tel aviv speaks italian: vespa mania from shops to lamps

in april 1946, an innovative and functional scooter design was presented to the general public for the first time in a golf club in rome. the shield was embossed with a new logo which replaced the previous piaggio aircraft emblem. vespa was an immediate success and gained extensive media interest as well as public curiosity, surprise and even skepticism. the company’s fun forms have been decorating cosmopolitan main streets, and cruising through back streets alike, for the past seventy years. now, jaffa-based designer roy dayan is repurposing these emblematic, vintage scooters into sofas; lamps; tables; furniture for shops; to name but a few. 

the stylish scooters components lend themselves to being redesigned

when he was a child he was diagnosed with dyslexia, causing him to withdraw from studies and start work as a young teenager. however, this fueled his desire to teach himself and hone his craft.

‘in my life I have had virtually every occupation,’ tells roy. ‘when I was very young at one point on the same day I was painting walls; building houses and walls; plus repairing cars. and to be sure not to miss anything, I also did home deliveries. from that moment on, I learned to build almost anything,’ he concludes with a certain satisfaction in highlighting the completely self-taught nature of his creative ability.

vespa scooter meets the stretch limousine

in those years roy knew and appreciated the vespa but the stroke of lightning flashed during his first trip to thailand, ‘I saw a group of men riding their vespa with scarves covering their faces, like the harley bands. I was fascinated, and for the first time I thought of the ‘universal’ features of this motorcycle: you can touch the taste of everyone, women, men and children, and the street never goes unnoticed.’

the seed was sown–but in order for it to grow, he required another key step. it came when roy spent some time in australia, with a friend who had a workshop where he was repairing vintage cars: it was there that he learned all the techniques and repainting metal processing which he has treasured since returning to israel in 2005, at his design studio in tel aviv. 

original piaggio restored to its former, military glory

‘there is not a moment when I stop imagining new furnishings or decorations. if an idea pops into my mind in the middle of the night, I have no choice–I have to come down to my studio and realize it.’

at the moment of having an idea, roy has to create

and in the eyes of roy it is hard to perceive flashes of hyperactivity and restlessness, and for this reason it is often the same people who accompany him in the invention of a chandelier; in setting up a TV studio; creating a cart for ice cream; a wall clock; a window the bar stools. some of his artisanal, repurposed vespas are currently on display at the italian jewish art museum of tel aviv.