STUDIO
Everything starts with a sketch.
Colour, Form and Pattern; influence, inform and define everything we do.
We aim to create a living aesthetic – bespoke interiors designed with the human in mind.
Colour
All colours are glorious, but it’s the use of colour that intrigues our STUDIO; to play with combinations, contrast and intensity, to create emotion and response, is to truly design with colour.
Form
Many different forms inspire our STUDIO aesthetic – from the sculptural to the functional - but the ones that move us are defined by their bold lines and material substance.
Pattern
Our STUDIO eye is passionate about all manner of patina, texture and finish, but distinctive, vibrant and beguiling patterning is what really lights our fire – whether its played out across fabrics, timbers, ceramics or simply a wallpaper design.
A few words from Anna…
Since I can remember my life has been filled with the colour, form and pattern of my surroundings.
I was born into an eclectic household, with two grandfathers diametrically opposed in their approach to style and design, each with a furniture shop in Knightsbridge, London; one selling antiques, the other modern furniture. I grew up in a house that seamlessly combined Louis XVI antiques, alongside 1970’s modern – and that was the norm. I have early memories of being fascinated by large scale floral prints, and pondering pattern repeats! My childhood summer holidays were spent on family road trips driving through Scandinavia and Europe. Between the châteaux and fjords, we visited furniture manufactures and textile mills.
Later, while studying for my Interior Architecture degree in both London and California, I was influenced by the likes of Frank Gehry’s North House on Venice Beach, Los Angeles completed in 1984 - his unconventional approach to Form and Colour were revolutionary - and Zaha Hadid’s theoretical designs with Form at the centre of her vision, were also ground breaking in their time.
Visiting Villa Claeson in Sweden, where my mother spent her childhood summers, was a turning point for me. The Summer House, Designed by Josef Frank in the 1920s, demonstrates effortless flow as a luxury in space. The architecture is modernist and the interiors favour bold pattern and informal furniture combinations. I quickly I fell in love with its ease and charm. Villa Claeson encouraged me to re-think my own approach to design.
“We should design our surroundings as if they happened by chance.” Josef Frank
Equally, an obsession with ‘how and why’ furniture works, that I inherited from my Father, has also shaped my passion for designing. I truly believe that bespoke furniture is an essential part of a highly individualised interior scheme, and while working for Madonna Cicconi, I was able to apply this belief to great effect. Having quickly realised that ‘off-the-shelf’ furniture was not going to satisfy our client, we designed and produced over thirty five individual custom-made pieces of furniture for her.
So I suppose when it comes to my design beliefs and philosophies - I am simply the Sum of everything I grew up with and amongst - and that the interiors I create are the Whole that comes from that sum.