Neapolitan creative Giuliano Andrea dell’Uva was always destined for a career in interiors. ‘I’ve collected design magazines since I was a child, and I remember waiting eagerly for the new issues to come out each month,’ he recalls. He studied architecture at University of Naples Federico II, where he proved to be a precocious talent: at the age of 17, he was already collaborating with the architect of his parents’ home and creating interiors for their friends. He also did a study placement at the University of Montevideo in Uruguay, where he discovered a passion for 1950s design that lasts to this day.
In 2004, aged just 23, dell’Uva set up his own studio. His team of 15 – all Neapolitans like himself, but with global experiences that add a vital ‘exotic ingredient’ to their work – are based in a 17th-century palazzo that once hosted Naples’ most prestigious cultural salon.
Quintessentially Mediterranean, dell’Uva’s style shows a love of luminosity and classical architecture (the buildings and frescoes of Pompeii, not far from his studio, have shaped his visual language). Always inspired by the location of each project, he likes to imagine himself in the shoes of its first creator. In this respect, he’s channelling his hero, the mid-century decorator Renzo Mongiardino, who fused the antique and the modern to theatrical effect. ‘I’m inspired by his interpretation of space as a stage,’ says dell’Uva.
What's everyone reading?
What are his recent projects?
Though he’s undertaken work as far away as Hong Kong, many of dell’Uva’s projects are scattered across his native Italy, and range from villas and apartments to shops, hotels, bars and cafés. Recently, he’s been renovating the medieval Palazzo Luce hotel in the Apulian city of Lecce, conceptualised as an ‘art and design residence’. Here, the studio’s fusion of traditional and modern is on show. ‘The interior highlights a collection of Gio Ponti furniture dating from the 1930s to the 70s, which we’ve mixed with contemporary artworks,’ he explains.
Another intriguing project is a private villa in Bellagio, Lake Como, dedicated to Pompeiian style; its décor features antique Neapolitan tiles and ‘souvenirs of the 18th-century Grand Tour’. Complementing this is a new five-star hotel in Pompeii itself – the first in the area – imagined as the home of an archaeologist-collector.
Dell’Uva has many other irons in the fire, too: he’s the creator and co-owner of Capri Suite, a tiny boutique hotel in Anacapri; acts as artistic director of Italian homewares brand Livio De Simone; and has just unveiled his first textile collection, ‘Dreaming of Capri’, with Swiss manufacturer Christian Fischbacher.
What is he currently working on?
The renovation of a period villa in Orvieto, Umbria, and another villa overlooking the ocean in Capri, plus a large London residence. Also coming up are a collection of hand-painted tiles for historic maker Ceramica Francesco De Maio, which specialises in traditional Vietri majolica wares, and dell’Uva’s own online store, which will sell homewares of his design.
He says ‘What makes my work distinctive is its idea of “aesthetic memory”, drawn from the past, combined with a more contemporary verve.’ giulianoandreadelluva.it
How to use colour and materials in an architecturally inspired way
Giuliano Andrea dell’Uva shares his tips for mastering this delicate art
I prioritise light, and love to use fresh, bright colours that enhance it: blues, reds and yellows. I am less keen on pale, neutral colours; when I encounter them in historic buildings, I tend to leave them as they are and enrich the atmosphere with boldly coloured furniture and artworks.
I always start from a building’s context. Often, the exterior’s colour and the setting influence my choices for the rooms inside. For example, if I’m decorating an apartment with sunny, panoramic views, I like to accentuate these by framing them with darker colours indoors.
Room heights, planes and angles, as well as architectural details, are elements to be highlighted with colour. I use these details to enhance the sense of volume, for example by contrasting door frames with walls, adding blocks of colour on ceilings, or juxtaposing raw walls with glossy or graphic-patterned floors.
Materials are key. I have a passion for ceramics, which I often use in my projects, but I also love wood, marble and metal. I use these tactically to express my idea of ‘aesthetic memory’ in architecture: elements familiar from the past, contrasted with contemporary finishes.
