Co founder and creative director of design Practice Oro Bianco Interior Design Luigi Esposito discusses the success of the fledgling company, and the importance of continued professional development for interior designers as a professional standard.
What direction do you feel design is moving towards in general terms?
Professional qualifications: discerning clients are beginning to demand that interior designer and interior architects should be as qualified as any other professional they consult. You expect your doctor and dentist to be qualified, why accept interior designers who are not qualified? Ultimately this will help distinguish between amateur entrepreneurs, whose lack of qualifications is ultimately damaging to the interior design industry’s reputation, and the professional interior designers and interior architects, whose qualifications and experience allow them to deliver a timeless quality and soul in their designs.
What are the key influencing elements at present?
Our key elements of a successful project never change – listening carefully to our clients, understanding their lifestyle needs & requirements and then delivering not only what they wanted, but above and beyond what they wanted, thus raising their quality of life to an even higher level.
What sort of projects are you working on at the moment?
Working in the luxury market for many years helped me identify the need for a luxury interior design company totally dedicated to London’s super-prime property market. I co-founded Oro Bianco to focus solely on super-prime properties and, less than one year later, we are working on six projects across Mayfair, Chelsea, Knightsbridge and Hampstead, having just completed our first, a 7,000 square foot duplex penthouse on Old Park Lane. Our experience of the luxury market, and its legal requirements, attracts both UK and international clients looking for a highly-professional service coupled with specialist design.
A designer’s work is so diverse – how do you manage to hold down a career and a life?
My incredible team and I try to support each other as much as possible by sharing our problems and successes. Being part of a great team helps you tackle even the most difficult of challenges with a positive attitude, and great team interaction allows you all to bounce ideas off each other until the perfect solution jumps out. This helps us to come into work in the morning feeling positive and leave in the evenings feeling positive, which in turn leaves us free to enjoy our recreational time with family and friends. We have very diverse ways of unwinding, from enjoying yoga to rearing small children, from playing Gaelic Football to acting as Mayor of the local council.
Name the key essentials for 2012 and beyond?
I like to think I design individual projects for individual clients, where each project’s essentials are based on my clients’ needs and lifestyles, rather than on seasons or trends.
If you could offer one piece of advice when it comes to design schemes, what would it be?
Don’t get side-tracked by what the trade is currently doing; create your own solutions and schemes. Do that and you will feel satisfied with your legacy as an architect and interior designer.
What are your aims and goals for the next twelve months?
Oro Bianco will continue to focus solely on London’s super-prime properties to consolidate our position as London’s most luxurious interior design company. Early in 2013 we are opening an amazing tailored space, carefully designed to display our top British & American suppliers by showcasing our elegant and timeless style. We are also very excited about our upcoming partnership with an American lighting company to launch my first collection of pendent lights, which will feature in our new showroom.
To view the shortlist for the 2012 awards visit www.thedesignawards.co.uk/designandarchitecture
Email pr@design-et-al.co.uk