‍

“It all starts with the handprint. In the cave, this early human, she dips her hand in the paint, she makes a mark, and then shows the others how to do it too. That is the first family portrait, and also marks the beginning of design - art - everything.” And so it was with this foundational moment of humanity’s desire to personalise the spaces we inhabit that Roberto Palomba started his discussion on “The Art of Living - Living with The Art.”

Hosted at the Lualdi flagship in the Robertson-Beverly Bvlds Design District, the renowned architect and designer was invited to Los Angeles by the Consulate General of Italy, the Italian Cultural Institute and the Italian Trade Commission to launch Italian Design Day. Passionate and personable as well as accomplished, Palomba is an ideal ambassador for Italian style and culture. This year the firm Palomba Serafini Associati that Roberto runs with partner Ludovica Serafini in Milan celebrated what they call “30 years on the dancefloor.” Often described as the “golden couple of Italian design” they possess a modern Midas touch. Working their magic on a wide variety of spaces throughout the world, they’ve created hundreds of vital products and collaborated with major brands including Kartell, Artemide, Fendi Casa, Fratelli Rossetti, Foscarini, Poltrona Frau, Maserati and Benetti yachts.

The theme of the talk was “Seriality and Uniqueness,” and as befits a longtime professor of the Polytechnic of Milan, Palomba’s presentation was comprehensive and thought-provoking, with exuberant storytelling supported by visuals that collaged examples of his own work, contemporary art and historical artefacts. As the audience, including Consul General of Italy in Los Angeles Raffaella Valentini, enjoyed the best of Italian wine and canapés, Palomba proposed that serial production of design objects began in response to the ‘Grand Tour’ which passed through the historic sites of Italy from the 17th to 19th centuries. Spurred by the demand for souvenirs from travellers awe-struck by the Greco-Roman wonders they had seen, local artisans began to adapt their skillset to create copies of these classics for them to take home. What was to become international ‘interior design’ had been born: a personal experience of art, beauty and luxury delivered though inherently ‘hands-on' craft techniques - think gilding, Murano glass, mosaic, Carrara marble, richly-dyed leather, ornate wood carving.

Palomba then elucidated how the innate values of “Made in Italy,” anchored as they are in perspective and proportion, were also perfectly suited to express the unadorned stylistic purity of mid-century Modernity. Innovations in post-war industrial design led to new materials that gave Minimalism monumental impact, with clean lines and bare concrete revolutionizing what a building or a room could be. He also paid tribute to host Lualdi, a family-owned company who have made custom doors for important buildings for over 160 years, including architectural milestones such as the Bosco Verticale in Milan. In short: just as the door completes the cave and makes it into a home, it is the partnership of contemporary art and design that infuses our lived environments with uniqueness today.

Leading us on a fascinating dance across time from primeval hand-prints to industrially produced products, Palomba proved that from ancient times to modern, where there is excellence in style and design, it is certain that an Italian will have had a hand in it.

Photographed by James Riva.