I first learned about famed designer Alessandra Branca through the Cote de Texas 'Top 10 Designers' series. I recognized many of the rooms in her post, not realizing that Alessandra was the designer behind the spaces.
Then came the interview with Alessandra Branca on the Skirted Roundtable, a wonderful discussion of Alessandra's design philosophy and approach to projects. Her design style is 'classic with a twist', and her rooms are more often than not filled with beautiful color (red is a particular favorite) and interesting touches.
(Image via Elle Decor, May 2009)
Naturally, I was excited to explore Alessandra's book, New Classic Interiors. It is a wonderful read - full of her philosophy towards decor and images of her body of work. Alessandra is not afraid to take chances, and this makes all of the difference with her design. Her work is beautiful and exquisite, yet also filled with touches of whimsy and fresh new ideas; above all, her rooms are supremely comfortable.
I love that her book has pictures of children in so many of the pages, which reinforces the idea that the spaces that she decorates are meant to be lived in every day. Indeed, to Alessandra, the sign of a successful room is to achieve such a sense of comfort that her clients use every room, every day. She points out that in her native Italy, there really is no such things as a separate living room and family room; they are one and the same.
There is always one picture in every book that stands out above all the rest; in New Classic Interiors, it is this picture of an iron bathtub that was found in London, and becomes the stunning focal point of this bathroom. (page 69). Alessandra notes that the Venetian plaster walls (in a watery green-blue that is my favorite shade of color) took ten tries to get exactly right. (Sincere apologies for the partial picture - I was not able to scan this page in its entirety).
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Whimsical original crab and lobster paintings, as seen in House Beautiful, available here:
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