Travel and beauty inspire us. Exploring new cities and towns, experiencing new design and connecting with a different vision of life opens our eyes, our hearts and minds. Wonder has room to wander and allows us to see the World anew. An opening shift in perspective will happen on its own. 

How do we capture that prized shift and incorporate it into our consuming lives – before we are back again, numbed by the daily onslaught of life? I found an answer to that question myself when the sunlight of Tacchini’s salone in Padiglione 16 struck me with its warm, juicy, flattering pastel color palette. DiChirico-esque murals as the backdrop for Jonas Wagell’s new Julep Sofa being launched at the Fair.

 The voluptuous curves in juicy corals, blush pinks and soft citrus were warm, sensual and a bit dramatic – especially welcomed in by my New York sensibility that has been bombarded with new construction of glass, steel, angles and aggressive neutrality!  Imagine instead coming home in the evening to sun-kissed, vibrant softness. Yes, please. Quanto mi piace. 

It seems kind to have a home filled with curves to embrace the space and us within it when there is much to take on in our occupying lives. New York City is a hard place. It can be a real grind. 

Creating an environment that refreshes you and takes you back to that prized shift – one where you can simply slip into a sunset or a morning beginning in paradise – will refresh you day in and day out.

When I feel connected to such a pleasant and resonant environment I get curious. Wondering about its creators and where inspiration comes from. What Zephyr swooped low to blow in the first breaths of creation.  

Sandro Botticelli, The Birth of Venus. 1484-1486 The Uffizzi Galleries, Florence.

After the fair in Milan, I drove along the coast, meandering the serpentine coast of Liguria, south through Genova, Forte dei Marmi and onto Viareggio where I noticed repetition of this color combination abound. I imagined the same vibe in these places that the colors had for me.

Basking in the glow of this palette expressed now as painted palazzi, proudly nestled up in the bluffs and along the coast, facing out toward the sea.  Remembering that life and art influence each in a rhythmic dance. Sun-drenched, still, warmly lit. You get the picture.

It is exciting to appreciate and connect to a region’s palette in this way. It felt so relevant after the Fair. I felt a unspoken understanding of the area and it was comfortable. And experienced a vibe of a warm, sunny get-away complete with aesthetic pleasure unfolding organically. This happens to me in Italy. BUT it doesn’t have to only happen in Italy.

As always, I’m reminded of the power of design and palette to bring a sense of place to the everyday, to channel the rich and stimulating pleasures of discovering new environments and exploring new ideas right into our own homes.