May - Things of Note
Started off in Italy but ended up on a world tour of interiors and objects this month ...
This email will not show in full in your inbox. To read the entire post, read on your web browser or the Substack app.
DESIGNER THEN
Osvaldo Borsani
I Re-visited the work of Osvaldo Borsani this month after seeing the bathroom (below) in his Milanese home again. Very jealous of those that viewed the space in real life during one of the Milan design weeks. I forget which year it was but remember my instagram being flooded with snap shots of the space. The FOMO was real.
As someone whose own art is pretty structured and graphic I am always drawn to the opposite, the loose and energetic. Borsani collaborated with the artist Adriano Spilimbergo on the bathroom tile mural. I think the union is a great success and it shows how art can take on a whole new feel when scaled up and in a new context. If I saw Spilimbergo’s paintings in a simple frame I don’t think I would pay them much attention but I love the collaborative work he produced with Borsani and as I later discovered with Gio ponti too.
Osvaldo Borsani wardrobe - price on request
Gio Ponti and Adriano Spilimbergo ( Sold for £63,500 .. just a little out of my price range)
In case your instagram wasn’t inundated during that year of the festival, here are some pictures of Osvaldo Borsani’s home from Wallpaper* . It’s a great article to read if you want to delve a little deeper. I enjoyed discovering more about Borsani’s furniture brand Tecno. If I had to pick something myself from the brand it would be these lounge Chairs by Eugenio Gerli. See more Tecno pieces here
(Image credit: Matteo Piazza)
More recently a new space by Borsani entered my orbit via ad-italia. This time it was an apartment the young Borsani designed within a Milanese palace. How super is the shape of the opening to the wood clad fire place nook, and the yellow stained glass shutters. The details are wonderful.
INTERIOR THEN
Staying in italy … Gianfranco Frattini’s 39 m² holiday home via Picksdesign caught my attention.
I love these photo’s by Stefan Giftthaler . Theres a great juxtaposition between Frattini’s modern furniture ( particularly the lime green nesting tables) and the traditional naval references.
Boat interiors seem to be a great place to start for ingenious storage solutions in small spaces. Also on view is a lovely case for dusty pink, high gloss green and beautiful honey coloured wood.
If you are interested in some Gianfranco Frattini nesting tables, I have you covered.
Set of 3 Yellow Marema Nesting Tables by Gianfranco Frattini for Cassina, 1960s, approx £400 currently on Ebay.
I also love this alternative nesting style that he did , love this wood and smoked glass version too.
The Gianfranco Frattini website has some great photography of his architecture and interiors and is well worth a peruse. Below are a few images from the site, to wet your whistle.
Its also a good place to start to find the more obscure product designs he was behind. Including some great fabrics for Torrilana Fabrics … amazing weaved graphic patterns. I’m pretty sure most spaces could benefit from a Frattini touch, even or perhaps especially the more traditional ones.
If the vintage hunt isn’t for you, you can shop Frattini pieces such as the Sesann Sofa at Tacchini and the Aspide Table Lamp at Twenty Twenty One.
INTERIOR NOW
Enjoying the bold restraint of Designer Louis Denavaut
INTERIOR NOW
I enjoyed discovering the design clashes that inform Studio Roene’s spaces.
‘Studio Roene revels in unexpected juxtapositions, synthesizing disparate sensibilities to embrace spaces that spark conversation. From chipboard to blue chip, the studio believes in the perfection of imperfection, the humble as holy, defining elegance as an expert dash of quirk. In our approach, we champion the cool, casual and collected.’
HOSPITALITY INTERIOR
joyn.studio transported me to a different world with their Chez FiFi project. One which I would very happily stay in and drink martinis until the early hours.
Photography @kraussphoto
HOSPITALITY INTERIOR
Studio Escapist are Elegant beyond elegance.
Stockholm Stadshotell below, Photography by @henriklundell
New store for @savannahs.se, photographed by @henriklundell
I also had to include this supremely refined residential interior, I professed recently that grey was on its way out.I stand corrected. Photographed by @mrlefvander
OBJECT NOW
Adore these rug/blanket/wall art pieces by Grace Atkinson, currently on show at Spazio Leone till the 18th May.
OBJECT NOW
loved discovering these magical objects from www.muhly.studio
ARTIST NOW
I made a few great new art discoveries recently so popping them below for you to explore.
thomasslinder discovered via rhett.baruch.gallery
BOOK
If, like me you are the kind of person that would travel to Zurich just to see the street lamp below I have the perfect book for you.
Sight Unseen and Adam Stech of Okolo Architecture have teamed together to produce The Modernist Travel Guide, featuring nearly 400 of his favourite examples of modernist architecture in 30 major cities around the world. I now can’t imagine going on holiday without it. Get your copy here
I HAVE MY EYE ON …
SHOCKING LIFE. Schiaparelli, Elsa, Bronto by Super group in brown from Hem, 70’s pair of Oak mirrors on Etsy , Photographer Kat Green’s wonderful ‘For The Love Of Hydrangeas’ series are now available as prints from her shop
WATCH, READ, LISTEN AND SEE
The Objects of Our Life, Steve Job’s talk at the 1983 International Design Conference in Aspen
The comments section on this post is very popcorn emoji. I can see how at this time, with a cost of living crisis in full swing people might bristle at the idea of someone having a whole room dedicated to arranging flowers, but, as a long time fan of Faye, I really enjoyed the celebration of english eccentricity in her home. We can all forage for some shells to put in our bathroom and frame our children’s paintings should we wish, so perhaps everyone should chill out and think about the achievable takeaways from this unique home tour.
The home she shares with Matt Gibberd of The Modern house and Inigo is very grand and lovely and although some might find it surprisingly traditional, as Faye began her career as a stylist at World of Interiors it made total sense to me. I would have enjoyed perhaps a little more friction with her own contemporary designs as Roly Poly makes an excellent bed fellow for chintz. See more on NY Times
The Serene Parisian Home of Invisible Collection Co-Founder Isabelle Dubern
Inside an Edwardian Hampstead Heath Mansion Flat Filled with a Lifetime of Art | Design Notes
Tablescaping with Lucinda Chambers, I’m the opposite of a tablescaper ( not sure if that has a name) but there is something rather relaxing about watching someone else put so much time and energy into it … maybe one day I will invest in some napkin rings.
LISTEN
Desert Island discs - Sir Jony Ive If Ive’s son’s rendition of “singing in the rain” doesn’t get you, you are officially as cold as ice.
Designing the 21st Century ‘What happened to furniture design with Sami Reiss - definitely one for the the furniture geeks that follow. Follow Sami here
READ
How to survive the AI revolution in The New Yorker
I read a nice quote and for the life of me can’t remember the source “The time you enjoy wasting in not wasted time” : )
SEE
Thanks so much to all for subscribing and a special thanks to paid subscribers, you make this design sharing exercise possible and I am beyond grateful!
Please do tap the heart, share or re-stack if you enjoyed
Em
x