Photo credit: Marta Puglia
Ilaria Fatone. A name to remember, that of an Italian decorator in Provence who is making a lot of noise on social media with a blog not to be missed. Her very sure taste in Decoration is also based on training in medieval Art History acquired in her youth and an innate talent. Meeting an artist who doesn’t mince her words.
How did you come into the world of interior decoration, by vocation or by chance? Because I believe you had another life before decoration?
It was something I liked, but being young, I never considered studying it seriously. However, I lived in Milan, I was studying modern literature with a focus on medieval art history. And so, with my friends, we would go out after university and We used to go to the famous furniture fairs. At the time, trade shows didn’t have the same scale as now. They were often held in brand showrooms where you could meet and talk with designers. They were very accessible. It wasn’t yet the global event it is today. I had architect friends who also dragged me to the Venice Biennale, but it remained just a passion, nothing more.
It was much later that the idea of making it my profession came to me. I first came to Paris where I worked in the art market as the director of an art gallery specializing in medieval illumination, my field. The gallery owner was an American passionate about 1950s design who constantly wanted to renovate the gallery. So I ended up working regularly with an architect for years. And I loved that work—researching colors, materials to create stand or site displays, at the gallery or elsewhere. We bought items from the biggest names like Cassina, and that was my first approach to decoration.
After that, I left the gallery for a much more administrative job that didn’t bring me the satisfaction I needed. My little breath of fresh air in the evening was to immerse myself in decoration. I’m not quite sure how it happened, but I started spending hours on blogs and Pinterest. And naturally, after a while, I thought: why not me? And then, a whole new world opened up to me! I started my blog. There were many bloggers but not as many as today, especially in the field of Decoration, which was still a niche. And I truly loved it!
So, how did you start your activity?
We left Paris for Aix en Provence and I thought to myself, This was the opportunity I needed to train in this field. I have always believed that to achieve something, you need to train. The problem was that most of the reputed schools in this field were in Paris, which I had just left. My children were young, and it was unthinkable to go back to Paris to train.
So I found alternative versions and chose to participate in extremely diverse and varied “master classes” with decorators, stylists, photographers. These were fairly short but very enriching experiences. I even did some abroad, and that’s how I trained for over a year and a half. It was a real opportunity to see how they worked, to see what was done elsewhere. But above all, it allowed me to define how I wanted to work. I didn’t want a classic approach to decoration. Despite all these trainings that don’t follow the classic path, I remain self-taught, in a way. But people trusted me. At first, it was friends who gave me work; they had seen my tastes, saw what I shared on social media. And then word of mouth worked.
How do you position yourself in the decoration sector?
During one of my master classes, I had the chance to work with a very classic decorator and see exactly what I didn’t want. I felt that there were actually a certain “number of codes” that I didn’t particularly share. I didn’t come from that background, I had a completely different vision and I was able to bring my personal touch made up of very diverse influences from Italy, Scandinavia, and even England. A mix, a blend of my Italian origins with very French inspirations according to some of my Italian colleagues!
My influences are dominated by color, which I love like the Italians but to a lesser extent than them, and I don’t use it like they do. Also by Scandinavian style, but the true kind with pure lines, going to the essentials, very minimalist, and French influences with more natural and poetic sides. Some Italians told me I had this French touch, which I would never have imagined.
How would you describe “this French touch” in terms of decoration then?
The French are much more "relaxed" about decor than the Italians, more "easygoing." How to say... The style is more natural, less assertive than Italian design, much more "laid back" as the English say, a kind of home comfort that mixes thrifted pieces, family objects, and that vintage appeal also typical of the French. For example, on this side of the Alps, there is a strong focus on furniture recovery and buying second-hand! Something inconceivable in Italy until very recently. It is just beginning to emerge but is really not part of the philosophy. Over there, they mainly do custom work. Whereas it’s not uncommon for a French client to ask me to find a vintage piece or something else!
Actually, can you describe your creative process and how you work? How does it go; do they usually give you carte blanche or do they already know what they want?
It depends. There are two categories of clients.
Those I have already worked with and who trust me. So, I have a certain freedom with them, but be careful, the goal is not for them to “live in my place,” meaning a space I would have decorated according to my tastes. So, I don’t like to talk about “carte blanche” because I will have to create their living space. The whole challenge will be to work with what they tell me or sometimes don’t tell me and find a balance!
And then there are those who don’t know me, who come through word of mouth or social media. So, we talk, we create, a feeling develops. I try to do quite a bit of “custom work,” it’s a bit my added value. I also try to let go because sometimes clients aren’t necessarily ready to embrace new things since we try to anticipate trends and offer them real novelties.
For example, for the past two years, I tried to promote the color green without much success. It was a rather complicated color to use, there was a lot of resistance, and now, recently, green is finally in the spotlight and clients accept it much more easily.
On your blog, you talk a lot about trends. How do you discover them? What are your sources of inspiration?
At the start, Pinterest inspired me a lot. Less so today, as algorithms now only show you what you’re looking for and make discoveries less likely.
Regarding social media in general and Instagram in particular, I think it’s a parallel world: one that greatly influences people’s desires by focusing on certain items, and then there’s real life, with people who know nothing about that world and who absolutely do not submit to the dictatorship of having this or that piece at all costs.
Otherwise, I closely follow style offices like Peclers or NellyRodi which will give access to all the trends that will emerge. Magazines too, but in cycles. Fashion also inspires me a lot because it is truly a trendsetter. I also like to see what others are doing and the solutions they can offer. I always find it interesting and instructive, especially when some fear copying or plagiarism. I see it as something very constructive that allows you to take the pulse of what’s being done.
https://www.peclersparis.com/fr/
https://nellyrodi.com/product/life-style-2021/
I also have other sources of inspiration that people will probably find a bit strange for sure, but I admit that Art and museums inspire me a lotNothing like an eighteenth-century painting to temper my many inspirations. I have a passion for small museums like the Musée Granet in Aix, the Hotel de Caumont, the Musée d’Orsay.
Chateau La Coste is also an incredible place that brings together amazing nature with art and architecture.
Château La Coste in Aix-en-Provence · Unique Destination
And the Villa Noailles in Hyeres and Toulon. The Design Parade; exceptional!
https://villanoailles-hyeres.com/
People who inspire you?
It’s very strange because the two designers I adore don’t represent my style at all, nor what I like. It’s very strange and yet…
Cristina Celestino whose world, although maximalist, is still very dreamlike, very feminine, in a word, stunning!
My second favorite is a duo of designers, Marcante Testa, who embody the Italian soul so well. It’s very graphic, full of color, I really love it even though, again, it’s very far from my universe.
Marcante Testa | architetti – Architects & Interior designers Torino
In another style, Scandinavian this time, Norm Architects is also part of what I like.
What do you think are the challenges of decoration and its usefulness?
I have always been fiercely against the concept of timelessness in decoration. It’s impossible. A fifties interior will always be marked by the fifties. And if you create a space in 2021, it is influenced by 2021. We’ll have to distinguish between what is “trendy,” what magazines present to you as such. And they don’t hesitate to tell you that you won’t be able to get through winter without this or that object! And the colors and materials that will be most in demand.
An example is the Togo sofa that everyone knows. This sofa, born in the seventies, keeps coming back to the forefront for several years despite its unlikely shape. It has undeniable qualities, it’s light, comfortable but still very much 70s! The whole challenge will be to blend it into our space without the whole thing looking like it came straight out of the seventies and without it seeming outdated in a few years.
The same goes for brass, a super trendy material that shouldn’t be overused.
There needs to be coherence in decoration while not hesitating to mix elements. Not to mention that trends have a fairly short lifespan; no more than five years. And we all know that when trends appear in stores like Maisons du Monde, it means the trend is already nearing its end! So yes, we go for it, fall for a €19 lamp, buy it, bring it home, and after two years, we can’t stand to see it anymore. We get tired of it too because it’s not true design but copies. We talk about “fast decor”; an extremely harmful trend to both the environment and customers whose interiors overflow, creating an endless production cycle.
What advice would you give our readers about decoration?
Not to buy everything they see and fall in love with, but above all to take time and think. There is a severe lack of reflection. Ask yourself: will I have a place to put it? Avoid compulsive purchases at all costs. You can even ask: isn’t it better to invest in a piece you won’t tire of? I’m aware of the cost issues, but maybe instead of buying lots of small items you’ll get tired of and that will end up on resale sites, you can treat yourself to a beautiful designer piece you’ll never tire of... Not to mention that when paying a large sum, you think more, and that reflection is crucial.
We can also ask ourselves if there are other solutions? About three years ago, before boucle fabric became popular, I saw a chair made with this material that I dreamed of, but I had two chairs in excellent condition and didn’t want to part with them. I finally found the alternative of having one reupholstered with a similar fabric. I got what I wanted without sacrificing a chair or buying an extra one. There really are many alternatives.
We try to return to more local, artisanal processes that take more time, which also gives us time to reflect. But it’s a long process to change mindsets.
Your latest musical favorites?
Her name is Snatam Kaur and she sings mantras incredibly, like "Mool mantra."
In cooking, what is your favorite dish? Italian or French?
Even though I have a husband who cooks French cuisine extremely well, I prefer Italian cooking for its simplicity. My favorite dish remains risotto allo zafferano, a saffron risotto, a specialty of Milan, by the way. Also “pasta,” because you never get tired of it, and tiramisu for dessert.
A website to share? A motto to share?
Two really great blogger sites: Frenchy Fancy, which shares brand news, and Turbulences Déco, which offers deep reflection and thorough work.
https://www.turbulences-deco.fr/
As for my motto, it is summed up in these words, and I admit I often repeat it to my clients, even if not all are ready to embrace it:
“We don’t need more space, we need fewer things.”
Another phrase I use as my email signature has already convinced some to trust me: “Our life gets lost in the details. Simplify, simplify, simplify!”
Photo credits: Ilaria Fatone
Interviews conducted by Edith SELLIER PASCAL
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