Italian gentlemen with a London residence permitPrefer a respectable classics, modern art and a little humor. We looked at the house of an expert on British luxury real estate and realized that he has much to learn. In our article - a luxurious interior in brown and turquoise colors from the most fashionable London decorator. The famous holographic portrait of Elizabeth II with her eyes closed, made during a pause in the official photo shoot by artist Chris Levine, Lightness of Being, is called - "Easy Being ". At one time, the image brought a lot of trouble to the royal press service, and now determines the style and spirit of one of the most fashionable London interiors. Elegant neoclassicism with firm English irony and Italian soul. 
The owners of the apartments are Sofia and Nikolo BarattieriDi San Pietro (Sofia and Niccolo Barattieri di San Pietro) - people who go to parties after receptions at Buckingham Palace. Nikolo is the managing director of Northacre, the leading English developer of the luxury class, an enthusiastic yachtsman and a football fan. Among his clients are half of the British aristocracy, Arab sheikhs and Russian billionaires. His wife Sofia is the host of a dynamic startup in the haute couture industry. Both grew up in Italy, share the love of the Mediterranean and the historical palazzo, but prefer to live in cosmopolitan London. 
Sofia Barattieri, owner: "Like all the inhabitants of the British Isles, we share the need for both a sense of proportion and diversity." But as Italians we love that kind of luxury that allows you to throw off your shoes and relax. For this we needed a man who could bring in an element of secular playfulness. And we found Paolo Moschino. He beautifully designed the homes of most of our friends. He understands us. And he has an impeccable taste. 
Paolo Moschino, Art Director of Nicholas Haslam Ltd:Paolo Moschino, art director and co-owner of Nicholas Haslam Ltd., is a devoted student and protege of British design guru Nick Haslem, a native of the famous Moschino family. Over time, Paolo became a co-owner of an interior décor firm as part of a sprawling teacher's design company. Wealthy aristocrats, tasteful billionaires and Hollywood stars resort to his services. It was Moschino who decorated the house in Surrey, where the Chilean dictator Pinochet was kept under house arrest. Later, the estate was acquired by banker Pyotr Aven, and English newspapers relished the details for several months: the largest atrium in Europe, an underground bunker with Russian art and a fireplace worth one hundred and sixty-five thousand pounds. Moschino prefers to work in Art Deco, although he does not like to consider himself a fan of these areas. The "correct" English interior, of which he is considered a master, presupposes a mixture of the best that happened in the vastness of the empire, which means that it cannot be attributed to a specific style. “I have been able to afford to choose clients for many years,” Moschino says. - Therefore, I work only for like-minded people. This is how you get the best results. Now almost all of my clients are my close friends, for whom I create interiors not for a minute, but forever ”. nicholashaslam.com Designing But good taste was not enough for this project. Serious engineering work was required. And she was entrusted to the architectural bureau Tyler Mandic. Before the redesign, the Barattieri lived in a duplex overlooking the famous gardens in the center of Kensington, a historic and prestigious area of London, located between Notting Hill, Chelsea and Belgravia. When the couple had their third child, space was desperately lacking, and the couple bought an apartment next door, which tripled the footage. Barattieri now owned two floors in adjoining Victorian homes. The only question was how to combine the buildings. To solve this problem without destroying the elite historical real estate and without breaking the law, the architects came up with a very complex project. 
Gordana Mandic, Tyler Mandic:“It was very dangerous and rather scary. The engineers had to shift the weight of the old 5-story building onto special columns and beams without the slightest shift. Otherwise, there could be cracks in the fifteen comfortable apartments upstairs. Fortunately, everything went smoothly. tylermandic.co.uk 
Moschino took over the internal planning.And he didn’t complicate it. The two-story apartment opens up like a palace suite - all the rooms are placed one after another, along a long corridor, softly and evenly lit. Paolo Moschino, Nicholas Haslam Ltd: - I always try to make the space open from the general to the particular, beautifully and fluidly. Then you get a balanced composition without flaws. An ideal interior is an interior in which you can change all the furniture in one day, and he will not lose from this. And this approach implies simplicity and no frills. nicholashaslam.com 
The composition is based on classical proportions,Basic geometric shapes and symmetry. But this simplicity is deceptive. In the living room, it turns into a complex game with simple shapes: the rhythmic squares of the frames on the walls, the rectangles of the French doors and tables, the carpet on the floor, the fireplace turn the space into a chessboard, and the viewer into the player, then into the figure. Dark doorways against the light walls - that frame. And for each - a new picture. 
Color and light Everything is the basis of the color compositionthe same Elizabethan portrait. ... And it is complemented by the "ebonized" oak of luxurious floors. This warm, dark color - for floors and furniture - softens the cold luxury of turquoise hues. Against a neutral background of very light grayish-beige walls, such a combination emphasizes the respectability of the interior and allows you to “sell” expensive art and antiques mixed with massive modern furniture. 
The depth and complexity of color is achieved byThe richness of tonal transitions from saturated dark blue spots in the furniture upholstery through the pearl blue-gray color of the curtains to the transparent green hue of the vases. 
The most important and branded Interesting find:the so-called "mercury glass" panels create a shimmery sheen and a vintage touch. The pearlescent glow is achieved through a silvery interlayer inside a thick glass layer. The theme is supported by early-century floor lamps made of glass pipes at the entrance, Murano balls in the living room and vases of intricate shapes. All this glassy variety creates additional reflections and reflections and enhances the impression of the color solution. 
Italian spirit Despite the luxurious settingand the classical approach to filling the space, the house is very far from being a museum. And this owes much to the frivolous Italian spirit that penetrated the British stiffness. Sunny Tuscany is reminiscent of simple jute carpets, carved stairs and marble lines in the kitchen and bathrooms. A series of French doors, which are not normally closed here, lead to a small private terrace and an extensive public garden in which the surrounding children play. The Barattieri say that this reminds them of a fun Roman childhood and courtyards-wells, from where their parents invited them to dinner. 
Kitchen - a gift from Sofia, a great loverCook. High-tech, light and spacious, it is planned in a traditional Italian key, although it consists almost entirely of ultramodern furniture. For the most part, it is concentrated in the lower tier. Almost everything necessary fits inside the island and in several tall "columns", designed in such a way as to be minimal from the plane of the wall. This allows you to reduce the number of top cabinets to the necessary minimum - along one wall - and completely free the rest of the space, turning the kitchen into a family dining room, then into a place for the reception of the closest friends. 
Paolo Moschino, Art Director of Nicholas Haslam Ltd:- Typically Italian approach. In Italy, you may have a huge palazzo, but you will serve mozzarella and tomatoes for lunch, and your guests will laugh and talk. It is a relaxed attitude towards the historical grandeur of the place, which helps to avoid the pressure of centuries and ancestors. And it appeals to all of us: me, and Sophia, and Nicolo. nicholashaslam.com 
What interiors are preferred by European businessmen - etk-fashion.com
