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Getting personal for that perfect interior
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FRANCESCO Tarentini knows, that to make a good interior, it has to be personal. The Italian interior designer who has been calling Shanghai his home for 11 years opts for relaxed urban living vibe.
“When looking for a home in Shanghai or anywhere else, I always need to find one thing I deeply love,” Tarentini said. “In my first Shanghai apartment I loved the impressive city view from the 31st floor. In my latest apartment I was drawn to the small garden. I enjoy the view of the garden trees from the fourth floor so I get the feeling of being in the middle of a park.”
Tarentini, who has been living in his current apartment with girlfriend Vicky Sun for two years, likes the fact his living/dining room has nice views and abundant natural light.
“It’s ideal to invite 15 to 20 friends at home for a party or easy dining together. Also the balcony, though not huge, is ideal to have a BBQ and simply unwind with friends,” he said. “It’s also very convenient to have windows on two opposite sides of the building so whenever I open the windows, there is a nice breeze crossing the whole unit.”
The general condition was not bad when he first saw it — a clean wooden floor and white walls was simple indeed but it was all Tarentini wanted — a pared-back color palette to create a vibe with a sense of harmony.
“In this case I could start from scratch to add my personal taste and fill it in with my furniture collection to feel at home,” he said, adding that he always preferred to find an empty home with simple design without “creative” solutions and materials.
“Shanghai is a bustling city so I wanted our home to be relaxing, welcoming and functional. We did not plan to have a specific style. My girlfriend and I simply wanted it to reflect who we are, our interests and our way of living,” Tarentini said.
“As a designer, I’m fascinated by different kinds of styles, as there is no right or wrong style, and it is possible to find beauty in many different things. We tend to collect things when traveling, or just when we see things around that we like, therefore we have many decorations and they are all quite different with varied styles.”
The overall style is simple. The couple likes a neutral background to mix contemporary furniture and vintage finds.
“We like to have wide spaces, for instance we don’t have clothes cabinet in the bedroom and we also tend not to hang paintings or frames on the walls. We prefer to keep white walls free, as in this way we feel like the rooms are wider.”
With a mix of contemporary furniture and vintage finds, the space is kept clean yet has an intimate, homely ambience.
“The interior style is definitely based on mixing things and styles. We have contrasting styles of Asian and Western pieces, contemporary and antique, natural matte materials and plastic shiny surfaces,” said the Italian, who was born in Forli, near Bologna. “We love to be stimulated by the different vibes of each of them.”
The effect of contrast is also reflected in the color scheme. Overall they are based on whites and warm light grays to give a calm and relaxed feel but, on some walls, large panels are in red to give a playful, stimulating impact.
The layout of the apartment allows the couple to reflect on their life in the city and consider the things that matter most to them.
The designer believes the key point in choosing furniture or a decorative piece is if that particular piece gives them a sense of feeling.
“We are generally affected by objects in two ways: They can be great pieces of design, no matter if created by a renowned designer or an unknown but smart craftsman. In the other case it is when a particular object reminds us of a person, an experience, a trip or a moment of our life,” he said. “Most of the objects have been purchased on travels, in local antique furniture stores or found by a random chance.”
Evidence of the couple’s discerning eye for color, texture and pattern can be found in their intelligent and subtle collection of decor items.
“We are proud to say that almost every piece in our home does have a story. We love to feel surrounded by objects that are somehow meaningful to us and, somehow, speak to us,” Tarentini said. “Just to give one example, right in front of our entrance we have one long cabinet that I begged my landlord to sell to me almost 11 years ago right after I arrived in Shanghai. On top of it is a firefighter’s vintage lamp purchased at Williamsburg Flea market in Brooklyn, New York City, together with my girlfriend in our first trip together.”
Other objects full of emotion include a golden ceramic VIP invitation by a designer friend who recently left Shanghai, as well as a baroque small painting frame bought in Paris by Tarentini’s mom and a small drunken lion god sculpture that he purchased from an old man’s home in Ishigaki Island, Okinawa.
“Think what you like to do and make space for it,” he said. “Keep the walls simple and do not decorate your home at once.
“Always leave one wall free or some free space because one day you will find something that you like and you will regret not having space for it. It will be nice to have a home growing and changing along with you.”
Ask The Owner
Q: What’s the best thing about living in Shanghai?
A: Shanghai is exciting, rich of social life, arts events, business opportunities ... it’s a very stimulating city.
Q: Describe your home in three words.
A: Full of light, spacious, welcoming to friends
Q: What’s the first thing you do when you get home?
A: Turn on a proper relaxing lighting and music
Q: How do you unwind?
A: I love to cook.
Q: Where do you spend most of the time at home?
A: Living/dining room
Q: What’s the view outside your window?
A: Top of the garden trees
Q: What’s your favorite object at home?
A: My long table which is easy to host friends, work, do some simple hobbies and cook.
Q: Where do you source furniture?
A: Wherever I see an interesting one.
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