The character at the centre of Design Miami is a dynamic, 25-year-old powerhouse for whom no task is too daunting in the realms of design. Ambra Medda grew up in the design world, with a gallerist for a mother (Giuliana Medda) and spent much of her youth being taken around the world from fair to fair, exhibition to exhibition. At the age of 23, she spotted the need for a new type of fair, addressing the as yet unrepresented crossover between contemporary art and limited edition design. We recently caught up with Ambra to hear how it happened…

Where did the idea for Design Miami come from?

There’d never been a proper platform for limited edition, collectible, historic or contemporary design. You’d go to these massive fairs where there’d be a bit of French or Italian design from the Sixties or maybe Forties: glass, books, jewellery, furniture. But nothing was elevated or given the right type of framing that it deserved. My idea was to inject that realm of design with a dose of contemporary culture and make it more affiliated to the contemporary art and design worlds, and have that same sense of excitement.

What do you think it says about the way people view design today that design art has more appeal than mass manufactured design?

We’re going through an interesting moment where there is certainly a transition. I find it very exciting, but it’s non-classifiable.

Do you feel it’s a reaction against mass-manufactured products or is it something more positive?

Not really, I think it’s more about seeking quality. And now these products are more accessible, people are more aware of them, it’s opened up a whole new world of possibilities to designers. I don’t think it’s a reaction against mass manufacturing, possibly more of an extension if anything, and certainly an opening up of the possibilities of design. It’s an exciting time but a lot of people feel slightly uncomfortable with it. They want to know if it’s art or is it design, what’s going on, it’s so expensive. But this whole process is exciting precisely because you can’t categorise it.

How much is Design Miami about commerce?

I think it’s about the combination of culture and commerce. The first few years was difficult and it was certainly more commerce driven, but now we’re finally getting to add in more and more cultural content and programming and that makes the show more exciting. Now I think we’re finally achieving what we envisaged it might be about when we started.

How did you feasibly set it up, it’s presumably quite a feat to bring together all the galleries from around the world so quickly?

I was just very stubborn. I grew-up in the design world and my mother’s a design dealer so I was familiar with the auction houses, galleries and collectors. I made a wish list of the best galleries, contacted them and the response was incredible. I was really quite shocked and very lucky they responded so positively from the start.

Well it gives them a global platform that didn’t really exist beforehand.

The fact the galleries all bought into the idea is really what made the show successful. That sense of ‘yes let’s do this, we’re excited about this, let’s get involved’ created an energy I can’t define, but that’s what kept us going, it’s what kept the project alive, it made it successful. I think the timing was right and worked hard to make it a reality. The response is what motivated us all.

We love that each of the galleries puts so much work into their exhibitions rather than just showing their pieces in a line of stands in a large hall. How much control over the curatorial side do you have?

That was difficult. In the first shows it was tricky to give a sense of what we were trying to achieve – to make it clear that we weren’t just another fair. I didn’t want regular booth set-ups. I spent most of my time trying to guide the galleries and curate their stands. We wanted them to bring exhibitions and not just merchandise so we really motivated the galleries to work with designers, or set designers, architects or artists to create these striking, dramatic backdrops where the furniture becomes front stage, relevant and appropriately placed. It then becomes a story. Each show tells its own story and it makes the whole project so much more worthwhile. I owe so much to the galleries because it’s the quality of each exhibition that makes the whole so special.

It still feels very manageable, like an edit, rather than just pulling in every gallery round the world.

I’m glad you see that. There’s a sense of relief for people that there’s enough to spend a good amount of time here, but you can still feel like you have seen everything. It gives the public a sense of accomplishment. I hope you feel liberated that you’ve seen everything.

And it’s easily digestible, unlike the bigger fairs where you feel panicked that you’ve barely scratched the surface.

Spot on, that’s what we want to get across - the idea that people get a panoramic vision and understanding of the whole thing. I’ve never seen the point of having so much that people can’t physically see everything and more importantly can’t actually think about the things they do see.

Having said this, there must be a temptation to expand the event when it’s so successful?

I’m definitely growing the galleries and we want to cover more geographic territory, diversity, younger names, but I can’t say we’re looking ever to double the number of exhibitors. I’m not looking to make the show bigger if it’s not going to be better. I never want to lose the quality of it, or the control to edit it properly. The show has created so many opportunities for so many people. We invite designers who get picked up by a gallery, the sponsors meet the gallerists, the press meet the young designers, the established designers get to meet the new collectors. There’s such a wealth of resources, which has created a massive discourse and established a sense of community and exchange of ides that didn’t previously exist. It would be great to further this and have it happen in places that it was less expected.