Last month’s Design Notes touched on Milanese interiors firm Studio Peregalli and we just had to delve deeper. A bit of background: we have been rather immersed in all things Italian lately as our new collection of handpainted tiles are made by a storied company in Florence called Riccardo Barthel. It turns out that Riccardo Barthel counts legendary Italian architect Renzo Mongiardino among its former clients. Mongiardino is universally regarded as the greatest Italian decorator of his time, having completed projects for a host of aristocrats between the 1960s and 1980s including Marella Agnelli, Guy de Rothschild and Lee Radziwill. He was also a mentor and family friend of Roberto Peregalli. Today, Peregalli and his business partner Laura Sartori Rimini constitute one of the most sought after interior design firms in the world. How’s that for six degrees of separation?
Unsurprisingly, Studio Peregalli are masters at working with tile (they are also clients of Riccardo Barthel). I’ve had this image of a Naples entry they designed in my file for some time - I think it would translate smashingly to a guest bathroom and I have one in dire need of renovation. Everything from the intricately tiled floor to the paneled walls and the soothing palette are adaptable. I especially love how the black center table anchors the space. I would represent it in the bathroom by hanging a curvy black-framed mirror above the washstand.
In the same Naples apartment, Peregalli installed different patterns of painted tiles on the walls and floor of the kitchen. The contrast is subtle but cleverly adds depth to the space. It’s another design that would seamlessly convert to a bathroom – just imagine swapping the table for an oversized tub and the crockery cupboard for a washstand. Up north in Milan, the duo played up contrasts in a master bathroom by installing a modern geometric tiled floor whilst leaving the rest of the room awash in tradition. It’s yet another example of how dramatically tiles can transform a space and we are honoured to be the exclusive UK distributor of a company as esteemed as Riccardo Barthel.
Photograph © Architectural Digest/Oberto Gili, The New York Times/Ruy Teixeira