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UNSCRIPTED with Matteo Nunziati: Opulence in Paucity

The Italian designer sheds qualms for a candid talk on his design process and his interpretation of luxury to be found in the simple things in life, on UNSCRIPTED.

by Anmol AhujaPublished on : May 28, 2021

"The most difficult thing in design is to keep a balance between all the parts. It’s like nature. A flower is such a perfect machine from one side, but is also beautiful".

- Matteo Nunziati

Matteo Nunziati knew about his inclination towards the arts and creative disciplines since he was quite young, as he fondly recalls in his UNSCRIPTED conversation with STIR. The copying of a comic book while on a family vacation, at age 11, proved to be his eureka moment, or the moment “he started his career”. Several such moments and interesting facts that he revealed in his exclusive video interview with STIR have come to now designate the meaning of luxury for the Italian designer, who through his wide international repertoire of works has been able to carve a niche for himself in high-end product and interior design for residential and hospitality projects.

  • Designer and architect Matteo Nunziati, well regarded in the international circuit for his work | UNSCRIPTED with Matteo Nunziati | Interviews | STIRworld
    Designer and architect Matteo Nunziati, well regarded in the international circuit for his works Image: Courtesy of Matteo Nunziati
  • Matteo found inspiration early on in life | UNSCRIPTED with Matteo Nunziati | Interviews | STIRworld
    Matteo Nunziati found inspiration early on in life Image: Courtesy of Matteo Nunziati
  • Nunziati during the early days of his career | UNSCRIPTED with Matteo Nunziati | Interviews | STIRworld
    Nunziati during the early days of his career Image: Courtesy of Matteo Nunziati

Born and brought up in Milan, the city being his amour and liaison at the same time, he cites his design inspiration to come from the greats: Michelangelo, Da Vinci, and Giovanni “Gio” Ponti. “I think the big lesson is to be innovative, but (also) to take in consideration, the tradition,” states the 40-year-old-designer, owing his minimal yet robust design philosophy to the rich history and culture of Italia, and a strict evasion of adherence to trends or commercial design.

  • Master bedroom of the penthouse at Park Avenue, NYC, featuring the Saturno mirror by Nunziati as well | UNSCRIPTED with Matteo Nunziati | Interviews | STIRworld
    Master bedroom of the penthouse at Park Avenue, NYC, featuring the Saturno mirror by Nunziati as well Image: Courtesy of Matteo Nunziati
  • Lobby of the Trump Towers in Pune, India | UNSCRIPTED with Matteo Nunziati | Interviews | STIRworld
    Lobby of the Trump Towers in Pune, India Image: Courtesy of Matteo Nunziati
  • Fraser Suite Hotel Apartment Tower, Doha, Qatar | UNSCRIPTED with Matteo Nunziati | Interviews | STIRworld
    Fraser Suite Hotel Apartment Tower, Doha, Qatar Image: Courtesy of Matteo Nunziati

Trained as an architect and later discovering his proclivity for product and interior design, Nunziati considers himself an avid travel enthusiast, while musing over his next travel destination and just being able to get on a plane, as Italy too reels from under a lockdown. “The emotion that you feel when you can travel is something unbelievable,” he says. However, when under a creative block, it is the added pressure of deadlines and the will to commit as opposed to unwinding at exotic spots that helps him deliver. “Deadline for me is extremely important. If some company, some client, or some developers’ group says ‘I need this work from your side’, I have to be creative,” proclaims Nunziati on what gets him out of his creative block.

  • Note by Matteo Nunziati for Molteni&C | UNSCRIPTED with Matteo Nunziati | Interviews | STIRworld
    Note by Matteo Nunziati for Molteni&C Image: Courtesy of Matteo Nunziati
  • Gaudi' by Matteo Nunziati for Flou | UNSCRIPTED with Matteo Nunziati | Interviews | STIRworld
    Gaudí by Matteo Nunziati for Flou Image: Courtesy of Matteo Nunziati
  • Matteo Nunziati posing besides Babele, a storage unit cum lamp for Natevo | UNSCRIPTED with Matteo Nunziati | Interviews | STIRworld
    Nunziati posing besides Babele, a storage unit-cum-lamp for Natevo Image: Courtesy of Matteo Nunziati

Over the years, Matteo Nunziati’s name and studio have become synonymous with delivering designs that spell luxury, lining prestigious projects including the Trump Towers in Pune, New Delhi, and Kolkata; Fraser Suites West Bay in Doha, Qatar; renovation of the Four Seasons Hotel in London; and the Radisson Blu residence in Dubai Marina. Some of his most iconic products are borne under international brands including but not limited to Molteni & C., Poliform, Flou, and Lema. However, the Italian designer considers luxury to be something intangible, something one feels as opposed to acquiring or owning. 

Luxury is when you feel better, when you feel very good, when you touch the beauty, even if that beauty is not something expensive.

The designer debonaire owns and drives a Porsche, but the one thing he still can’t leave his house without is a kiss from his children. That’s also how he likes to spend his Sundays: in his lush private garden, playing with his three kids. That, for Nunziati, is the luxury of space and time.

  • Nunziati is particularly fond of spending his Sundays playing with his children in the lush private gardens of his Milan residence | UNSCRIPTED with Matteo Nunziati | Interviews | STIRworld
    The Milanese designer is particularly fond of spending his Sundays playing with his children in the lush private gardens of his Milan residence Image: Courtesy of Matteo Nunziati
  • Matteo Nunziati on vacation with his kids in Paros, Greece | UNSCRIPTED with Matteo Nunziati | Interviews | STIRworld
    Nunziati on vacation with his kids in Paros, Greece Image: Courtesy of Matteo Nunziati
  • Matteo Nunziati amid his design process and thought at his Milan studio | UNSCRIPTED with Matteo Nunziati | Interviews | STIRworld
    Nunziati amid his design process and thought at his Milan studio Image: Courtesy of Matteo Nunziati

All this and much more: tap on the cover video to watch the complete conversation.

UNSCRIPTED:
Curated by Pramiti Madhavji (Consultant, Content Adviser, STIR), UNSCRIPTED is a STIR-original series of quick-witted video interviews with leading design professionals who give a peek into their undiscovered lives. A melting pot of quests, revelations and quirks, the series releases a new episode every Sunday as designers reveal unheard and unknown nuggets from their lives, in response to 30 questions. 

All photographs © Matteo Nunziati. Images may not be downloaded, copied, reproduced, or used in part or whole without obtaining permission. The photographs in this video are not licensed for personal, commercial, or public use, or use in the public domain in any form.

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