Naples, the third-largest city in Italy and the hometown of Giuliano dell’Uva, is a place where the past is always present, apparent on every street. The architect and interior designer naturally looked to its rich mix of cultures and contrasts when designing an elegant home for an aesthetically minded family of five in the city’s Chiaia neighbourhood.
‘I often work with historical palaces, and discovering ancient craftsmanship always encourages me,’ he says. ‘Naples is a continuous source of inspiration.’
He started by emphasising the home’s lofty proportions with a coffered ceiling. A double archway in the entrance leads to the private areas and the roof terrace, with its swimming pool and views of the Gulf of Naples and the metropolis below.
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The original stuccoes remain in the staircase and entrance hall; the rest Giuliano redesigned. ‘I made plaster casts and reproportioned them, adapting them to the height of the house,’ he explains. The result is like the atrium of an ancient building, a space flooded with brightness from a new skylight.
For Giuliano, the key to a successful interior is juxtaposition. In this case, that meant setting striking examples of contemporary art against the walls of the 19th-century building. Above the sofa in the living room, Vanessa Beecroft’s vb84.044.nt shows a tableau vivant of female figures in the Sala della Niobe of the Uffizi in Florence.
In the same space are two works by Marina Abramović (Measuring Body Heat and With Eyes Closed I See Happiness), while, in the dining area, the drapery of the curtain in Tobias Zielony’s Vorhang reflects the rich rose tone of the baroque church visible through the window, as well as Draga & Aurel’s pink pendant lamp.
The artworks come from Galleria Lia Rumma, whose Neapolitan founder Lia Rumma has worked with Giuliano for many years. ‘She offers unexpected perspectives and always proposes strong and significant artists,’ he says.
Rooms are emphatically outlined with black, from the dramatic oiled parquet flooring to the inky walls, Cipollino-marble bathroom and the kitchen contained in a blackened-iron and glass box.
That mix of styles – industrial modern with Victorian romanticism – and materials is Giuliano’s signature, the elegant balancing act that defines his work. It’s a strategy that somehow enhances both the ancient and the modern, each bringing out a surprising quality in the other. giulianoandreadelluva.it
