In 1978, Piva founded his own design studio in Milan, where he worked for prestigious brands such as Cassina, Knoll and Vitra. During the 1980s and 1990s, he designed furniture, lighting and accessories for residential and commercial projects.
Piva also taught design at Milan Polytechnic and lectured worldwide on his work and design philosophy. He died in 2017 at the age of 67, but his legacy as an innovative and influential designer lives on in the design world.