The front door of BRIGITTA SPINOCCHIA FREUND’s home, in London’s lovely Notting Hill neighborhood, opens onto a huge, silvery, pleated screen. For a moment or two, it blocks the view of the immensely wide, high-ceilinged reception room that takes up the entire entrance level.
It’s a counterintuitive design decision that encapsulates Spinocchia Freund’s subtle and alluring ethos and aesthetic: The screen is, in fact, a 1964 JEAN PROUVÉ sun shutter (created for modular school buildings he designed in Cameroon), and by initially blocking the sight of the room, it elegantly creates privacy and magnifies the surprise of the sumptuous and unpredictably dressed space behind its folds.
In that space, Spinocchia Freund placed unique pieces of furniture in sparse arrangements that create maximum visual impact while also providing comfortable places to sit, talk, read or ponder.
“I suppose we have a haute couture approach,” says Spinocchia Freund, who founded her design practice in 2009 after eight years working for the London luxury-property developer Candy & Candy. “I think what I can offer, among other things, is the curation of a really beautiful collection, one that is comfortable and has longevity.”
Curating spaces, bringing the outside in, using every inch to maximum effect, working with artists — these are all characteristic elements of Spinocchia Freund’s practice, which includes such current projects as a duplex penthouse in the landmark Centre Point building and a house for a major art collector, both in central London; a residential building in Monaco; a luxury hotel on the Greek island of Mykonos; and chalets in the chic French Alps ski resort of Courchevel.
