19 Questions with: Francesca
Journal Entry No. 11
1. What was your very first job — ever?
I served gelato! It was at an Italian-owned coffee shop called BC Gelati making in-house delicious gelato. It was my first experience interacting with the public and I found it quite nerve-wracking - Michele, one of the owners, wanted us to memorize the orders instead of writing them down… and I confess I got some of them wrong. He taught me a great lesson: you can get the order wrong but just smile and be nice, it will be alright.
2. To you, what makes a “good” design?
Good design has to be personal. Good design should tell us about who lives and interacts with the space. Good design should feel like someone just left the room/the garden/the restaurant…Also, good design shouldn’t take itself too seriously, there’s a buoyancy about it, an artistic quality - as unique as a painting - and, like art, good design should spark the imagination. Most of all, good design beckons you to spend time with it because it’s comfortable. Comfort needs to exist on every level: physically, emotionally and spiritually. In short, good design connects with our emotions.
3. What are some of the materials that you love working with?
I strive to work with natural materials as much as possible as they are the most healthy for us, our planet and they perform the best - in short: they age well. I also adore tile - especially hand painted and encaustic tile. As a child I would comb the olive tree groves in Sicily, collect discarded shards of beautiful tiles - each a little treasure of colour and history. I would bring them back home and still have many of these shards which I use for plugging the bottom of my plant pots. I still find my self compelled to pick up tile shards when in Italy…
4. The place that inspires you is:
Italy and the UK. Old things. Gardens, plants, flowers - nature in general.
5. A recent “find” is:
This past fall, when I was in Umbria, I came across this stunning maker of linens called Pardi - almost every major town in Umbria had a shop and I came home with a few embroidered linen towels, placemats and napkins. They are beautifully made, wonderful to use and a future heirloom.
6. The design era I'm drawn to:
I can’t say there’s just one! I’ve pulled references from all sorts of eras: ancient Rome (I adore columns), Art Deco and Art Nouveau, Arts and Crafts Movement and, more recently I’ve found a new interest in mid-Century modern furniture. Everyone is looking for their home to be ‘timeless’ and I think this is achieved by pulling from many different time periods so that the home is full of time.
7. Favourite room to design:
The kitchen - the virgo in me enjoys designing a highly organized space (‘a place for everything and everything in its place’) while the creative in me adores the play of materials like countertop, tile, hardware, colour and softer elements like roman shades and tablecloths. Then there’s the cook in me that can’t help but visualize putting a meal together and how that will work in the proposed layout. The perfect kitchen would be one open to a sun room as I love the idea of a soft place to sit, surrounded by plants, filtered light and gorgeous tile, all adjacent to a kitchen.
8. Favourite artist/piece of art:
When I graduated from university, as a gift, my mother offered to buy me something and, without thinking, I asked for this small oil painting by an artist named Bracegirdle. Typical of his work, it’s a view of a room in a house with gorgeous use of chiaroscuro that just draws you in - honestly, I’ve spent some time just staring at this piece, imagining the story of the setting: Who was just here? Where did they go? What’s the garden just beyond the window like? Where did they buy that Victorian balloon back chair? The painting is a window into another world, I adore it.
9. Best piece of advice:
No one can do what you do, the way you do it.
Also: pack in pouches - a pouch for undergarments, one for shirts, etc. Joanna Lumley said this on her travel show and I adopted it immediately.
10. Dream holiday destination:
The thing about a ‘holiday’ is that I don’t really take holidays… my idea of travel is to immerse myself in the place and live like a local as much as possible. I recently spent a month in Umbria, staying in one house the whole time and getting to know the local market, the butcher, the old man who sells everything from eye glasses to terracotta pots and socks… this ‘living’ in another place, it was a dream for me. I’d have to say that the location doesn’t matter as much as the depth of the experience.
11. If you had to limit your shopping to one neighbourhood in one city…
Yowzer! I guess the tactical answer here would be a neighbourhood in Los Angeles or New York - a city where you can get anything from all over the world. If we’re talking about what local fare would I be happy to be ‘stuck with’ I think it would have to be the Ponte neighbourhood of Rome - there’s a tile shop on a corner, a lady who sells vintage linens down the street and many antiques and hardware shops in between.
12. The last meal that truly impressed you…
It was probably when I could still eat gluten! I had a very memorable plate of gnocchi in San Miniato Alto, Tuscany - it involved pears, walnuts and gorgonzola and, though delicious, it of course had a lot to do with the location. Another meal I remember fondly was in the Peak District of England at a restaurant called The George - it impressed me so much that we went back the following year for my birthday.
13. Unusual quirky fact about you:
I have to fold the paper sleeve from chopsticks into a knot.
14. Favourite colour
Greens - the whole green family. Veriditas.
15. Prior to being an Interior Designer …
I’ve been a designer my whole life, in many varied forms: set and costume designer for theatre, exhibit designer, showroom sales at CB2, head designer for Love it or List it Vancouver. The only thing I can think of that didn’t directly involve design was a brief stint as the assistant to an Italian film director for a couple short horror movies - I worked with the late Meatloaf and learned so much about everyone’s role on set.
16. Your personal style signifier(s):
It’s hard to pick just one! An arch, a rose, a vase… it’s probably an arch though.
17. What do you look for in a great vintage piece?
Solid construction, charm and shape. You can change the colour and the fabric of a piece but you can’t change the shape.
18. Are there any kinds of spaces or projects you would like to work on but haven’t had the chance?
A sun room. A restaurant. A hotel room or lobby.
19. Tell us how design can make our lives better.
Everything we interact with in life is designed. Think about how frustrating it is when something doesn’t work right or when you walk into a hotel room and the place just looks thoughtlessly thrown together - the disappointment, the frustration, the anger - I know I get angry - it can all be avoided with thoughtful, intentional design. Design needs to work well and look good doing it so that we will use it again and keep it around. Having design that we are happy with means that we are leading a relaxed, functioning life. And, if we are happy we tend to make others happy as well. Design can breed happiness.
Photo of Francesca in her home by Nick Molson