Italian touch

Living, Corriere della Sera, Milan, February 2015

Francesca Taroni mentions Cardillo in the editorial of Living, the magazine of Corriere della Sera, while Elisabetta Colombo and Paola Menaldo interviewed him alongside nine leading figures in Italian interior design

Genres editorial interview selection

Series grottoes

Themes colour fields pink

Editorial

Francesca Taroni

We have dedicated this early-year issue to trends in furnishing, decoration and hospitality. A selection of Italian creatives – architects and interior decorators – helped us take stock of current transformations, offering insights and advice that are anything but predictable. Benedetta Tagliabue suggests reviving old plasterwork as a modern gesture, Turin-based UdA merge architecture with decoration, and Antonino Cardillo focuses on the potential of the ceiling – ‘now they install spotlights, but once there were frescoes’. The approaches vary, but all share a common premise: do not be afraid to embrace what resonates with you.

Selection

Décor effect. From peeling walls to wallpaper. Current trends according to nine Italian protagonists of interior decoration

Elisabetta Colombo, Paola Menaldo

From peeling walls to wallpaper. Current trends according to nine Italian protagonists of interior decoration. Tips and pitfalls to avoid.

Architects, interior designers and textile decorators from the contemporary scene share their latest projects and reflect on the trends shaping interior decoration in 2015. This all-Italian observatory anticipates colours, furnishings, new techniques and materials for the near future, and opens a window onto new ways of living at home. Debunking myths – the peeling wall can become a decorative element – offering sound advice – try a metallic finish on 1950s armchairs – and launching provocations – Cardillo’s House of Dust is modern yet references classical architecture. Then there are the colours – warm yellow, powder pink, reassuring taupe – botanical-themed wallpapers and ceilings as protagonists. Amid differences and affinities, warnings and missteps, everyone seems to agree on one point: never follow a pre-packaged style. The future lies in creative freedom – even in error.

Nine Italian protagonists

Chiara Grifantini
Andrea Tognon
Vincenzo De Cotiis
Benedetta Tagliabue
Nora P
Idarica Gazzoni
UdA
Dimore Studio
Antonino Cardillo

Interview

Antonino Cardillo

Antonino Cardillo, with Elisabetta Colombo and Paola Menaldo

Style

Summed up in the project House of Dust. His aesthetic manifesto. There’s pink, a synonym for beauty; the reference to history told by dust settling like powder on the walls; contrasts (between smooth and rough surfaces); the harmonies of classical art; and architecture that becomes narrative.

The House of 2015

‘My ambition is to build homes that transcend time, with a long-term vision. Dwellings that remain beautiful, without ageing. A bit like wine’.

Colours and Design: What to Choose

‘Contexts have different aesthetic variants, in colours (each tone has harmonic potential) and materials: the more natural they are, the more interesting the results. The ceiling of House of Dust, for example, is a traditional mix of lime, pozzolana and sand. Simple. Yet a change in light reveals unexpected nuances’.

Advice

‘Pay close attention to the ceiling’, says Cardillo. ‘There’s a creative potential there that’s often overlooked. It’s the place where architecture happens. Now they install spotlights, but once there were frescoes’.

Born in 1975, [Antonino Cardillo] lives between Italy and England, and according to Wallpaper* magazine ‘he is one of the most significant architects of our time’. Balancing ancient and modern languages, in search of timeless codes. His works are monolithic, yet sensuous, flexible and at the same time classical, centred on the use of natural materials. Notable examples include the Sergio Rossi store in Milan and the Nomura Koumuten house in Japan.

The *House of Dust* in Rome features rustic, almost cavernous ceilings and powder-pink tones. Photography: Antonino Cardillo

Sources

Elisabetta Colombo, Paola Menaldo, ‘Effetto décor. Dalla parete scrostata alla carta da parati. Le tendenze del momento secondo 9 protagonisti italiani dell’interior decoration’, Living, no. 1/2, Corriere della Sera, Milan, Feb. 2015, pp. 75, 83; living.corriere.it, 6 Feb. 2015 [Italian].
Francesca Taroni, ‘Editoriale’, Living, no. 1/2, Corriere della Sera, Milan, Feb. 2015, p. 13 [Italian].