Gestalten

Perched somewhere along a historic street in Genoa, Italy, lies a glistening baroque building that houses not royalty but, curiously, a melange of contemporary furniture and design books. Here, we dare to enter the fabulous address on Via Garibaldi 12 to learn more about this seriously stylish store with manager Lorenzo Bagnara.

How did Via Garibaldi 12 happen?
 
After having for many years a store on the outskirts of Genoa, my parents decided to move the shop to the city center. This was at the end of the ‘90s. After a long search, we found a space in a Renaissance palazzo in front of city hall. At the time it was quite unusual to open a store on an upstairs floor without any window displays at street level. But something was changing. The first location of L'Eclaireur in Paris was hidden behind a door on Rue Herold; Supperclub was on a central but small street in Amsterdam with no sign at all. When we opened on May 28th, 2001, we did something that was very unusual for Genoa and for Italy as well.
 
The shop is housed in an old palace. Can you tell us more about the building? What kind of renovations were needed to put the store in?
 
The building dates from 1562 and was the residence of a Genoese merchant-turned-banker, Baldassarre Lomellino. In 1770, it was bought by Cristoforo Spinola, the ambassador of Genoa in Paris, who imported into the city a lavish French style: he brought in the royal architect of Versailles, Charles de Wailly, to add gilt frames and mirrors to the frescoed ceilings so the building was presented also in the Encyclopedie as an example of an apartement à la derniere mode.

In 1899, a bank was located here and after that a shipping agent which remained until 2000. When we started the renovation we were happy to give back to the community something that was hidden for such a long time. Architect William Sawaya helped us find the right balance between tradition and contemporary culture, designing cabinets and tables to use as displays that were made out of stainless steel, dark wood and gilded frames. Of course, this was years ahead of the neo-baroque trend.
 
We saw some interesting names -- what kind of events do you host at the space?
 
Once a year we host a small exhibition. Last year it was dedicated to pieces made by Jean Nouvel because he recently designed a new building for Genoa's fairgrounds. This fall, during the Genoa Boat Show, we'll have some rare pieces from the ‘30s designed by Giovanni Gariboldi, a friend and follower of Gio Ponti, that were made by Richard Ginori for use aboard cruise ships. A particular event was when Camilla Salvago Raggi, a well-known local writer, presented in our space Il Magnifico Leonardo, a novel about her ancestor who lived in this palazzo in the middle of the 17th century. Next year we will celebrate the first decade of Via Garibaldi 12 and we're planning limited editions for the event.
 
How do you make your curatorial selection of products and furniture? How do the selection of books relate to the other products featured?

We travel, we flip through lots of magazines and we read design blogs. But our first rule is to sell only things that we ourselves would buy. When we buy books, we often search for something that’s related to designers we sell in our store and we present the object WITH the book. It’s a way to make sure people know they're buying something of value, even if they might not be very fond of design.
 
How does the location of the store in Genoa compare to the design capital of Milan?

We have international visitors during Salone del Mobile because we are less than two hours away by car. And for people who have a holiday home on the Italian Riviera it’s much more convenient to buy furniture and goods in Genoa than in Milan. Furthermore, our city is progressively becoming a cultural destination, especially since a part of its historic downtown, including our building, has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage site. Many people are starting to realize that we’re just a half-hour drive from Portofino and the Cinque Terre.
 
Your products range in price from 250 euros to 36,000 euros. What is your clientele, and who comes to shop there?

We also carry items that are even less expensive. There’s quite a mix. We don’t have a “typical” customer. There are architects, designers, but also people who bring their friends here to show them the "best kept secret" in the city. Of course, we have some VIP clients and in the last few years, thanks to the development of a new marina near the airport, yacht owners are also discovering our store as a place to fulfill their needs.
 
What are the most popular items that are put on your wedding registry?
 
Ptolomeo bookshelves by Bruno Rainaldi because our customers are avid readers! And leather products by my brother’s company, B.Home Interiors, because he does custom-made orders for clients.
 
Unexpected bestseller?
 
Rimowa luggage. We’re not a luggage shop, but our customers are frequent travelers and they enjoy these lightweight German products. They are beautiful as well.
 
Unexpected flop?
Taschen’s Modernism Rediscovered by Julius Shulman. It's a beautiful book, but it weighs 14kg and is just too much to carry.
 
We have to ask: what is your favorite Gestalten book?
Papercraft. We made a window display with Hermes watches taking inspiration from an illustration in the book.
 
What is your design fetish?
My Normal watch by Ross McBride. I like it because it looks so “normal” but has a hidden beauty.