An architect by training, Asti mainly works in interior and exhibition design. He has taught in Italy and Japan, a country with which he has always had an elective relationship. He has greatly promoted Italian design since the 1950s.
Asti designs one of the first modular kitchens (Boffi I, 1954) though he is mainly remembered for his lamps (Profiterole, Martinelli, 1968), tableware (soda siphon, Saccab, 1956) and glass vases (Marco, Salviati, 1962 Golden Compass Award). These are all have a strong sculptural feel.
His objects are present in major collections, such as the London Design Museum and the New York Museum of Modern Art.