Alessandro, who are you and what is your career?
I am from Tuscany, where I lived until my departure for London in order to continue my studies there. After studying at the Westminster College, I joined Paris to train in fashion at the school of the Parisian Couture Syndicale Chamber. I then worked for several prestigious houses, including Chloé, Nina Ricci, JW Anderson and Lemaire, before becoming a creative director for Vogue Italia. I have always had a passion for vintage design, but it really asserted itself thanks to an eight-year relationship with an interior designer. By spending time by his side, I discovered and learned to appreciate this universe, until, after our separation, we started working together. Today, we are associated, and this is how my journey in the interior design took on its full meaning.
Who did you carry out this project for?
The project was designed for a single man in their thirties.
Could you describe the space and your intervention here. What is the area? Have you redistributed the parts, removed partitions?
The 200 m2 villa includes a living room, a dining room, a kitchen, a master bedroom with adjoining bathroom, as well as two guest bedrooms, each with its own bathroom. During the design, the fundamental choice was to strengthen the connection between the interior and the exterior by integrating large bay windows, to allow natural light to flood the spaces while framing breathtaking views. To ensure visual continuity, we have unified the chromatic palette of the interior and exterior soils, thus accentuating the fluidity between the spaces. Our goal was to create a house that gives off a feeling of heat, obtained thanks to a careful selection of materials and tones. The combination of hues and earthy textures – Bordeaux and green terrazzo floors, arches in gray travertine – gives the project a resolutely contemporary personality. We have reconfigured the general plan of the villa, by strategically introducing new openings to create new focal points. For example, a window recently added in the dining room now offers a spectacular view of the sea.
How long did the work last?
The work lasted seven months
Have you encountered special difficulties during this project?
As in any project, there have been some unforeseen events and the coordination of several suppliers to manage, which is naturally part of the process. That said, we have not encountered any major difficulty having had a real impact on the project calendar. The whole took place fluidly.
How do you do a project. What was your starting point and your desires?
My creative process always begins with a meeting, a place, or both at the same time. From the start, I need to analyze all the elements and start looking for reference images. From there, I tell myself my dream storya kind of imaginary narration which allows me to give a soul to the project. Then, I share it with my teams, who sometimes looks at me wondering what could have passed through my head! But it is precisely this moment of sharing that launches discussion and changes history. From this vision, my team searches for images, fabrics and inspirations to build a mood boardwhich we present to the customer accompanied by project plans. Working on the level is essential for me, because the success of a project is also based on the way in which it is lived and its circulation. Once the mood boards And the structure validated, I quickly go into 3D to immerse myself in space and understand its functioning. In parallel, I collaborate with my team on the search for fabrics, furniture and objects, whether vintage, tailor -made or from specific editions. It is then that we are the most creative, exploring several tracks to choose the best option. We are always challenging challenges to push our limits and bring a stimulating dynamic to the project. And of course, we are never safe from a superb vintage piece of furniture that could completely revolutionize the whole. Until the last moment, the project remains in constant evolution. For us, an interior is only really finished when it was photographed and immortalized.
Have you drawn furniture here? Which ?
Yes, several pieces of furniture have been tailor-made for this project, in a desire to harmonize each space and create a fluid dialogue between architecture and decoration. For example, the living room sofa was specially designed in a neoclassical spirit, thought to agree with the volumes and vintage elements of the place, such as the original fireplace and the box ceiling. Tailor-made furniture plays a central role in the identity of the project. The Bordeaux lacquered wooden table in the dining room is a room designed specially for this place; She dialogues with the soil in terrazzo. The ceramic bas-relief that we designed in collaboration with Barbara Billoud. This common work gave birth to a unique work which captures the movement of waves in light and beige blue tones, bringing a strong artisanal touch to space. In the master bedroom, the headboard is also a tailor-made creation. Made of wood with braided leather panels, it is directly inspired by the Kérylos villa. We have also reinterpreted existing parts: the dining room chairs, initially from my outdoor collection, were adapted for the interior with a tailor-made fabric from Pierre Frey, strengthening the link between interior and exterior, which is a common thread throughout the project. Each creation has been thought of as an answer to the existing structure, with particular attention paid to materials, proportions and visual balance, in order to make this villa a space that is both coherent, living and deeply personal.
Vintage seems to have a primordalie place in your practice. Is it necessary for you to hunt for furniture and art?
Absolutely, vintage occupies a central place in my practice. An important part of the furniture and objects that we select is made up of vintage parts, thus emphasizing our commitment to sustainability. Chinen is fully part of the creative process – this not only makes it possible to give a second life to objects steeped in history, but also to bring an authenticity and a singularity to the spaces that we conceive. This choice pushes us to counterbalance the historical elements by smooth and shiny architectural materials, in order to create a subtle balance between past and present, between sophistication and conviviality. Thanks to meticulous spatial planning and a rigorous curation, each project becomes a living place where architecture, design and art meet, in a fully assumed harmony.
What are your addresses to hunt?
To find the vintage parts of this project, I drew from several sources that I particularly like. Certain elements, such as the mirrors of the dining room or the lamps of the entrance, have been shot in the fleas of Saint-Ouen, an essential address. Others, like the lounge armchairs or the Gio Ponti lamps in the guest bedroom, were acquired during auctions in Italy, where I often find unique pieces. I also chatted in Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, which is full of treasures, and completed the selection with pieces from galleries such as Volumina, Cédric house or the Galleria Harteria.
Why did you draw this drape in a bedroom above the bed? What was your will?
The master bedroom is wrapped in soft textures, with curtains mounted on the ceiling evoking the hangings of a cabin, and walls entirely covered with the same fabric. The main tapestry acts as a visual extension of the window overlooking the sea, while the headboard framed of wood and decorated with braided panels is inspired by Villa Kérylos, located a few kilometers from there. A thick beige color reinforces the feeling of floating above the clouds, facing a panoramic view of the sea.
How did the idea of this formwork on the ceiling come into the living room?
The idea of this detail in the living room was born from the need to create a ceiling that brings a real identity to the room. Unable to integrate French classic moldings, we were inspired by certain villas in Los Angeles, where the structured ceilings are very present. This formwork allowed us to introduce a real architectural dimension in the living room, while affirming the character of the place.
Have you added this fireplace? What is its story?
Yes, this fireplace was one of the very first elements we found for the project. It is a ceramic piece of French origin. Unfortunately, we do not have much specific information about its history, but it immediately attracted me by its color and materiality, which evoke for me Greco-Roman vases. We placed it in the center of the show, and its presence strongly influenced the arrangement of the furniture around. It is such a strong room visually that it naturally captures the gaze and structures all the space. It has become the starting point for the interior narration of the show.
What stones did you use on the ground and why?
We have chosen a mixture of selected mineral materials to create visual continuity between the interior and the exterior. Inside, the floors are on terrazzo in burgundy and green tones, bringing an organic and warm texture, while affirming a strong contemporary character. This chromatic choice dials with architectural elements, such as gray travertine arches, which structure the spaces with elegance. In the main bathroom, we opted for a more assertive mineral aesthetic, using classic French stone: beige and black from Burgundy. This combination creates a subtle contrast between the natural harshness of surfaces and the sophistication of decorative elements such as the Art Deco mirror and nickel accessories.
Have you ordered works of art for this project?
Yes, for this project we also took care of the artistic management and the selection of works. Some pieces have been specifically designed for the place, such as the bas-relief that we have drawn tailor-made in collaboration with the ceramist Barbara Billoud. It is a central work of the project, thought from the first phases of design. The lounge tapestry, on the other hand, was found in Italy during a trip to Sicily, while that of the room is a carefully selected vintage room. For us, art in an interior must always play a role of focal point: it is not only about decoration, but narration. Major parts such as bas-relief or tapestries were imagined very early in the design process. Other elements came later, chosen with sensitivity according to the evolution of the place, without preconceived idea, but always in a logic of poetic coherence with the whole.
