Nicola Fontanella, the British inside designer, whose glittering shopper roster contains names equivalent to Madonna, Man Ritchie, and Naomi Campbell, finds herself spending extra time in Miami nowadays. As founder and CEO of Argent Design, Fontanella is the driving power behind a 50-person studio that designs ultra-luxe non-public houses, non-public jets, and yachts for its prosperous and celeb purchasers, in addition to retail and hospitality areas, and whole high-rise mixed-use developments for industrial actual property funding companies.
Argent initiatives, throughout all inside verticals, have a tendency to combine basic European aptitude with Artwork Deco, leading to areas which might be without delay up to date and timeless. The studio’s initiatives may be discovered on each continent, together with in New York, Miami, London, St. Tropez, Melbourne, Beijing, and Hong Kong.
The studio doesn’t have a home fashion. Every challenge is impressed by its particular shopper transient. Nonetheless, what all of them share is impeccable house planning, unimaginable detailing, lavish craftsmanship, and customization of the whole lot from ceilings and flooring to bespoke, one-of-a-kind, specifically commissioned items, like Lalique vintage crystal chandeliers and Lalique customized lighting.
Argent Design initiatives are tough to copy due to the studio’s in depth use of uncommon and particular supplies – not obtainable in any catalog – which Fontanella sources from all over the world.
In Miami, the place Fontanella’s apply has grown to rival her authentic London base, the designer is thought for end-to-end turnkey initiatives – ultra-luxurious, move-in-ready mansions. With initiatives like 2000 North Bay Street in Miami Seashore, at present listed for $15 million, Fontanella sometimes oversees not solely the inside adorning and last styling, however the exterior structure and landscaping as nicely.
Earlier in April, Fontanella spoke with Upscale Residing, giving us an inside take a look at what it takes to create the areas of timeless class and class that maintain her ultra-high-net-worth and distinguished purchasers beating a path to her door yr after yr.
When designing ultra-luxe mansions, how do you do what you do?
An elegant, seamless, easy look really requires lots of effort, with many components going into the top consequence. In any other case, everybody may do it. Fads and fashions come and go. The secret is to rigorously take into account the structure of the constructing, the situation, and the assorted areas of the house, and juxtapose that with the “personas” of who will reside there, how they are going to reside there, and the way versatile an area will should be.
How do you select the artwork that goes right into a shopper’s residence?
Artwork is a journey and one’s relationship with artwork is usually private and emotional. My purchasers have a tendency to gather items all through their lives. Parts of the interiors we fee on behalf of purchasers, just like the lighting, and even intricate flooring, are supposed to each complement a shopper’s artwork assortment and to face alone in its means to create visible curiosity.
When folks describe your initiatives as having a European essence, what do they imply?
Europe has spectacular outdated buildings, palaces, castles, you title it. I discover myself influenced by European heritage websites – not simply those in the UK the place I’m from, but additionally these in Italy, France, and as far afield as St. Petersburg, Russia. On an Argent challenge, that affect can translate to cornice detailing or wall paneling.
Folks usually discover the ceilings on the initiatives we full in the US as a result of it’s a notable attribute of conventional European structure to concentrate to ceilings. Ceilings aren’t an afterthought. Consider the Sistine Chapel.
Our method to ceiling design ensures that the entire ceiling is coordinated with the furnishings format, with an emphasis on aesthetics. No ugly entry panels or grills. By adopting a forward-thinking method and revolutionary strategies, we ensure that smart-home options and even air-con installations are included within the ceiling however are utterly hidden. We frequently specifically fee our chandeliers, which turn out to be collectible items, in addition to Lalique wall lighting, that features as the jewellery of the house. The entire ceiling turns into a murals.
We’ve talked about ceilings. Inform me about your method to flooring.
We take inspiration for our flooring from the outside detailing of buildings, ceilings, and different parts. This method ensures that every one the main points throughout the constructing work collectively, with the outside at all times related to the inside. Certainly one of Argent Design’s specialties is our bespoke flooring. We create intricate flooring patterns by combining quite a lot of supplies like wooden, marble onyx, and bronze insets. The craftsmanship required to make an Argent flooring is what makes it unique and one-of-a-kind. No two flooring are ever the identical.
Seamlessly built-in indoor-outdoor residing is de rigueur in Miami structure and design. Inform me about your method to this idea.
Sure, there’s an emphasis positioned on this idea in South Florida, however we take this method, on a extra summary degree, on all our initiatives. Buildings have exteriors and interiors, and so they should make a logical complete.
On a sensible degree, objects inside the house have to be positioned strategically to maximise views, taking into account the place folks will stand essentially the most, sit essentially the most, look out essentially the most, and the way sure areas and views will look throughout totally different occasions of day.
Argent Design additionally designs the interiors of yachts and jets, the place environment friendly house planning is paramount. Inform me the way you apply house planning to your apply as an entire, and the way you design dressing rooms specifically.
All of it comes all the way down to a fragile steadiness of hiding what must be hidden and performance, even when the house itself is extraordinarily spacious. The houses I design for my HNW purchasers usually have separate dressing rooms, with personalized storage for fits, footwear, watches, jewellery, purses, sun shades, and extra. Along with being practical, stand-out areas, Argent Design dressing rooms have bespoke joinery, drawers, and shelving, to verify the whole lot has a spot, and the whole lot is as an alternative, in a manner that appropriately matches the shopper’s life-style. Designing is all about making an attempt to unravel paradoxes. Argent houses with all their personalized craftsmanship rise to the extent of artistic endeavors – that’s what we try for. On the identical time, we at all times keep in mind that these areas aren’t galleries. They’re working houses the place folks will really reside, so designing for performance is crucial, and storage is a key device for attaining performance.
