“It plays a big role—it's everywhere and everything. I want to control everything through design, so I don’t think there's anything that can't be improved by having some kind of design process behind it."

“It’s different every time. It's usually a bit overwhelming at the beginning because there’s so much to fit in and you have to start somewhere. I do a lot of research and keep folders upon folders of images that I have collected. In the good-old days of Instagram, when it was very different, I found a lot of good material there. I also have many fabulous books, so will sometimes sit down with them, rediscover certain references, and look them up again.”

“Plane trips are great—I can sit for two hours and review photos that become starting points for mood, colors and materials. Once I’ve started a project, I regularly walk through a space to ensure everything flows properly; I’ll even close my eyes to sense what might be missing. That was especially useful with the Italian Embassy project, because it included 35 rooms and eight bathrooms across two floors, and they couldn’t all feel the same.”

“I’m conscious of pulling great pieces from different periods and mixing them together. In 2024, I visited the Florence Art Biennale with our neighbor Sandra, an Old Masters expert at Christie’s. I assumed I wouldn’t like anything because it would all be old, but I was completely surprised by what I fell in love with, and from which periods.

As a result, I later created a story for Armani/Casa—whom I’ve worked with for about 10 years—mixing Armani/Casa pieces with art and artifacts spanning the 1700s through the post-war period. And later another story ended up on the cover of Wallpaper* with two 18th-century urns on top of a contemporary console from Minotti from 2023 which was the first time the magazine probably ever had something from the 1700s on the cover. And, of course, it looked fabulous. It was my favorite ever cover."

“It started out very clean and minimal, but now I’d say it's eclectic because there are two of us. For example, we may have a Minotti sofa, but it’s surrounded by unusual and interesting objects. I give a lot of credit to my husband, Alvaro, because he's a big vintage snuffler and loves to find things that no one knows about. 

It's nice to mix things up because everything is so labeled now; people either want branded Chanel or Vuitton, or a name like Jean Prouvé or Charlotte Perriand. That's fine if it makes them feel good, but I find it much more interesting to mix things of big and small value.”

“Alvaro bought me a letter opener from Massimo and Lella Vignelli which was my first. I have also managed to collect some very nice pieces from auctions over the years, including the rectangular boxes, the tea set with the rosewood handle, and a tiny pill box.”

“No fridge magnets—the fridge is built-in and hidden behind oak. I love to come back with something food-related that can’t be found anywhere else. I always seek out local cheese. 

I remember we went to a little village in Alto Adige once and I went into the cheese shop and asked for a local selection. The shopkeeper pointed out the window and said it came from there. To me, local was the entire region of South Tyrol, Alto Adige, but to her, it was 300 meters away—how brilliant! Those cheeses were fantastic.”

“My mother was a potter and collected British studio pottery, mainly from the 1960s. I was lucky enough to inherit some, not all because I have two siblings, but they mean a lot to me because I grew up with them. Luckily, Alvaro loves them too.”

“I think the perfect gift would be food from somewhere we can’t access. The most amazing biscuits, chocolates, cheese, pickles, jam, crackers, wine—it doesn't have to be fancy wine either, but these are things you can try and expand your repertoire.”

“I lived with my father in London from age 16, and we’d go to Paxton & Whitfield for the cheese, Markus Coffee in Connaught Gardens, Harrods for salmon, the Danish food store for butter, the German food store for one ingredient, a Polish food store for another. That quality mania—I get it from him.”