“My favourite scent? Pure rose. Rose is my element”, says Sileno Cheloni. Hundreds of ingredients are given to be used for the design of his tailored olfactory compositions

MyStylery: Sileno, did you always know that you wanted to be a perfumer someday?
Sileno Chileno: No, it’s a long story. I always had a passion for perfumes and fragrances and I remember when I was young, I often visited my uncle who lived in the South of France and I bought things I couldn’t find in Italy. If I had to decide whether to buy a jacket or a perfume, I would have bought the perfume, because it was my way to distinguish myself. The smell was a very important part of my dressing.
MS: That’s interesting, I have never thought about a perfume being a piece of clothing.
SC: Absolutely. Even today I say to my clients that wearing a perfume is like wearing a suit. It’s the same. Of course it depends where you go and what you do, you wear the perfume in a certain way. Depending on the situation you will wear the same fragrance but with a different attitude. What I want to transmit to people is the experience, not just the smell.

Sileno Cheloni: Composer, creator, master perfumer. Like a conductor, he harmonizes olfactory notes like a musical score, translating them into a previously imagined olfactory form

MS: How did you become a perfumer then? Did you visit a special school?
SC: I first studied visual arts to become a photographer and a designer, always searching for spirituality. I learned about the Sufism philosophy, which is connected to the Hindu religion and the Islam, but the spiritual part of the Islam, not with any political aspect. And during my travels to the island of Cyprus I met a perfumer who was an inspiration. I bought many essences and oils and when I arrived at home I created my first scent in my laundry room. That used to be my first laboratory 20 years ago. And the process of composing a scent is a non material world. One composes on a different level. It’s something you don’t see.
MS: But you can see the liquid…
SC: Yes, of course you can see the liquid in the bottle, but it’s like going to a concert and recording the music you can listen to after the concert is over. But the emotion is gone. You can’t preserve the emotion. From the moment when I created my first scent, I felt that is going to be my job, I felt the passion inside, which was so strong that there was no alternative…

Creating perfume is emotion

MS: You had no other choice then…
SC: Yes. But I didn’t have any finances or business. The most difficult thing is finding the right raw materials. The perfume market is a huge industry and also a huge investment, because you need thousands of kilos of materials and in the beginning, I had no idea how to manage this part. Imagine, I presented my first collection in London at Harrod’s on the fifth floor, where you can find the most selective perfume brands in the world and the most expensive fragrances. And in this exclusive surrounding I provided my perfumes made of 50 different raw materials, produced in my laundry at home. And the most astonishing thing was that they wanted my creations. So Harrod’s became my first customer.
MS: How many bottles did you sell?
SC: About one hundred of each of my five perfumes. This is how it started. Then I realized that I needed support in order to get a better source for the raw materials and other conditions for the production, because it’s hard to get access to the market. One of my favourite ingredients, the May Rose of the area of Grass in Provence, I can’t even buy today. Although I met a guy years ago, who is the son of the biggest Italian perfumers, who is my best friend today. But the May Rose is exclusively produced for the company of Christian Dior.

Sileno Cheloni: He also developed the signature fragrance of Gucci a few years ago

MS: What is the most important requirement for your job – Is it a good nose?
SC: Of course the nose is important. But it’s more about creativity, ideas and passion.
MS: Have you ever read the book “The Parfum” by Patrick Süskind?
SC: Yes. And I liked it very much. It’s a little exaggerated but the sensation of the job is well described. You have to be involved with the smell. Even when I am on holiday, I am focussed on all the smells and influences. I keep all these information to use it at some point.

A good nose is important

MS: Are there any fragrances you don’t like at all?
SC: To be honest, I like all of them. Even the worst (laughs).
MS: Also Christian Dior’s “Poison”? I will never forget the American shopping malls in the 80s, with the heavy smell of “Poison” everywhere.
SC: If you like “Poison”, then you should wear it. But if you go to a restaurant or bar, where other people are eating and drinking, don’t bother them with such an intense scent. It’s not at all elegant, because it’s disturbing and leaves a bouquet five meters behind you. When visiting a bar or restaurant, you better wear your perfume on your skin. Not on your clothes. So people get to know about your perfume, when they come close to you.

“Better wear perfume on your skin. So people get to know about your perfume, when they come close to you.”

MS: Before you started your own brand in Florence, you were working for Gucci and other luxury brands. What was the main difference in your work?
SC: I still work for these companies and develop home fragrances and scented candles for example. This expands my creativity. Working for a big company means talking to many people, the marketing, the designer, the responsibilities, always focussing on the brand’s image. For example every Gucci store you enter there is a certain smell, which has to tell you something about the company. And I created that smell. On the other hand my brand is, where I can express myself and nobody can tell me, how.
MS: Every year there are hundreds of new fragrances floating the market – they come and they go. I wonder, why there are only a few becoming real classics.
SC: Everybody is copying each other. But each company launches one perfume, which is a little bit more different from the others. Normally this is the one, they sell less. But sometime – and we don’t know why – this perfume becomes very famous. And it gets so much commercial attention. Think about Davidoff or L’Hiver de Guerlain, it’s been there for twenty years. These perfumes were completely different compared to others on the market and the market was ready for something new. That is why oud – a strong oriental scent – is famous in the market, although it started first in a niche.

The master perfumer Sileno Cheloni and I after our interview: “A good perfumer must be a bit chemical but above all an artist and a visionary.”

MS: There are fragrances, some of them a hundered years old, which we wouldn’t use anymore.
SC: Yes, and many factors why an old perfume doesn’t work in today’s market. A beautiful car from the thirties is also difficult to drive today, there are spare parts, no advanced technology nor an AC. But lots of pollution.
MS: Do you remember how many fragrances you have created in your career as a perfumer?
SC: I don’t (laughs)…
MS: Is there a new trend or do you consider trends at all?
SC: What I like more is working on a smaller level and influence the new trend. This is much more interesting. Creating a trend doesn’t make you feel very happy. It can only happen when having several experts on your side, a very good business man next to you. You will be like a part of a perfect machine. I prefer having my own little place, where I can express myself and from there influencing the big brands instead of following. BvH

Contact:

silenocheloni.it

More interviews you can find here.

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Ciao, Lido!

Hardly any other place has such a longing potential as the city of Venice. Venice is the synonym for romance and mysticism, transfigured and described in literature and film. A tourist magnet that attracts millions of visitors every year, so that especially in the high season, the built on wooden poles lagoon city has long arrived at the edge of their capacity. But also in Venice there are contemplative retreats and oases of peace. One of them is the Lido. Known for the annual “Mostra internazionale d ‘arte cinematografica di Venezia” film festival, which will be held for the 75th time this year, the Lido has not really been known as a holiday destination so far. This, however, is about to change. A new beginning is planned, driven by a consortium of 21 hoteliers and business people. Unlike the rest of Venice, the Lido now relies on sustainable tourism, including alternative energies and environmental regulations as well as WWF-funded renaturation: The Lido is now green.

Morning idyll on the deserted beach. While the sand in the north of the Lido is rather dark due to the current, the beach in the southern part of the Lido is white and fine-sanded

Also at 8 o’clock in the morning the world is still fine in the Lido. The first swimmers have long pulled their tracks in the sea with the rising sun. The Adriatic Sea has 20 degrees during my visit in mid-April and is therefore surprisingly warm for the season. Two ramblers walk their dogs over the gray sand alley. Otherwise, I have the beach almost to myself. The season officially starts in May. The preparations for this have now been completed. That’s a good thing, since the winter has washed a lot of plastic surfaces and other dross to the shore.

The Venetian lion watches over everything

I walk past the legendary Grand Hotel des Bains, which has been closed since 2010 and has been waiting to be revived in its enchanted private park, just like Sleeping Beauty. On the main boulevard – the Gran Viale Santa Maria Elisabetta – around this time the first shutters are ran up. Chairs and tables are moved in front of the cafes, pasticcerias, gelaterias and bars, there is a lot of activity, the dishes clatter and there is a smell of freshly brewed espresso in the air. The Lido is like a village where everyone knows everyone: “Ciao, come stai?” The hustle and bustle has also caught the lagoon side early in the morning: Vaporetti or water taxis with commuters land or take off, because many Lidenzer work in San Marco or on the mainland.

The water taxi will take you to San Marco within ten minutes

Just a few minutes walk from the sea and lagoon lies my hotel, the Ausonia & Hungaria. A jewel of Art Deco, built in 1907 with an impressive, partly tiled façade. The Lido is known for its Art Nouveau architecture, which has been represented here since the work of the Austrian Habsburgs. Until then I knew the Gothic architecture of Venice with its Byzantine influences, but I am equally fascinated by the many Art Nouveau villas of the Lido. By the way, it is worthy to explore these architectural pearls by bike.

MyStylery on tour: The Lido can be easily explored by bike. The only twelve kilometers long island measures at the narrowest point just 300 meters, at the widest point 1.5 kilometers

By taxi – one of a total of twelve island taxis – I drive to the only golf club in Venice, the Circolo Golf Venezia in the south of the island. In the rickety Mercedes, he had already coached George Clooney and Michelle Pfeiffer over the Lido, the driver tells me proudly. Clooney, who flies by helicopter from his villa on Lake Como to the annual film festival taking place from August to September, has not yet played on the 18-hole golf course. Instead did Edward Duke of Windsor in the 1930s, while the reason for his renunciation of the English crown, the divorced American Wallis Simpson, was sitting in the luxury hotel Gritti Palace in San Marco, waiting for him. Whether the Duke was also enthusiastic about this perfectly into the landscape integrated place? Built in 1928 on the 16th-century fortifications, the golf course is flanked by mature trees and offers breathtaking views of the idyllic Lido landscape.

Insidertip: You’ll find the most popular beach Bagni Alberoni in the South of the island

From here, it is a stone’s throw to the most popular beach of the Lidenzer, the Bagni Alberoni. Nestled in the WWF under nature conservation and supervised, 30 hectares of area with dune landscapes and pine forests, the beach here is white and has fine sand. And just like in the morning I again enjoy a nearly deserted beach, look at the big ships that anchor in front of the Venetian lagoon and watch the waves. It’s hard to believe you’re here in Venice but also seemingly so far away.  BvH

View from the renatured dune landscape on beach and sea

Crumbling plaster on the facade of the former hotel legend Grand Hotel des Bains. An investor was found. Only the beginning of the extensive renovation is uncertain

Cafés, restaurants and shops line the main boulevard of the Lido, the Gran Viale

I also find the typical Venice vibe on the Lido: on my discovery tour I pass numerous bridges and canals

Vegetable shop with beautifully arranged products

Pearls of architecture

Byzantine Gothic meets Art Nouveau

Nice detail: The wooden decorations on the roof

I particularly like the rose-colored facade of Villa Anna Maria

Bridge railing in Art Deco: Beautiful!

Elegant gate with Art Deco elements

And another pearl of architecture on the Gran Viale

The baroque church of San Nicolo is located in the north of the Lido and helped the Venetians to secure the entrance to the lagoon. In the event of hostile attacks, the church bells were rung, warning the Venetians. The adjoining monastery is now the seat of the European Inter-University for Human Rights and Democratisation

At the widest part of the Lido – in the south of the island – between 1909 and 1911 the airport “Aeroporto di Venezia-Lido Giovanni Nicelli” was built in the most beautiful Art Deco, with a runway on lawn. The back then developed luxury hotels Excelsior and Grand Hotel des Bains were thus faster to reach. 1926 started the first scheduled flight from Vienna to Venice…

…praised by the BBC as the world’s most beautiful airport, the airport today is used by small private planes and helicopters

The Grande Albergo Ausonia & Hungaria is a four-star hotel restored with a love to detail…

…In the coming year, work on the building, which is under monumental protection, is scheduled to be completed. Tip: Book an treatment at the hotel’s Asian-inspired “Lanna Gaia” Spa

Being a gondolier once

I’ve always wanted to know what it’s like to maneuver a gondola. In the Nautico San Marco I get a small introduction including practical testing by experienced Gondolieri. (Bookings on Remiera San Marco). I notice: Looks easy, but requires years of training and body feeling. One leans forward slightly, while the outer arm pulls out and the inner arm leads the rudder. Got it?

View into the boat harbor of the Nautico San Marco: The boats are also used in the historic regatta “Ragata Storica”, which takes place every year in September. My “trainer” Tarsilo is one of the most successful regatta participants and has won the Ragata Storica 15 times

The golf club „Circolo Golf Venezia“:

After a round trip over the 18-hole course, you can enjoy excellent lunches in the restored red-clinker stables

The ‘Cradle’ of Venice is located on the Lido: Malamocco is not only the oldest part of Lido, it is the oldest part of Venice

Stroll through the small streets and inhale the atmosphere!

The foundations of the Relais Alberti,, today a twelve-room boutique hotel, date back to 1450. Built by the Florentine banking family Alberti, Relais Alberti, located in the center of Malamocco, is my personal highlight. For a year and a half under new management, it offers cooking classes with local dishes and ingredients from the hotel’s vegetable garden.

Elegantly furnished with partly antique Murano chandeliers: Relais Alberti

Here it also tastes the Hollywood celebrities: A dinner in the restaurant Quattro Fontane I can highly recommend. Tired heads will find a nice room in the associated hotel

The Quattro Fontane menu: beetroot, buffalo mozzarella and Parma ham…

…followed by vegetable risotto…

…and beef fillet. Simply delicious!

Buon Appetito!

The five-star hotel Excelsior has 197 rooms and suites…

…and the only hotel pool on the Lido, overlooking the sea

View from the Lido di Venezia to San Marco

Salute with a Bellini! Lido, I’ll come back

Bay the way:

Since 1932 a magnet for the public and one of the most important international film festivals: „Mostra“ – the Venice International Film Festival.

Contact Green Lido:

veneziaeilsuolido.it

Info Biennale May 26 – November 25 2018:

labiennale.org

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The Salone del Mobile: For many insiders, the Milan design fair is THE trend barometer

From the 17th to the 22nd of April, it was time again: The Salone del Mobile opened its doors and hosts of international buyers, designers, architects, journalists, design fans and the stars of social media stormed the Milan Exhibition Center. The fashion metropolis of Milan has long since become a design mecca, and the Salone del Mobile is regarded by industry insiders as the most important design fair worldwide. Thus it’s no wonder that alliances are being forged between the furniture and fashion industry. An absolute eye-catcher is the now expanded cooperation between the fashion brand Dolce & Gabbana and the kitchen appliance manufacturer Smeg. The colorful world of the Italian design duo pours over the entire Smeg range and colorful and wildly patterned refrigerators, electric kettles, cooker hoods come out.

The colorful world of Italian design duo Dolce & Gabbana pours over the entire Smeg range

But not only the exhibition center Rho Fiera Milano attracts attention during the Salone del Mobile. The whole city wooed by the fad of this ‘design happening’, which even calls for industries that have only little to do with design. Including the car brand Audi with a grand entrance in the middle of Milan’s city center. Luxury brands like Louis Vuitton and Hermès rent elegant palazzi where they present their home collections. Even classic furniture brands such as the Scandinavian label Gubi have long recognized that it enhances media attention when – instead of in one of the exhibition halls – you present your own collection in the dignified ambience of a palazzo. Bottega Veneta has been showing its home collection in the 18th-century Palazzo Gallarati Scotti on Via Borgospesso for three years now. I can only recommend a trip to this extravagant location to any Milan visitor.

Bottega Veneta has been showing its home collection in the 18th-century Palazzo Gallarati Scotti on Via Borgospesso for three years now

The special feature of these palazzi is not only the sumptuous furnishings: ceilings decorated with stucco, Baroque paintings, lavish décor, impressive Murano chandeliers are the witnesses of a bygone era, at the doors of which ordinary visitors usually knock in vain. These venues – some still privately owned or under the supervision of foundations – are often open to the public only during special events. State apartments, like the one shown here, always put me under a very special spell. With the result that they unfortunately distract one (me ;-)) from the essentials. Because something new, groundbreaking or even award worthy was not to be discovered at the exhibitors.

The Scandinavian label Gubi at the private Palazzo Serbelloni

Parallel to the Salone del Mobile, the parallel event Fuori Salone takes place in the area around Via Tortona, where international designers present their designs. Here former factory and warehouses, hidden backyards and lofts become temporary exhibition and party locations. The event has now cult status and resembles a promising contact exchange: Here, quite a few young talents have been hired by established designers right from the spot.

Appaloosa: The newest member of the luxury bed-collection by Hästens

Every two years – including 2018 – EuroCucina will be showing the latest kitchen trends. And the Salone del Bagno presented the novelties in the bathroom area. Both in the kitchen and in the bathroom – as in previous years – wood was clearly the trend material. So the solid wood kitchen is no exception. Very chic I find the relaxed look, in which wood is combined with marble or natural stone. Let’s start with EuroCucina: While German manufacturers such as Nolte and Leicht are following this trend rather hesitantly, there is no one among the predominantly Italian suppliers who work without wood. The fingerprint-absorbing glossy front does not even play a minor role. Wood is clearly the star, from which companies like Team7 or Riva1920, which have always bet on the natural material, profit. And gladly rough and haptic in the natural tone of the respective wood species. The classic marble colors black and white, but also green or brown conquer the kitchen world. And that looks mega (!!!) chic.

I found that to be an eye-catcher: Futuristic bookshelf – of course made of wood – on a rough concrete look (by Mogg)

Conclusion Salone del Mobile:

Although the 57th Salone del Mobile – with 1,841 exhibitors in 22 halls and 434,509 visitors – reported a plus of 17%, the innovative was lacking. Wood is an indispensable part of the bathroom and kitchen. Star designer Matteo Thun, who designed the ‘Icon’ table for Riva1920, told me: “Wood is the answer to the loveless minimalist design of the 90s.” I think he’s right.  BvH

At the Riva1920 stand there was a lot of traffic as in previous years. The table tops – giants from old wood roots, which are elaborately salvaged and processed – were a highlight

The new sofas

The manufacturers still rely on shades of green and velvet as material as to be seen at the both of Poliform

Curved velvet charme by Marelli

Flexform sofa design with colored piping

Italian sofa expert Baxter presented a collection of suede leather

Wrinkled designs from Laura Meroni

XXL sofa in shades of gray from Meridiani

Sofas in all shapes: Oval – here from Living Divani, curved, L-shaped or round

Classic sofa design – like this one from Gervasoni – was more the exception

Minotti showed on his 70th anniversary on large screens the diversity of its collection

In the meantime one needs a little break, out in the sun

Not much new in the Milanese design firmament

The industrial look for the kitchen…

…reinterpreted by Diesel Living

Even the modern kitchen look (by AR-TRE Cucine) does not stay without wood

Arrivederci hob: Here the hotplate is integrated directly into the marble worktop

Kitchens are gray now

The country kitchen (by Snaidero) celebrates a comeback…

…gladly in combination with natural stone such as marble (kitchen by Häcker)…

…and in shades of gray. Kitchen by Cucine Lube

Revival of the country style presented by Scavolini: I like it!

Practical: Extractors – as here from Siemens – are directly integrated in the ceramic hob

Beautiful, oval dining table with round marble base by Roche Bobois, Paris

The latest bathroom trends

The industrial look also conquers the bathroom as here from fashion designer Diesel for Scavolini

Bathroom impressions from Cielo…

…also with industrial chic

I like this oval mirrors very much…

Bathroom fittings now show their colors: Washbasins in blue-gray, pale pink, slate gray or chocolate brown (by Cielo)

I find the bidet and toilet very elegant in this stone gray

Many dream about it: The view from the bed to the bathtub

Integrated gym in the bathroom: “Gym Space” by Mattia Pareschi

Impressive exhibition stand with a green inner courtyard at Poliform

A view into the old palazzi

The Scandinavian label Gubi presented its collection in the dignified ambience of a palazzo:

The Palazzo Serbelloni…

…with a fairytale ambiance…

At the Palazzo Bovara, the Italian Elle Decor curated the exhibition “On Life – Millennials at Home” with more than 40 design partners and Google as main sponsor. The question was asked how the Generation Y of “digital natives” shapes its domestic life

In the courtyard of Palazzo Bovara, Elle Decor designed this magnificent, temporary garden

Louis Vuitton also presented the collection “Objets Nomades” in the dignified rooms of a Milanese palazzo …

…including these two seat models in wicker look

Hermès is now designing tiles and presenting a colorful range of tiles in a Moroccan look. The large tiled halls provided the background for selected pieces of the new home collection. Very cool!

Contact Salone del Mobile

salonemilano.it

More MyStylery design- and interior stories you can find here.

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Lake Como: Nestled in an impressive mountain landscape and lush, Mediterranean fauna

From the Upper Italian lakes at the southern edge of the Alps, Lake Como is the most beautiful to me. Nestled in an impressive mountain landscape and lush, Mediterranean fauna, Lake Como fascinates with its famous historic villas such as Villa Carlotta and Villa d’Este. They come partly from the 15th century and bear witness to the successful era when the silk industry settled in the region around Como. Around the lake, picturesque villages charm the visitor, here the time seems to have stopped. Pure romance and a charm that also attracts Hollywood: celebrities such as George Clooney, Madonna, Brad Pitt or Donatella Versace have their own holiday residences here.

In Como I walk through the narrow streets

My tour starts by the southern shore of Lake Como with a stroll through the old town of Como. In the Via Vittorio Emanuele II and the Via Indipendenza you will find numerous boutiques with Italian fashion. I walk through the narrow streets until I stand in front of the Como Cathedral, the third-largest cathedral in Lombardy. If you would like to have a view on the splendid cathedral facade, this is best done with an espresso in a Piazza Cavour café opposite the Cathedral.

The Comer cathedral was built from the 14th century and impresses with its filigree exterior façade and inside with precious gobbelins

The next stop along the west bank is called Cernobbio. A must for fans of the art nouveau is a trip to the Villa Bernasconi, a jewel of the Belle Epoque, where today’s exhibitions are shown. Famous is Cernobbio also because of the Villa d’Este, since 1873 a hotel of the luxury class, which was already visited by lot of celebrities. Just because of the garden and the temple, decorated with colorful pebbles mosaic, it is a worthwhile visit. If you are not willing to pay thousands of euros a night in the summer season, perhaps you can enjoy a Bellini at the lake terrace for 23 euros, enjoying the extravagant atmosphere and the sensational view of the turquoise water.

Famous and popular photo motif: Me infront of the temple of the luxury hotel Villa D’Este

We continue northwards to Menaggio. Here the ferry leaves for Varenna and Bellagio, in the summer every 40 minutes. (One car with two persons costs 15.50 euro). Passing the imposing villas, you can reach Bellagio, probably the most famous village on Lake Como, after a 15-minute passage. So famous that even the most popular hotel in Las Vegas is named after it. From the water you can see the elegant, pale yellow facade of Villa Serbelloni, a grand hotel with a beautiful park and a fantastic view of the lake.

Ahoi! On the ferry from Menaggio to Bellagio

I decide to have lunch on and enjoy a glass of rosé, buffalo mozzarella and Parma ham. That’s what Dolce Vita tastes like! Strengthened I now stroll through the Via Guiseppe Garibaldi, explore the winding streets on a hillside and admire the always surprising views of the Lago di Como. From Bellagio I take the SS538 road back to Como. The approx. two-hour route lures again and again with numerous viewpoints: stop, look, marvel.  BvH

Surrounded by lush wisteria: The terrace of the Hotels Florence in Bellagio

Lake Como tip I:

Want to see Lake Como from above? Then go to the small mountain village of Madrona at Monte Bisbone (1,328 meters high) on the west bank above Cernobbio. The course, popular with hikers and bikers, is rewarded with a breathtaking view over Lake Como and – on weekends – with homemade pasta in the Baita Alpe restaurant.

What a view: From the small mountain village Madrona at Monte Bisbone (1.328 Meter hoch) down to Lake Como

Tip II:

June to September are the best months for wind and kite surfing. The mountain world around Lake Como is also a paradise for hikers and mountain bikers.

The Lake Como is the perfect film backdrop. It was shot for Star Wars Episode II, Casino Royale and Ocean’s 12

Tip III:

Caution, penalty card: In Bellagio the car is best at the edge of the city. Parking in the center is expensive. I was asked to pay 140 euros for wrong parking.

Small hotels and restaurants line the shores of Bellagio

Good to know:

Como Lake (in Italian Lago di Como) is one of the eight Upper Italian lakes. “Lario” – as the locals call it – is 146 km², 55 km long and max. 4.2 km wide. Thus, after Lake Garda and Lake Maggiore, it is the third-largest lake in Italy. In the center, near the town of Bellagio, the lake divides in a southerly direction into two arms, each ending in the towns of Lecco and Como. The lake looks like a twisted Ypsilon. It is up to 410 meters deep, making it one of the deepest lakes in Europe.

The marina of Como

The Comer cathedral was built from the 14th century and impresses with its filigree exterior façade and inside with precious gobbelins …

… which can also be admired whilst having an espresso in one of the opposite located cafés at Piazza Cavour

Chic shopping in luxury boutiques at the cathedral square

Como’s old town

Great to stroll: In the old town of Como dominate pedestrian zones

Villa Bernasconi in Cernobbio …

… a jewel of the Belle Epoque …

… where today’s exhibitions are shown, like about the history of cashmere

Go swimming in Lake Como:

The luxury hotels around the lake have their own jetties from where you can jump into the green blue water. More tips for public beaches and hidden places can be found here: www.comersee-info.net

Many of the luxurious villas such as the Villa Carlotta or the Villa d’Este date back to the 15th century, when Lake Como became rich with the silk rape and the resulting silk industry

Tip: For Lunch join the terrace of Villa d’Este

We continue northwards to Menaggio

… from where the ferry leaves for Varenna and Bellagio

The elegant, pale yellow facade of Villa Serbelloni …

… with the Grandezza of a Grand Hotel

I love the small streets of Bellagio …

… where I spotted cosy bars …

… and inviting street cafés

A small detour to the cemetery of Bellagio. Arrivederci!

Merken

Merken

Merken

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Everyone wants to be there and take the opportunity once to wander over water

It’s good to have friends everywhere. Particularly if they then also have a house at Lake Iseo, where the American environmental artist Christo has just covered half of the lake. Lago what? I do know the Lago di Como and Lake Lugano, but must confess that I had never heard of the fourth largest of the Italian lakes. Last weekend, our friends asked us to join their terrace party above the lake, from where we were able to see Christos art, ‘The Floating Piers’ on the water from an optimum perspective. An occasion to which all faces from the international art world show up and since its start on June 18*, already more than 500,000 art enthusiasts from around the world made pilgrimages to this contemplative place Sulzano.

Lake Iseo measures at its lowest point 250 meters and extends over a length of 25 km

Since Christos projects ‘The Gates’ 2005 in New York and the veiled Berlin Reichstag in 1995, which he realized with his wife Jeanne-Claude, who died in 2009, the Floating Piers must be the largest and probably the last wrapping project of the 81 years old artist. In 2014, Christo and his team chose the by Bergamo Alps framed, picturesque Lake Iseo. Here Christo installed three kilometer long bridges that connect Sulzano with the islands Monte Isola and San Paolo. The special feature of this floating pontoons is the yellow-orange material which conceals the lands and optically connects the mainland by another one and a half kilometer pedestrian paths in Sulzano and Monte Isola.

Majestically, the Monte Isola overtops the Lake Iseo, it is the largest island in a southern-European inland lake

The influx of visitors – even for the organizer – is larger than expected: more than 55,000 visitors crowd through the narrow streets of Sulzanos every day, and wait patiently at temperatures of 35 degrees partly up to four hours before they can enter the Floating Piers. In the evening, the situation relaxes a little and I was able to enter the Floating Piers without queuing for hours. What a great atmosphere! The low sun made the yellow-orange fabric that was manufactured by a German company, shine. So did the faces of the visitors, who gratefully enjoyed the refreshing breeze after extreme waiting hours in the heat. The atmosphere was so nice, all somehow in a good mood: What a Happening!

MyStylery in action

I walked barefoot on the Floating Piers, wanted to feel the catchy and yet soft surface of the substance. Delightful, this permanent, gentle swinging, that intensified when the patrol lifeboats drove past. Enjoying the view of the mountains and the sightlines of Piers, with slightly fluctuating waves, although I already had mainland under my feet again. The Floating Piers are an appeal to all senses, an absolute highlight, although a temporary one, as all events of Christo are limited in time. On July 3, the show is over, then the Floating Piers are degraded and in the idyllic Sulzano – and the house of my friends – returns to ease.  BvH

View on the shore of Sulzano

Idyllic Sulzano: Here is the access to the Floating Piers

*Info Floating Piers:

Christo’s art installation ‘The Floating Piers’ can be seen for a total of 16 days. Those who want to reach the island Monte Isola and from there San Paolo by foot through the 16 -meter wide, floating in the water lands, can do that until July 3, 2016. After that the by Christo financed, 15 million expensive artwork, will be recycled. Admission is free.

The Lake Iseo is 100 kilometers east of Milan and lies 200 kilometers west from Venice

Tip:

Can’t be bothered to wait for hours? Then you have to get up early. In the morning at 6 am or after 8 pm the Floating Piers are less crowded. Around 10 pm the last visitors were able to enter the ridges. There is the possibility to visit the island Monte Isola by boat. Tickets for this should be booked online in advance.

The house of my friends at Lago D’Iseo

I am completely in love with the lush green of the lake

For Sulzano with its 1917 inhabitants there are usually two or three Carabinieri responsible. For Christos art happening, the police presence was substantially increased

100,000 square meters of dahlias and yellow, shimmering hightech material were processed …

… which had previously been made in Münster and sewn by a Lübeck company, both in Germany

Project Manager Wolfgang Volz, who accompanies Christo for many projects, photographs the visitors and gets celebrated

Wander over water

The village of Peschiera Maraglio – on the by the way car-free Monte Isola …

… enchants with romantic alleys and typical Italian houses …

… its picturesque harbor …

… and small cafés. Tip: With its idyllic location the Ristorante Al Castello looks very welcoming. Above the hotel Residence Castello Oldofredi is located

The island of San Paolo belongs to the Beretta family, the great Italian weapons manufacturer dynasty

The Villa of the Beretta family is secured as Fort Knox: Of course everyone is curious about how weapon-dealers probably live

What a gigantic magnet for visitors

Turn a blind eye: On the 16-meter-wide webs, stewards provide a regulated processes. Sitting down or even a picnic is normally not allowed here

And there’s the maestro himself on a special boat: Christo (with his snow-white hair above right) passes through the applauding crowd: Grazie and thank you, Christo!

By the way, the Floating Piers consist of 220,000 polyethylene cubes, each 35 centimeters high

Also this feathered lake resident likes the Floating Piers

Isn’t this the perfect color combination – my pink dress and glowing orange fabric of the Floating Piers

Scenic evening atmosphere and a beautiful sunset on Lake Iseo: what more could you want?

Contact:

www.thefloatingpiers.com

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Star architect Matteo Thun and I at the design fair Salone del Mobile in Milan

His designs are well known, you’ve experienced them already – of that I’m sure – because you’ve either sat or slept on them: Designer Matteo Thun and his designs are global and award wining: Hotels like the Side-Hotel in Hamburg and the Marriot in Venice, china for Rosenthal and Alessi, watches for Bulgari and Swatch. Thun was a student of Oskar Kokoschka, is graduated doctor of architecture, has been a founder of Sottsass Associati in 1981 and also of the legendary design-group Memphis. In 1984 he has started his company Thun & Partner for architectural-, design-, and communication-projects. Matteo Thun lives in Milano, where I have met with him, in the course of the design fair Salone del Mobile, for an interview.

Matteo Thun defines himself in his work by eco non ego – eco instead of ego

MyStylery: At the Salone del Mobile 2016 the apparent trend was wood namely in all living areas, from the kitchen to the bathroom. How do you explain the revival of the material?
Matteo Thun: Wood is a reaction to the inanimated period of the 90s, where minimalistic design got colder and colder and emotions vanished from the surface. Now we have a change of paradigm: During the last century concrete and cement were dominating. Now we have the century of wood. I am an architect and I believe me, it is much easier constructing things with wood than with cement.

Walnut table ‘Icon’ from Riva1920. Design by Matteo Thun

MS: You have just designed the wooden table ‘Icon’ for the the Italian furniture brand Riva 1920. Where did the collaboration result from?
MT: I’ve worked with wood and also with Riva for a long time now, because it’s the only company nearby Milan that works with solid wood and not laminated wood. That complies with my credo: The truth and not the lie.
MS: What is the most important project you’re working on right now?
MT: The system “Welcome Homes” refugee centers that are being deployed Germany-wide. We have deliberately opted for wood. There is no alternative if you want to build fast and inexpensively. In this case emotions didn’t play a part, it’s just plainly and simply the factor time.

“I am an architect and I believe me, it is much easier constructing things with wood than with cement.”

MS: Which design collaboration would you reject?
MT: Everything around the car and everything that has to do with garments – that’s nothing for me.
MS: Is there something you haven’t conceptualized yet but would like to build?
MT: I would like to build a church without a roof for Pope Frances, as a gift for a man, who has changed Rome and therefore hopefully our beautiful country and our society.
MS: Where will the church be?
MT: Wherever he wants.
MS: Is he already aware of it?
MT (laughs): No, not yet.

“The ‘Welcome Homes’ is a system for refugee centers”, Matteo Thun explains to me. “We build new houses for new arrivals. They can also be used for social housing.”

MS: What is your current project?
MT: We’re 80 employees solely in Milano and just as much at the construction sites and we have many of them (laughs). The best project currently however is our digital platform ‘Matteo Thun Atelier’. I would like to invite you to visit this platform and you will realize that you’re a designer. You can create everything your house needs by yourself. It doesn’t matter if it’s a table or a chair. You don’t need a designer. I am convinced that the future belongs to Losgröße* eins (lot size one) …
MS: What does that mean?
MT: That means that you can put together the chair you want yourself.
MS: Without any previous knowledge?
MT: Without any previous knowledge. We are all designers. Democracy has won. Take the Nike shoe as an example. You can create the shoe you want. That is unique and not even more expensive. And that’s exactly what we are trying to do with this platform, especially for our hotels. Every interior designer can create whatever they need for their project, with our specification. We have finally made design accessible for everyone.
MS: But didn’t you exclude yourself with this process?
MT (laughs): I am already excluded. Since the 90s I don’t sign any of my projects with my name anymore. From time to time it may leak through that I am responsible for it but I don’t emphasize on generating value with my name. The value stands for itself. It is your vision and something you want. BvH

“With ‘Matteo Thun Atelier’ we have actually carried design to the grave.”

Info:

*With a lot size you denote the quantity of products of a production order

Contact Matteo Thun:

www.matteothun.com

The post Matteo Thun: “We are all designers.” appeared first on My Stylery.

The light-flooded hall architecture of Fiera Milano is an eye catcher by itself

Each year Milano gets into a state of excitement. Exhibitors and fair visitors from around the world invade the city of fashion and Campari, the room prices of the fully booked hotels triple or even quadruple, the popular restaurants are completely over booked in advance anyhow, taxis are scarce goods and there are practically no parking spaces anywhere. Instead, the crowded pavements are full with beautiful and stylish people. Already on the evening before the official opening of the Salone del Mobile – the most important design fair in Europe – Milano is a party.

Let me touch this quickly: Is this really wood?

The noble boutiques on the Via della Spiga or Montenapolone are opened ‘till late at night to celebrate their cooperation’s with premium brands of the furniture industry. The Prosecco bottles were popping and one was drinking “una Piscina” (Prosecco on ice, one of my favorite drinks). Feverish excitement lay in the air. Everybody wants to be there, when, for example the L’Uomo Vogue together with the AD-Magazine and the kitchen manufacturer Asko invite into the newly opened luxurious hotel Mandarin Oriental, where champagne is already out after an hour.

Chic velvet Chaiselong by Fratelli Boffi

That isn’t a bad thing, I say to myself, because the other days I have to be fit for the exhibition grounds, the Fiera Milano. A day at the fair is quite exhausting. Against this madness, the Way of St. James is a refreshing stroll. The 55^th Salone del Monile awaits with thousands of exhibitors in 22 halls. Every other year – also in 2016 – the EuroCucina, the current kitchen trends are being exhibited as well. And the Salone del Bagno presents the new innovation in the bathroom division.

Trend: Marble in the kitchen …

… and in the bathroom. Here the luxury Italian brand Oasis

At the same time in the area around Via Tortona the parallel event Fuori Salone takes place, where international design newcomers present their designs. Former factories and warehouses, hidden backyards and lofts are becoming temporary exhibition- and party locations. The event has cult status by now and resembles a promising networking service: Many young talents have been employed from the spot by established designers.

My favorite design highlight at the Fuori Salone: The shelf ‘Dune’ by Roberto de Santi. www.dunecollection.it

But what is new on the design firmament? Definitely and actually trans-sectorial is the use of wood. Wood? Which is as old as the evolution, the critics amongst you may think! Right. But – as so often – it is the combination of different materials. Let’s start with the EuroCucina: There is not one kitchen manufacturer who renounces wood. The solid wood kitchen is hip. Ciao to the clean intense, fingerprint absorbing high gloss fronts – you only play a minor role at most. Wood is the clear star. Namely rough and haptic in the natural tone of the respective type of wood. Favorite partner of the wood is – you won’t believe it – marble. And that looks mega (!!!) chic. A thick worktop from marble, that’s quite something! The mere sight of it instantaneously awakens the I-want-effect in me.

A thick worktop from marble, that’s quite something! Here a kitchen by Rossana

Wood in the bathroom area is also on the rise. It goes to the extent that toilet bowls as well as bidets are offered in wood optic. Companies, who have always put their focus towards wood, for example Team7 or Riva 1920 benefit a lot from this trend. Star designer Matteo Thun has just designed the table ‘Icon’ for Riva. He told me: “Wood is the answer to the unloving, minimalistic design of the 90ies.” I think he’s right. BvH

Matteo Thun and me: the full interview with the Stardesigner coming soon on MyStylery!

Tip:

Don’t miss the full MyStylery interview with Matteo Thun coming next week!

The Walnut-Table ‘Icon’ by Riva 1920. Design: Matteo Thun

Scic cucina d’Italia in a cooperation with Fendi: Here the individual ceramic hobs are integrated directly into the marble work surfaces

The brand name says it all: Nature Design

Bath project by Edoné

The noble kitchen manufacturer Bulthaupt also focuses on wood in conjunction with marble

The tabletop of the dining table by Casamilano is – who would have thought – marble!

Beautiful kitchen by Composit made of American walnut and Emperador marble. Design: Roberto Lazzeroni

Sink and bathroom furniture made of marble

Trend materials wood and marble

For me, the most innovative brand in the furniture industry at the moment: Moroso …

… Unusual shapes combined with beautiful color combinations

The design of the German brand Rolf Benz …

… in reduced, Scandinavian-influenced appearance

The traditional manufacturer Thonet gave his chair classics a new look

Living like in a hotel?

This can happen with the furniture collection of the luxury hotel Ritz

Fashion meets Furniture

Can fashion designers also give kitchen equipment a new look? Dolce&Gabbana proof that it’s possible. Tadaaa: The new stove series from the company Smeg

The home-collections of the fashion designer. Here unmistakably Versace with the Medusa emblem …

… “cage”-seats by Roberto Cavalli

Fashion designer Matthew Williamson has created his own line of furniture. The result is a colorful eye-catching-collection. Detailed and playful it reminds of the 50s

For Mommy’s favorite: bathtubs à la “Alice in Wonderland” for demanding offsprings – by JR.

I’m a fan of Baxter and its harmonious design idiom

Tasteful luxury: sun lounger in safari style from Baxter – frame made from copper, surface made of leather

One of the most creative minds in my opinion: star designer Patricia Urquiola in an interview with an Italian TV station …

… For Kartell she designed colorful dishes. What a pity that they are plastic – like everything from Kartell

According to the motto ‘Talking Minds’ renowned designers like Fabio Novembre and Piero Lissoni have also designed for Kartell

Triple Like: White leather chairs by Midj Italy

The stand of Roda makes you want to leave

Elegant design by Munna

Always nice: the drafts of Gervasoni

The latest fabric edition of Hermès

Minotti: Not really inventive however

Impressions of the Fuori Salone

Hilfiger Island: A normal traffic island becomes a tropical gem

That’s the way it is

Both, at the Salone del Mobile and the Fuori Salone there are unusual collaborations: The recently deceased Zaha Hadid designed shoes for the brand Melissa …

… and Fiat heir Lapo Elkann created this Cinquecento for Pepsi

Very beautiful: The ‘Big Mushrooms’ lamps by Atelier Arnout Visser

Ciao, Fuori Salone & Salone del Mobile!

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