By Appointment: Francis Sultana

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The Maltese-born interiors and furniture designer shares the special pieces he surrounds himself with, the piece he can’t part with and the importance of fresh towels.

Osanna Visconti Alga Hand-Cast Bronze Candle Holder

$3,470
Osanna Visconti - Alga Hand-Cast Bronze Candle Holder -  - ABASK -

Osanna Visconti Alga Hand-Cast Bronze Candle Holder

$3,470

Carlo Moretti Hand-Blown Murano Glass Monolith

$4,825
Carlo Moretti - Hand-Blown Murano Glass Monolith -  - ABASK

Carlo Moretti Hand-Blown Murano Glass Monolith

$4,825

NasonMoretti Aliseo Hand-Blown Murano Glass Water Tumbler

$134
NasonMoretti - Aliseo Murano Glass Water Tumbler - Gold - ABASK

NasonMoretti Aliseo Hand-Blown Murano Glass Water Tumbler

$134
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Geoffrey Parker Leather Cluedo Set

$7,055
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Geoffrey Parker Leather Cluedo Set

$7,055

Angela Wickstead Embroidered Linen Cocktail Napkins (Set of 6)

$320
Angela Wickstead - Embroidered Linen Cocktail Napkins (Set of 6) -  - ABASK

Angela Wickstead Embroidered Linen Cocktail Napkins (Set of 6)

$320

Ifuji Italian Hand-Carved Wood Medium Tray

$140
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Ifuji Italian Hand-Carved Wood Medium Tray

$140
Canova Hand-Blown Murano Glass Tumbler
NasonMoretti - Canova Hand-Blown Murano Glass Tumbler -  - ABASK -

NasonMoretti Canova Hand-Blown Murano Glass Tumbler

$172
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NasonMoretti - Canova Hand-Blown Murano Glass Tumbler -  - ABASK -

NasonMoretti Canova Hand-Blown Murano Glass Tumbler

$172
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Laboratorio Paravicini Serpi Ceramic Dinner Plates (Set of 6)

$705
Laboratorio Paravicini - Serpi Ceramic Dinner Plates (Set of 6) -  - ABASK

Laboratorio Paravicini Serpi Ceramic Dinner Plates (Set of 6)

$705

Brandimarte Hammered Sterling Silver Jug

$1,490
Brandimarte - Hammered Sterling Silver Jug -  - ABASK

Brandimarte Hammered Sterling Silver Jug

$1,490

Christofle Nomade Stainless Steel Round Tray

$620
Christofle - Nomade Stainless Steel Round Tray -  - ABASK

Christofle Nomade Stainless Steel Round Tray

$620

Osanna Visconti Alga Hand-Cast Bronze Candle Holder

$1,075
Osanna Visconti - Alga Hand-Cast Bronze Candle Holder -  - ABASK

Osanna Visconti Alga Hand-Cast Bronze Candle Holder

$1,075
Linley - Marquetry Wood Playing Cards Set -  - ABASK
Linley - Marquetry Wood Playing Cards Set -  - ABASK -

Linley Marquetry Wood Playing Cards Set

$630
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Linley - Marquetry Wood Playing Cards Set -  - ABASK -

Linley Marquetry Wood Playing Cards Set

$630
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What role does craft and design play in your life?

Design for me is the more critical of the two, but it’s through craft that methods of making great design are important. It’s a part of my journey as a designer to understand how craft can make a big difference in creating good designs.

How would you describe your interiors style?

My style has developed over the years. In my twenties, I was very into contemporary design, which, in a way, was cutting-edge design. As I get older, I embrace more historical interiors as I look at the past and find ways of conserving and restoring it. I’m always developing and that’s a good thing, because I get bored very fast.

What is the best craft or design gift you’ve ever received?

Sometimes the simplest of things have a very big impact. A friend recently bought me a dish-cum-phone charger by Hermès Home, which is something I would never have bought myself but it is chic and also very useful!

Osanna Visconti Alga Hand-Cast Bronze Candle Holder

$1,465
Osanna Visconti - Alga Hand-Cast Bronze Candle Holder -  - ABASK -

Osanna Visconti Alga Hand-Cast Bronze Candle Holder

$1,465

Royal Crown Derby Riviera Dream Hand-Painted Bone China Teacup and Saucer

$225
Royal Crown Derby - Riviera Dream Hand-Painted Bone China Teacup and Saucer -  - ABASK -

Royal Crown Derby Riviera Dream Hand-Painted Bone China Teacup and Saucer

$225
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Royal Crown Derby Riviera Dream Hand-Painted Bone China Dinner Plate

$178
Royal Crown Derby - Riviera Dream Hand-Painted Bone China Dinner Plate -  - ABASK

Royal Crown Derby Riviera Dream Hand-Painted Bone China Dinner Plate

$178
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Venini Fazzoletto Hand-Blown Murano Glass Small Vase

$440
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Venini Fazzoletto Hand-Blown Murano Glass Small Vase

$440

Astier de Villatte Cendrillon Hand-Glazed Ceramic Teapot

$555
Astier de Villatte - Cendrillon Teapot -  - ABASK

Astier de Villatte Cendrillon Hand-Glazed Ceramic Teapot

$555

Astier de Villatte Alexandre Hand-Glazed Ceramic Teacup

$132
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Astier de Villatte Alexandre Hand-Glazed Ceramic Teacup

$132

Augarten Belvedere Hand-Painted Porcelain Dinner Plate

$355
Augarten - Belvedere Hand-Painted Porcelain Dinner Plate -  - ABASK

Augarten Belvedere Hand-Painted Porcelain Dinner Plate

$355
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Bollenglass Hand-Blown Glass Highball

$104
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Bollenglass Hand-Blown Glass Highball

$104
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Osanna Visconti Melted Hand-Cast Bronze Candle Holder

$1,995
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Osanna Visconti Melted Hand-Cast Bronze Candle Holder

$1,995

Feldspar Hand-Painted 24ct Gold and Bone China Espresso Mugs (Set of 4)

$172
Feldspar - Hand-Painted 24ct Gold and Bone China Espresso Mugs (Set of 4) -  - ABASK

Feldspar Hand-Painted 24ct Gold and Bone China Espresso Mugs (Set of 4)

$172
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Astier de Villatte Peggy Hand-Glazed Ceramic Teapot

$300
Astier de Villatte - Peggy Hand-Glazed Ceramic Teapot -  - ABASK

Astier de Villatte Peggy Hand-Glazed Ceramic Teapot

$300
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Mun Deluxe Brand Venezia Hand-Blown Glass Lantern

$555
Mun Deluxe Brand Venezia - Hand-Blown Glass Lantern -  - ABASK

Mun Deluxe Brand Venezia Hand-Blown Glass Lantern

$555
Where in your home do you do your best thinking?

I put my desk in the grandest room of my London apartment so that I get to enjoy it every day. It’s a blue salon with the original William Chambers ceiling and it looks out onto the London landscape. There’s no computer as I can’t have digital things around me when I need to think; rather, books are my joy. I always tell my clients to use your nicest room where you entertain people as a room you go into yourself, otherwise you can shut the door and never go in.

What is the first and last item you bought for your home?

The first thing I ordered before moving was fresh bed linen and towels. You can’t move home, in my view, without replenishing that; it’s always the nicest thing. The last thing was new flatware. I’ve been meaning to order a simpler set of cutlery because I’m doing a new home in the countryside and there is some rejigging that I’m putting in there and leaving here.

Which item in your home brings you the most joy?

Sometimes a room brings me the most joy because I walk in and it makes me happy and secure. I think that’s the key to anyone’s home - that, and to be in love with it. Your home is something that you create around you and really is never finished; it's always about layering and making your life relative to where you are today.

What do you – or what would you like to – collect?

I’ve recently come across antiquities. It appeals to me now – Greek and Roman antiquities and especially if you juxtapose antiquities next to something contemporary. I’m fascinated by them but I know very little. I want to learn about it first, educate myself and then start collecting.

What item in your home can’t you bear to part with?

I have a chair that was designed by Emilio Terry in the late 1920s for Carlos de Beistegui’s very famous penthouse designed by Le Corbusier on the Champs Elysées. It’s profound because this was the apartment that put baroque and classical things in a minimalist setting and when I was dreaming of becoming an interior designer in my teens, seeing this apartment changed my mind completely! The chair was an obsession of mine and one day by accident it was in a shop window in Paris. When the antique dealer came back from lunch, I bought it! It’s like it was meant to come to me and it’s one of my prized possessions – not because of its value but what it means to me. I never could have believed I would stumble across it in that way.

What’s the greatest heirloom you’re most proud to pass on?

I would like to think the furniture that I have commissioned and designed with wonderful designers, including André Dubreuil and Claude Lalanne, will leave a legacy. I continue to work with artists and designers to make pieces for the homes I’m doing and my wish is that they become historically significant.

What is your go-to gift for a host?

For the people who have everything, I have to get them a good book or a small object that has to be thoughtful and useful. I love giving dishes, pairs of candlesticks, or a very chic teapot, as I enjoy giving tea paraphernalia. I always say: as long as I would live with it myself, I will give it.