Wonderfully Whimsical Madrid Home

June 2, 2025

Sprawling across eight floors, interior designer Marta de La Rica's family home is her most vibrant project yet, where every floor has a distinct character. 

A chance encounter with a vintage tapestry that had been on Marta de La Rica's wishlist for years inspired the earthy interiors of her sprawling Madrid home, where colours range from soothing ivory and warm terracotta, to aged silver, sage green and duck egg blue.

Two years ago, Spanish interior designer Marta de La Rica travelled to Nice to source vintage pieces for a project. Her husband, father and three daughters joined her to wander through the antique-laden streets of the coastal city. One Saturday morning, they ran into a familiar face: Madame Ydais, the owner of an antique shop in Biarritz, the family's favourite summer resort. They had not seen her for 15 years. "We often went to Biarritz when I was a child, and her shop was quite an institution," the designer recalls. "She had exquisite taste. But one day, she decided to close the business and move."

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      Clotilde Ancarani

      Clotilde Ancarani, an Italian sculptural furniture designer, pushes the boundaries between art and functional design. In her Brussels (Belgium) studio, nature subtly takes center stage. Ancarani meticulously crafts unique bronze pieces using the "intaglio" technique, marrying bold forms with practical functions. Her innovative approach is characterized by the contradiction between her subjects—spectacular yet naturally fragile vegetation—and the treatment she imposes on them using heavy, cold materials.

      Each of Ancarani's creations challenges the viewer's perceptions: on one hand, the delicacy of nature perceived by our eyes; on the other, the hardness of bronze felt by our hands. She thus invites us to rethink space and our interaction with everyday objects. Her furniture, both aesthetic and utilitarian, captures the attention of contemporary art lovers seeking exceptional pieces that transcend traditional design boundaries. The paradox found in her works also alludes to another dimension of her creative intent. "I want to pay homage to the fragility, but above all to the resilience of women and nature." she says. With her fragile and ephemeral subjects, Clotilde invites the viewer to reflect on their own vulnerability

      Ancarani’s work has been exhibited internationally at Design Miami Paris (2024), Miami (2023) and Basel (2019 & 2018), at the three last year’s PAD fairs in London and Paris as well as at AD 100 (Paris), Collectible in Brussels, Homo Faber 2024 in Venice, Singapore and Dubai.

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