DESIGN RULES
Laura Sartori Rimini of Studio Peregalli Sartori describes how to arrange objects beautif ully
FEATURE JESSICA SALTER
WE always start with the architecture of a space. It’s important to start with a well-proportioned room, otherwise, whatever you put on display, the result is unlikely to be beautiful. There has to be harmony between the architecture and the interior design.
■ The objects that one chooses to surround oneself with in the home are very important. They can be something you bought just because you loved it, something that reminds you of something, or an object you were given. It doesn’t matter about the monetary value of the item; it’s how it looks and makes you feel. Our objects often have a deep psychology attached to them.
■ That being said, not everything has to have pride of place. We do sometimes deal with clients and have to understand why this item is so important to them – and then perhaps work out the best place for it to be.
■ There are no rules to how you want to display your collections. You can put things together in lots of different ways and get a beautiful end result. Some people prefer a cluttered look, with lots of items to look at; others opt for a more simple display.
■ Our philosophy is that there should be a touch of casualness about the way you organise a display: things should not look too stiff or formal. Otherwise, there is the danger that it will feel like a hotel or a home designed by a developer. Allow a bit of artistry.
■ Paintings are fun to play with. We had a project in St Moritz where the owner was fond of antique paintings. We knocked out a section of the ceiling to give the room a double height and draw attention to the collection and make it feel more like a gallery.
■ Books are wonderful objects to display. In one of our projects, we had a room that had a painted 15th-century ceiling, which we used as a starting point for a library. We installed a long table, chosen specifically to put books out on, as well as lining the walls and the books became the protagonists of the room.
■ If you have extraordinary things, you might want to keep the rest of the room simple. We worked with an antiques dealer who had beautiful Asiatic art, including a sculpture from Myanmar and elaborate Indian wall panels. The flat in Milan was a beautiful 18th-century building, so we kept walls simple, with subtle hand-painted stripes to emphasise the collection
