Nicola Fontanella, the British inside designer, whose glittering shopper roster consists of names equivalent to Madonna, Man Ritchie, and Naomi Campbell, finds herself spending extra time in Miami as of late. As founder and CEO of Argent Design, Fontanella is the driving power behind a 50-person studio that designs ultra-luxe personal houses, personal jets, and yachts for its prosperous and superstar shoppers, in addition to retail and hospitality areas, and full high-rise mixed-use developments for industrial actual property funding corporations.
Argent initiatives, throughout all inside verticals, have a tendency to combine traditional European aptitude with Artwork Deco, leading to areas which can be without delay modern and timeless. The studio’s initiatives will 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 model. Every challenge is impressed by its particular shopper transient. Nonetheless, what all of them share is impeccable area planning, unbelievable detailing, lavish craftsmanship, and customization of all the pieces 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 duplicate due to the studio’s intensive use of uncommon and particular supplies – not out there in any catalog – which Fontanella sources from all over the world.
In Miami, the place Fontanella’s observe has grown to rival her unique London base, the designer is thought for end-to-end turnkey initiatives – ultra-luxurious, move-in-ready mansions. With initiatives like 2000 North Bay Highway in Miami Seashore, at the moment listed for $15 million, Fontanella usually oversees not solely the inside adorning and remaining styling, however the exterior structure and landscaping as effectively.
Earlier in April, Fontanella spoke with Upscale Dwelling, giving us an inside have a look at what it takes to create the areas of timeless class and class that maintain her ultra-high-net-worth and outstanding shoppers 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 truly requires plenty of effort, with many elements going into the top consequence. In any other case, everybody might do it. Fads and fashions come and go. The bottom line is to rigorously think about the structure of the constructing, the placement, and the assorted areas of the house, and juxtapose that with the “personas” of who will dwell there, how they’ll dwell there, and the way versatile an area will must be.
How do you select the artwork that goes right into a shopper’s house?
Artwork is a journey and one’s relationship with artwork is usually private and emotional. My shoppers have a tendency to gather items all through their lives. Components of the interiors we fee on behalf of shoppers, just like the lighting, and even intricate flooring, are supposed to each complement a shopper’s artwork assortment and to face alone in its potential to create visible curiosity.
When individuals describe your initiatives as having a European essence, what do they imply?
Europe has spectacular outdated buildings, palaces, castles, you identify 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 USA as a result of it’s a notable attribute of conventional European structure to concentrate to ceilings. Ceilings are usually not 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 progressive methods, we guarantee that smart-home options and even air-con installations are included within the ceiling however are fully hidden. We frequently specifically fee our chandeliers, which develop into 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 components. This method ensures that every one the small print inside the constructing work collectively, with the outside all the time related to the inside. One in every of Argent Design’s specialties is our bespoke flooring. We create intricate flooring patterns by combining a wide range of supplies like wooden, marble onyx, and bronze insets. The craftsmanship required to make an Argent ground 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 entire.
On a sensible degree, objects inside the house have to be positioned strategically to maximise views, considering the place individuals 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 area planning is paramount. Inform me the way you apply area planning to your observe as an entire, and the way you design dressing rooms particularly.
All of it comes all the way down to a fragile stability of hiding what must be hidden and performance, even when the house itself is extraordinarily spacious. The houses I design for my HNW shoppers usually have separate dressing rooms, with custom-made 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 ensure all the pieces has a spot, and all the pieces is instead, in a method that appropriately matches the shopper’s life-style. Designing is all about making an attempt to unravel paradoxes. Argent houses with all their custom-made craftsmanship rise to the extent of artworks – that’s what we attempt for. On the identical time, we all the time do not forget that these areas are usually not galleries. They’re working houses the place individuals will truly dwell, so designing for performance is crucial, and storage is a key device for attaining performance.
