It’s a thrill that never gets old: connecting people with artwork that they love - and I mean capital L.O.V.E. It sounds simple enough but when working with a client it can be challenging to tap into what resonates with them and make suggestions they will be drawn to. I often joke that it’s easier to buy someone underwear than it is to buy them art!

‘Tomatoes on a plate drizzled with olive oil…’ this is what one client used to describe to me her vision for her home. Concept is not about identifying what the finished product is going to look like but what it’s going to feel like. ‘Tomatoes on a plate’ made me feel something: inviting, relaxed, classic, space for life’s mess, and enjoyment.

Like the ingredients on our plates, the materials that make up our indoor spaces are just as important to our health.

Like a well set table, a well wrapped gift tells the recipient they are about to experience something wonderful. A few ideas I enjoy (and, as we are tasked with wrapping gifts this time of year, why not make it a little fun?)

I grew up in a house with tiles everywhere. They were on all the usual surfaces: floors, bathroom walls and the kitchen splash but they were also in unusual places: the kitchen countertop, window sills, table tops and wall decor. For Italians, tile has been a go-to surfacing product since ancient Rome (timeless decor anyone?). Personally, growing up Italian and with a tile-setter father, this meant tile is quite literally in my blood and under my fingernails.

Creating spaces that are personal, built on the client’s story and designed for a life well lived. A look back at our Chancellor Boulevard project and the details that went into bringing charm and personality into a town home in the University District.

I adore setting the table. Each plate, napkin, glass and fork is like paint on a canvas, creating a composition unique to my personal taste and what it is that I wish my guests to experience. We start eating with our eyes, beginning the the enjoyment of the meal that is to come with the expectation set by a well-laid table.

19 Questions with Francesca Albertazzi, founder and creative director of Studio Albertazzi. Find out what inspires her, what she collects in Italy and what she just has to do with chopstick wrappers!

My kitchen was always going to be green. The kitchen looks out on to our beloved garden, one we’ve been tending to my whole life. The green of the kitchen is an echo - perhaps ode - to this garden and the joy that it brings.

I often say that if a house plant is happy in a space, us humans will be too.

The kitchen table has always been where everything happens in my house and in most houses I love.

Design with romance.

I want your home to be seductive, something you fall in love with.

Lighting Tells a Story.

Any light fixture, like everything else in your home, is an opportunity to tell a little something about yourself

My Holiday Table - created with love.

A love affair with arches.

Italian ingredients.

My fascination with Rome.

Veriditas