.
Design Hub's solution
In Design Hub we have:
- Engineered the modular proportions that make Ferifè infinitely combinable
- produced the blocks from linden wood, lightweight and durable, 100% Made in Italy
- Used non-toxic water-based paints for safety and sensory
- Designed packages designed for schools, families and shared spaces
- Tested the game in real-world settings: classrooms, educational areas, waiting rooms, hospitality facilities
The result
Ferifé has established itself as an educational and playful tool:
- Stimulates creativity, collaboration and concentration
- Promotes coordination and balance
- Is age-appropriate, growing with the child
- invites shared, non-competitive play
He has become a reference in schools, educational spaces and public places. Psychotherapist Stefania Andreoli highlighted its positive impact on attention span and quality of shared play.
It is not a toy “to be finished.”
It is a toy that continues.
👉 Note: Like Babymoto, Ferifè stopped production after the pandemic, complicit with changes in the market and raw materials. However, it remains a project symbolic of our way of designing: creating timeless toys, made to last, grow and be handed down.
Do you have an idea that deserves to become something that lasts? Let’s talk about it.
MDF letters: when the idea becomes an industrial project
In 2016 Italglass engaged us to develop a complete line of MDF letters, numbers and symbols intended for the DIY world. Italglass was looking for local production that would be accurate, fast, and reliable that would provide uniform lettering, above-average thickness, and curated aesthetics. However, there was no typographic font that would allow for perfectly uniform letters in size and proportions. The idea was simple: a small product but one that required careful engineering and continuous production control.
The initial difficulties
- No existing fonts met the uniformity requirement
- Need to make each character consistent in a square form
- Production to be adjusted to variable and unpredictable sales
- Typical risk of Asian competition: full warehouses and unbalanced goods
The challenge was design and logistics at the same time.
Design Hub's solution
In Design Hub we have:
- Redesigned the entire alphabet, starting with an existing font and reengineering character by character
- Unified letters, numbers and symbols within a compact and harmonious form
- Developed a flexible and scalable production process, with weekly orders based on actual sales
- managed the supply chain with a simple inventory tracking system → customer inventory always at zero: the customer ordered only what was needed, at the time it was needed.
The result
2016 to 2021:
- over 600,000 letters produced
- distributed in major Italian retailers
- zero inventory waste
- Consistent, timely production tailored to actual demand
A simple product made competitive through design + logistics + intelligent industrialization.
Do you have a simple solution that deserves a better die? Let’s talk about it.
Nest: the bunk bed designed for the Alps
Nest was born from the studio ProDe of Turin and takes shape in Design Hub in response to a concrete need: to improve reception spaces in alpine huts and refuges. In collaboration with C.A.I., we transformed a design idea into a functional, ethical and sustainable piece of furniture designed for high-altitude living.
In alpine huts, space is precious, accessibility is complex, and furniture must be durable, essential and easily transportable. The idea was to develop a sturdy, modular, easy-to-assemble bunk bed that could adapt to seasonal use and the changing flows of tourists and hikers.
The initial difficulties
The design challenge required:
- tool-free assembly, even under difficult conditions
- Easy shoulder transport along mountain trails
- use of sustainable and recyclable materials
- Compact components to reduce storage space and costs
Design Hub's solution
In Design Hub we have:
- made Nest from FSC birch plywood, durable and lightweight
- Developed a patented interlocking system without screws or bolts
- Designed modules with a maximum size of 1 meter to facilitate transportation and storage
- Integrated into the design the same straps used for climbing and mounting, turning them into a structural part
Nest can be assembled and disassembled in minutes, without tools, anywhere.
The result
Nest was tested directly at altitude: three people transported it to a cabin at 1700 meters, demonstrating the full functionality of the system. The solution is still produced on demand and has become a reference for those seeking robust, compact and sustainable furniture for the alpine environment. Nest expresses the essence of Design Hub: from idea to concrete solution, designed to last and improve life in real spaces.
Do you have a project that needs to meet the practicality of the world out there? We can build it together.
Do you have a project to implement? Find out how we can shape it:
Error: Contact form not found.