FENDI has collaborated with the French Academy in Rome to refurbish six historic Salons at The Villa Medici, an iconic 16th-century French landmark in the heart of Rome.
Surrounded by seventeen -acres of green land and parks on Mount Pincio, this public institution is designed to welcome high-level artists, creators and art historians in residence to set up a cultural and artistic programme that includes all fields of the arts and creation and is aimed at a broad audience; to conserve, restore, study, and make its architectural and landscape heritage, as well as its art collections, known to the public.
In association with The French Academy in Rome with the support of the Mobilier National, FENDI has refurbished six reception Salons at Villa Medici, including the majestic Grand Salon, offering a new décor that will encourage creativity and contemporary design.
Under the design vision of Kim Jones FENDI’s Artistic Director of Couture and Womenswear, and Silvia Venturini Fendi, Artistic Director of Accessories and Menswear, with the support of the FENDI Architecture department, this creative development brings together traditional heritage and contemporary style to create an impressive result.
The new interpretation of the Salons combines a range of skills relating to their design, interior fittings and conservation-restoration. Colour was central element for the project and the original tones of the wall painting have been a starting point in choosing the palette for each room, reflected in particular in three custom-designed hand-knotted carpets with graduated shading and entirely crafted from recycled French wool.
The project was also inspired by the desire to create a dialogue between the existing heritage and contemporary designs created with the signature of FENDI artistic directors, FENDI Casa, and with special collaborations with designers.
A selection of pieces by Italian designer Chiara Andreatti and by the French designers Noé Duchaufour-Lawrance, Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec and Toan Nguyen gives to the salons a new image. Noé Duchaufour-Lawrance drew his inspiration from Rome’s distinctive shapes and materials: the outline of the umbrella pines appears in his Borghese table, which he adapted for the Salon des Pensionnaires, while the paving of the Via Appia Antica inspired the tables he created especially for the Salon de Lecture and the Salon Bleu. The Virgola chairs by Chiara Andreatti are present in the Salon Bleu and Salon de Lecture, while her Welcome sofa and armchairs for FENDI Casa decorate the Salon des Pensionnaires.
Following the shade of the wall painting, the Sandia sofa designed by Toan Nguyen and produced by FENDI Casa is coloured in a warm orange-rusty tone and is the protagonist of the Petit Salon. The Belleville Armchairs, designed by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec and produced by Vitra, are given pride of place in the Grand Salon at Villa Medici. This ensemble of new furniture will dialogue with pieces of heritage furniture.
The bond between heritage and contemporary art continues on the walls: thanks to an exceptional partnership with the Mobilier National, several modern and contemporary tapestries, mostly by women artists, are being introduced to Villa Medici.
This introduction of contemporary design to the historic Salons of Villa Medi was coupled with major restoration work. The decorations in the Grand Salon at Villa Medici were restored under the supervision of Pierre-Antoine Gatier, chief architect of historic monuments, and the tapestries of the Quattro stagioni cycle were restored by the Bobin Tradition workshop over a two-year period.
For more information visit: www.villamedici.it
