Good Architecture is welcoming

S K I N

I S S U E

•

n°3 6

•

2 0 2 3

[ TREND SETTER ]

G O O D ARCHITECTURE IS WELCOMING

This is the philosophy of Ludovica Serafini and Roberto Palomba, who operate in various creative fields, including yacht design. They are also responsible for a number of typological innovations. Their secret is a holistic vision of the projects they handle, and their teamwork

by Désirée Sormani - ph. courtesy by P+SA

A

focus on the human dimension. Not only a

so much with. For example, one of the best things in our

concept that regulates the architects’ work, as

mutual history was the long, Americano coffees, when we

for Ludovica Serafini and Roberto Palomba it’s a

smoked together like two Turkish people and lived in a

way of being, expressed through their projects and through

Veronese house…it was bitter cold so we lived in the kitchen,

their contemporary vision of society, their way of expressing

the warmest room, smoking and dreaming about everything

themselves, describing their architecture, their work as a

we then went on to achieve”, reminisces Roberto Palomba,

couple. “We have acquired values during our career and

showing me a photo that seems to be have been taken

it’s nice to share them with the person you’ve lived through

surreptitiously during a theatrical performance.

In 1994 Ludovica Serafini and Roberto Palomba (right) founded Palomba Serafini Associati in Milan. “Because that’s where you have to be, as a springboard for working on certain types of project throughout the world”. They now work in architecture, interior design, industrial design and yacht design. Above, left, the Obi collection for Expormim, right, the Hoba lamp for Foscarini inspired by a meteorite that fell to Earth

146

147

ph. Carlo William Rossi e Fabio Mureddu

[ TREND SETTER ]

“Each of us influences the other. I’ve always been struck by our mutual understanding. Even if we complete a project together then work individually, we arrive at the same solutions in the end. We both have our own vision, seen from a man and a woman’s point of view, but we work to simplify signs with the same values”.

It’s not just an understanding between them, but something more.

“Ludovica is often my muse. Watching how she uses an object in the home is important inspiration in designing it more efficiently.

Human beings are the centre of what we do. You have to be aware of people’s habits. What they do, where they put things. Help them use those objects. Architects look around, analyse and then assimilate their observations and design”, says Ludovica. “It’s no easy task, in fact. The problem is the comfort zone. When you achieve fame with something that makes you visible and well-known, you generally tend to repeat it, and it becomes your stylistic hallmark. We’ve rejected this because we don’t like the word “stylistic”. It devalues your work. We create content, not style. We are a-stylists!” Roberto adds, “When you put together the things we make, you see there’s a thread that links them all”. Serafini and Palomba are involved in a variety of creative fields – architecture, interior design, industrial design, yacht design and much more besides, including photography exhibitions and sustainability. They have collaborated with some prestigious international design brands, like Poltrona Frau, Kartell, Artemide, Samsung, Bisazza, Giorgetti, Maserati and Zanotta. At the Milan Design Week 2023 their name appeared on Ideal Standard 148

Right, the hotel La Roqqa in Porto Ercole has a deep connection with the natural beauty of Monte Argentario: light and links with the local region are crucial elements. Below, the Altari vases designed for In Aéras reflecting Sardinian tradition and a furnishing unit from the Siena collection for 4 Mariani. Bottom, the Lema bed, outdoor furnishing designed for Kartell and Talenti. Opposite page, above, the innovative “casa-drone” living concept based on an architectural theory of lightness developed after the pandemic.

Below, Dama laps designed for Vibia

137

[ TREND SETTER ]

Behind the Jolly Roger project is the desire to rebuild a relationship with the sea, the real and spiritual home of all yachts. “We started from the idea of a ‘high-powered car of the sea’, aristocratic and futuristic, which frees the decks from visual obstruction and restores the relationship with nature and the sea. Finally, large windows and a long deck that looks like a terrace overlooking the water”.

bathroom systems (where Palomba is chief design officer), the Lema

stand in the middle of the room. That’s how we came up the first

bedroom collection and office furnishings for 4 Mariani. They are

freestanding washbasin. Ludovica Serafini and Roberto Palomba

participating in a series of successful collaborations – in the lighting

have also shown this versatility in the yacht building sector. In 2013

industry with Foscarini and the outdoor world with Fendi Casa and,

they completed a project for the 65-metre Jolly Roger for Benetti.

as well as developing a new way of living with the Skyline project

“The project was looked down on a little at the time but it included

created for Talenti. Moving nimbly between architecture and design,

a few firsts that have now become trends – owner’s cabin on the

the studio also boasts many typological innovations. “It happens

top deck, lots of windows, open stern and plenty of space forward.

when you realise that what you need for an architectural project

Ten years later the architects have created the interiors of the Amer

doesn’t exist, so you create it yourself because there’s a gap. That’s

Yachts F100 Glass Cabin, bringing their vision of architectural and

what the word contemporary is all about. I was designing a mirror-

interior design to the yacht world. “Our design philosophy combines

panelled bathroom for an apartment”, Ludovica recalls. “Roberto

architecture and the individual, space and sensation, the concrete

was working on a series of washbasins for Flaminia. As I didn’t want

and the subconscious. Good architecture is welcoming”. And

to touch the walls, I asked him to design a washbasin that would

perfect for yachts.

For Ludovica Serafini and Roberto Palomba it’s crucial – designing things that endure is a concept that goes hand in hand with sustainability. It’s equally important that the object can be dismantled so that every component can be recycled separately. Waste must be the new resource. This page, renderings of the the Amer F100 Glass Cabin, for which the studio designed the interiors. Sustainability is a value Ludovica and Roberto Palomba share with the Amer Yachts yard

151