Nick Vinson revamps Italian Embassy to "showcase the very best of Made in Italy"

London-based Nick Vinson and Avanti Architects have renovated the residence at the Italian embassy in London to highlight the quality of Italian design, showcasing products from brands including Molteni & C, B&B Italia, Flos and Poltrona Frau.

Vinson collaborated with heritage specialists Avanti Architects to refresh and update the residence on Grosvenor Square to ensure it aligned with modern Italian values and drew attention to the breadth and calibre of the country's designers.

"The residence sits on the second and third floor of a Grade II-listed building from 1868, the apartment's interiors were last remodelled by Wellesley & Will in 1932," Vinson told Dezeen.

"We kept all the details from both periods and furnished with modern Italian furniture from the second half of the 20th century to today, selected for their enduring appeal and longevity."

Italian embassy residence living room — The living space features Kyoto coffee tables by Gianfranco Frattini for Poltrona Frau

Along with being the official home of the Italian ambassador to the UK, the residence has a broader mission to project a viewpoint of the country.

According to the Italian ambassador, the interiors of the previous residence no longer reflected modern Italy.

Each of the bedrooms feature Ribbon beds by Vincent Van Duysen for Molteni & C — Each of the bedrooms features Ribbon beds by Vincent Van Duysen for Molteni & C

"As time passed, these spaces no longer adequately conveyed Italy's image in the world, nor reflected the vitality and innovation of our country," explained Italian ambassador Inigo Lambertini.

"The goal was to combine tradition and modernity, highlighting the elegance of the building without sacrificing a contemporary imprint that reflects the excellence of Italian design."

Wall lamps by Charlotte Perriand for Nemo Lighting — Several of the spaces feature wall lamps by Charlotte Perriand for Nemo Lighting

For the interiors, Vinson worked with the embassy team to select fittings and furniture from the past 70 years that would promote Italian products.

"One of the roles of the embassy is to promote Made in Italy, and this is now a suitable showcase for that role," explained Vinson.

"It includes industrially produced as well as artisan-made items," he continued.

"[We aimed] to create a showcase for the very best of Made in Italy, with everything including marble, glass, paint, bathroom fittings, kitchens, radiators, lighting, rugs, curtains, furniture and accessories from 42 hand-selected Italian producers and hung with art from 15 modern and contemporary Italian artists."

The bedrooms, including the presidential suite, were furnished with Ribbon beds by Belgian architect Vincent Van Duysen for Molteni & C.

In the presidential, this bed was accompanied by the D.847.1 writing desk by Italian designer Gio Ponti, also supplied by Molteni & C, a Pagoda Piantana floor lamp by Ignazio Gardella for Tato and a signature rug that pulls in the colour of the desk designed by Vinson and CC-Tapis for the project.

The space also includes a chest of drawers by Italian architect Piero Lissoni for Porro and wall lamps by French architect Charlotte Perriand supplied by Nemo Lighting.

The main living space was arranged around a Kyoto coffee table by Italian architect Gianfranco Frattini, supplied by Poltrona Frau, as well as a Catalina armchair by architect Luigi Caccia Dominioni for Azucena.

Again, the room is completed by a rug created by Vinson in collaboration with CC-Tapis.

Kitchen in Italian residence — A mirror by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec for Flos features in the red kitchen

Vinson aimed to select the best of Italian design for the residence and overall, the contributor list reads like a who's who of contemporary Italian design brands.

"[We selected] best in class products from a hand picked list of producers including Arcerbis, Agape Bathrooms, Agape Design, Alias, Armani/Casa, Azucena, B&B Italia, Bottega Ghianda, Cassina, CC-Tapis, Ceccotti Collezioni,Eredi Zucca Milano 1652, Dedar, Flexform, Flos, Ginori 1735, Giobagnara, Glas Italia, Kerakoll, Lorma, Loro Piana, Marsotto, Max Alto, Minotti, Molteni, Mutina, Nemo,Oluce, Poliform, Poltrona Frau, Porro, Rubelli,Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica Santa Maria Novella, Saporiti Italia, Taf Firenze, Tato Italia, Technogym, Tubes, Venini and Zanotta," said Vinson.

Other recent embassy projects on Dezeen include a US consulate on the Arizona-Mexico border and a "uniquely Australian" embassy in Washington DC.

The photography is by Beppe Brancato.

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