The MissoniHome 2021 collection revels in geometric patterns and vibrant colours

“The home is alive. It is constantly evolving and never finished,” says Rosita Missoni, renowned fashion designer and proprietor of the acclaimed fashion house Missoni. In an exclusive interview with STIR, she speaks about her great passion, the MissoniHome project, and its latest collection - MissoniHome 2021 - which sees a congruence of all things simply geometric, stylishly colourful, and functionally layered.

As the world shut down last year and then slowly reopened, we saw a rise in the number of people wishing to refurbish and beautify the space they now spend most of their time in – their homes. The collection responds to that need directly, by offering stunning home decor including rugs, furniture and other accessories, doused in choreographed colours that are sure to make you smile. Within the MissoniHome project, which she has personally cared for since 1997, are the shared philosophy and vision of the original brand.

MissoniHome 2021 includes home furnishings adorned in decorative, printed fabrics, modular furniture and decor pieces that are versatile and belong inside as much as the outside. “It is a joyful game of design and comfort, the role between textiles and furnishings swapping like the sap of continuous transformation. The personality of the style is consistent yet renewed with unexpected additions of accessories and different details,” shares the design team. The palettes are dominated by soft watercolour shades and rich chiaroscuro contrasts, which are arranged across four settings - Garden Light, Night Flower, Iconic FR and the astral Constellation – all decorated with the Missoni signature, a mosaic of fabrics with definite patterns.

“My home is synonymous with festive hospitality and pleasant atmospheres. To furnish my own way is to create an organised but informal habitat that excites and intrigues, where every space is an oasis of colours and moods, and free form formulas,” says Rosita, who also leads Art Direction for MissoniHome.

In a rare video interview, Pramiti Madhavji, consultant and content advisor with STIR, speaks to Rosita Missoni on what drives the new home collection, her idea of what a home must be and what role design plays to make it so, and how the inclusion of a rainbow of colours in decor brings joy to the humdrum of everyday life.

Excerpts:

Pramiti Madhavji (PM): What has been the shift in the decor and luxury design industry to adapt to the pandemic and the new normal?

Rosita Missoni (RM): For us, the home decor industry, it has been largely good, simply because people are staying at home more. Compared to other industries that have been impacted severely, ours managed to stay afloat and is doing well because people want to renovate the space they are spending so much time cooped up in. People want to cosy up their bedrooms, redo bathrooms and balconies, put up beautiful carpets and furniture in their studies – homes are adapting by evolving at a faster pace – they are getting lovely facelifts.

PM: Trends with Missoni homes have always been associated with an explosion of happy colours set in geometry, reminiscent of nature. Can you tell us about your new collection and what it entails?

RM: Missoni Home 2021 collection has been divided across four themes, based on the four natural elements: Air, Fire, Water and Earth. Shades, geometry and abstract patterns sing beautifully together with colours and fabrics inspired by nature that seek to cultivate positive energies inside homes. We have now also included colourful furniture, which is lightweight, easy to move, along with rugs, throw pillows and couches. All of these have been created keeping in mind the fact that interior design must somehow surprise, however subtly. For instance, an old sofa can be given a new life by adding fresh, colourful pillows to it. I like to work with these elements.

Colours play an integral role in this collection. We always like to include stripes, zigzgags and florals in our fixtures and collections. I love colour, and that is one element you will continually find in our designs, an element that can elevate any kind of interior, big or small.

Decor has to be light on the mood, be easy to move, and adapt to any kind of home. – Rosita Missoni

PM: What is the process like, every time you design a fresh home decor assortment, a new product?

RM: Whenever we start working on a new collection, the home is perceived as a privilege, where objects stay longer. We keep that in mind while designing anything new, be it an ottoman or a bed linen. New elements must be able to work with the ones that already inhabit the home; it is a question of adding, matching, figuring out what works with what.

In Italy, at this moment, politically and otherwise, we are living in a difficult scene. So, I want to make sure that when I step inside my house, I find a nice corner where I can sit and stretch my legs, where the walls lend me love and a change of scenery.

We are incredibly pleased with how Missoni Home 2021 has turned out, it is lovely (chuckles). The collection has been loved and accepted with so much warmth. It has been welcomed well by our customers and the press. I am really in love with it!

When you go back home, the space that welcomes you, needs to bring joy to your life. It is nice that through shades and forms, we can give our customers the pleasure of keeping their homes alive, bright, cheery, with elements that bring and nurture positivity.