Take a peek into the space of the award-winning designers of Dimore Studio, who juxtapose vintage and modern pieces, industrial and glamourous elements with panache.

Dimore Studio’s Sanctuary is an Exercise in Curation
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Emiliano Salci and Britt Moran, the founders of Dimore Studio, kicked off their careers in 2005 with the opening of their gallery/home, now exclusively a showroom, in the courtyard of an old building in Via Solferino, in Milan’s Brera district.

Emiliano Salci and Britt Moran of Dimore Studio are masters of the mix.
Emiliano Salci and Britt Moran of Dimore Studio are masters of the mix.

The apartment bears numerous traces of its historic past, and over the years its suite of rooms, featuring distinctive ceilings, fireplaces and spacious windows, has provided the ideal setting in which to reveal the aesthetics and philosophy of Dimore Studio.

Dimore Studio references different eras, influences, and materials to come up with a coherent whole
Dimore Studio references different eras, influences, and materials to come up with a coherent whole

Emiliano and Britt do look back – to the 1930s, ’40s and ’50s in particular – but not with a sense of nostalgia. Their gaze is one of dynamic curiosity and discovery, expressed in a twofold approach. First, they design furniture, initially sold in limited editions by Nilufar gallery but is now brought together in a single broad collection.

The studio is noted for their curation – choosing or designing artistic pieces and then creating a luxurious tableau
The studio is noted for their curation – choosing or designing artistic pieces and then creating a luxurious tableau

Second, they create interiors, featuring their own work in combination with other items, whether by signature designers (such as Giò Ponti, Jean Royère and Fornasetti) or rescued from anonymity, from places whose locations are kept rigorously secret. Contrast is the keynote in the scenographic interiors they create, and their skilful orchestration ensures a continuous dialogue between the different elements involved, to the point where it becomes hard to tell an antique from what’s fresh off the drawing board.

Dimore Studio’s Sanctuary is an Exercise in Curation

A bookcase sculpture from their collection (pictured above), a ceiling lamp that turns in the air like a mobile, an antique armchair given a new lease of life by an unlikely fabric, a background formed by a dusty-tinged wall on which hangs a shining new puzzle-carpet – this is the vocabulary of their sophisticated and exciting language. As Emiliano and Britt readily admit: “We both love the Novecento, and it isn’t hard to see our work as a tribute to the applied arts of the last century.”

The duo have an affinity for metallic finishes. Pieces they’ve designed – such as the metal structure with oxidized and polished copper and the dining table with brass legs and a lacquered table top – are mixed with select finds, from mirrors to lighting fixtures (below)
The duo have an affinity for metallic finishes. Pieces they’ve designed – such as the metal structure with oxidized and polished copper and the dining table with brass legs and a lacquered table top – are mixed with select finds, from mirrors to lighting fixtures (below)

Dimore Studio’s Sanctuary is an Exercise in Curation

Their space displays an affinity to historical references that go along with their own sensibilities and their expert use of colours and materials, with a preference for metals softened by patina but also for surprising combinations. These are the typical ingredients of their schemes for both public spaces and private apartments. They have often come up with original ideas that became established trends, such as the brass cladding for the rather severe kitchen unit in what was then their home, given the look of a Donald Judd sculpture.

Dimore Studio has the uncanny ability to spot special pieces, such as the modular wall lamps made of 23 sculptured glass units by Angelo Brotto from the early 70s
Dimore Studio has the uncanny ability to spot special pieces, such as the modular wall lamps made of 23 sculptured glass units by Angelo Brotto from the early 70s

Design, art, architecture and fashion all filter down into their work, judiciously blended with shrewd purchases from the antique markets and old craft workshops that they browse as free spirits, buying on the premise of love-at-first-sight. “When we start out designing an interior, we prefer not to wipe out the pre-existing framework, because spaces, like people, want to be respected,” Emiliano and Britt explain. “We want to engage in conversation with the client, rather than impose our own predetermined point of view.”

Tags: DimoreStudioHomesInteriors
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