2020.04.14 - EPISODE #11
NYC | Architect and Designer
Let us introduce you to Giancarlo Valle, the eleventh guest of the digital project #HouseOfMolteni. Read the full interview to discover his background and his jouney into architecture and design.
1 | You grew up San Francisco, Chicago, Caracas and Guatemala City. Does your place gather all of these connections and experiences?
Growing up in San Francisco, Chicago, Caracas, and Guatemala City, really made me who I am today. The pieces in my home are a little snapshot of my own life. My parents collected a lot of things as we travelled, and in a way I have come to rediscover them on my own terms, but they live in some way, shape or form here. It speaks of the way I think about design and just how I live.
2 | Can you tell us something about the pieces you are most attached to?
I am probably most attached to the pieces that speak to me, that have a sense of history, a sort of patina, and tell a story of their own. Pieces that I have maybe collected over the years and brought out of context into this home.
3 | What is your favorite design item and which is the stylistic criterion and mood you used to furnish your home?
I think my favorite item would be one of the pieces that I make. They start with a specific thing, a specific context. Whether I’m looking at art deco or a pre-modern thing, I will use it as a kind of a starting point. The lamp that sits above my dining table it’s probably one of those pieces, one that I look at every day, and it brings me joy in understanding the process behind it. That’s probably my favorite item in my home now.
4 | Your studio is an internationally renowned design company. How did you start and how did you get where you are today?
My journey into architecture and design was quite traditional. I studied architecture and practiced for a decade before going into interiors and furniture.
The launching point for my company was my home. That really got me into interiors, a passion project that became a way to experience things very directly and move into what I wanted to be doing, long term.
5 | What helped you through this process?
Moving into the home. Also having a family, learning to balance that life. I believe in art and being able to live a certain way, but also having that very day-to-day element that makes it livable.
6 | Is there a project you made that truly embodies your passion and the features that you love?
The project that probably best embodies my work would be my home. I think of it as a lab for what I do. We make a lot of custom pieces for the studio, testing them out here, so it’s a bit a showroom. You really get to see things, live with them, change them. It’s an incredible learning process, which has enabled me to then work with clients in a much more confident way.
7 | Can you describe your architectural style in three words?
Architectural style for me is tricky. I would look at the 20s and 30s, pre-modern, and look to the turn of the century moments. Having to choose three words, I would say: serious, playful and measured.
8 | Which architects have inspired you?
The architects that I look at for inspiration are Frank Lloyd Wright, Gio Ponti, Le Corbusier, and Adolf Loos. Architects/designers who really didn’t distinguish between the two worlds, who worked seamlessly between furniture, interiors, architectures, and cities.
9 | What is design to you?
Design to me is something that goes beyond its aesthetics. I think it has to tell you something, and it also has to interact with you in a way that I don’t think art does.
10 | What kind of relationship exists between design and architecture?
I think they are fundamentally different, they come from different vantage points, but I believe that they both need to live together.
I would say that where my interest are, is in trying to sort of stretch the definition of that, or push the definition of design into art, and think about how you can live with them together. That is my interpretation of it.
11 | Do you think of yourself more as an artist or an architect?
I would consider myself very much an architect that looks at art from a tourist point of view.
12 | What is the first thing you observe when entering a new place?
The first thing I observe would probably be the proportion of the space. I think it’s one of those things that is fundamental, but it doesn’t really speak to you immediately. it has an incredible way of defining the space even if you are not aware of it.
13 | How long have you lived in NY?
I’ve been living here for 15 years.
I fell in love with NY because of its energy. I think there are very few cities like it. It’s on all the time and it’s unexpected. You can’t take anything for granted here, and that’s what I like. I love the unpredictability of living here.
DesignGIO PONTI
ARMCHAIRS
The armchair, on the other hand, was designed for one of the projects closest to Gio Ponti’s heart, the villa of the Planchart collectors in Caracas (1953-57). It is part of the Gio Ponti Collection, which was curated by Molteni&C under the artistic direction of Studio Cerri & Associati.
DesignGIO PONTI
SMALL TABLES
From Gio Ponti’s house, located in via Dezza in Milan, the small table D.555.1, designed in 1954-1955, is produced by Molteni&C based on the original drawings from the ponti archives.
2021.05.07 - EPISODE #12
George Yabu and Glenn Pushelberg
A very special episode set in Amagansett, New York. The two Canadian designers, founding partners of Yabu Pushelberg welcome us in their beach house, releasing an interview about their background, design identity, with a special focus on the Surf sofa.
2020.02.21 - EPISODE #10
Let us introduce you to Arpana Rayamajhi, the tenth guest of the digital project #HouseOfMolteni. Read the full interview to discover her background and deep passion for different styles and aesthetics.
2020.01.27 - EPISODE #9
Let us introduce you to Salomon Ligthelm, the ninth guest of the digital project #HouseOfMolteni. Read the full interview to discover his love and deep passion for the filmmaking processes.
