Here, we ask designers to take a selfie and give us an inside look at their life.
Name: Alessandro Moriconi
Occupation: Interior designer
Instagram: Belmond Castello di Casole was probably the project that changed my perspective the most. As an Italian, it brought together many of the things that have always inspired me: architecture, landscape, craftsmanship, and the rituals of hospitality. It made me realize that I wasn’t simply designing interiors, but shaping the way people experience a place. That understanding has stayed with me ever since and continues to guide everything I do.
Describe the problem your work solves: Too many interiors today are designed to be photographed rather than lived in. I’m interested in the opposite: spaces with imperfections and layers that become more personal over time. A home should never feel like a finished image. It should never be complete. It should leave room for life.
Share the project you are working on now: I’m working on several residential projects in Paris, from an apartment overlooking the Eiffel Tower to the transformation of a historic hôtel particulier. But the project occupying my mind most at the moment is my own house in the South of France. I’m approaching it almost as a creative laboratory. It’s a backdrop for my own collections and a place where I can experiment, collaborate with craftsmen to eventually develop furniture and objects. For once, there is no client brief; which is both incredibly liberating and slightly terrifying.
A new or forthcoming project we should know about: Looking ahead, I’d like to develop my practice beyond Europe, particularly in the United States. It’s an exciting prospect, but I want to grow carefully and remain closely involved in every project. For me, the next step is about building the right relationships and seeing what we can create together.
What you absolutely have to have in your studio: My team, without question. I believe the best projects come from creative exchange. Everyone brings a different perspective and I like when an idea can be challenged and evolved through conversation. A project is always stronger when each person feels they can contribute something to it and take it somewhere I might not have imagined on my own.
What you do when you’re not working: I love meeting new people and discovering different ways of living. I’m naturally very curious about how people live, where they come from, and the lives they’ve built for themselves. At the same time, I need moments where I can completely disconnect and recharge. Running and cycling have become my way of doing that; they give me the space to clear my head, reset my energy, and simply be present.
Sources of creative envy (dead or alive): Xavier Dolan and Tom Ford. I’m fascinated by people who move naturally between different creative disciplines. What I love about film is that it brings everything together (image, music, fashion, interiors, movement) to create a feeling. Dolan does that in a very emotional and instinctive way, while Tom Ford brings an incredible precision and elegance to it. I find that ability to build an entire world around an emotion very powerful. Making a film one day is something I would love to explore.
The distraction you want to eliminate: Probably the pressure to always move faster. We live in a culture that celebrates immediacy, but I don’t think good ideas respond well to urgency. The projects I’m most proud of are always the ones that have had time to evolve, to be questioned and refined. Protecting that time (and resisting the temptation to constantly react) is something I’m still learning.
Concrete or marble? Marble. Not because it’s precious, but because it’s unpredictable. No two slabs are ever the same; every vein and every imperfection tells a story written long before we arrived. I like materials that already carry a sense of time within them.
High-Rise Or Townhouse? Townhouse. I love the intimacy of a house and the way it gradually reveals itself. Every staircase, every threshold and every room creates a different rhythm, almost like a sequence in a film. Designing a home is about choreographing the experience of moving through it.
Remember or Forget? Remember. It would be a shame to forget. I’m deeply inspired by the experiences I’ve had and the feelings that stay with me; they become part of who I am and, inevitably, part of what I create.
Aliens or Ghosts? Aliens. I like to think there are other worlds and possibilities we haven’t discovered yet. I love history and memory, but I never want to become trapped by them, or become dusty myself.
Dark Or Light? Neither dark nor bright. I like soft, dimmed light. It creates a sense of intimacy and calm; that’s simply how I feel most comfortable.
