Italian luxury fashion house Fendi has long composed sartorial love letters to Rome, with the maison’s latest project further showcasing its connection with the eternal city through a different artistic medium. In collaboration with the French conservation body Mobilier National and the French Academy in Rome, Fendi has worked to refurbish and refresh six salons within the historic Villa Medici.
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The 16th-century building has been used by the French Academy in Rome since 1803 and plays host to important cultural events and resident programs. Villa Medici hasn’t been updated in a couple of decades, with the French Academy in Rome envisioning the overhaul as a way to establish a stronger link between the heritage building and contemporary design. In addition to the interior redesign, the project also saw the French Academy in Rome enlist architect Pierre-Antoine Gatier and conservation specialist Bobin Tradition, to restore decorative pieces of the Grand Salon and undertake preservation work on the building’s pre-existing wall hangings, respectively.
Conceived by Kim Jones and Silvia Venturini Fendi, co-creative directors at Fendi, the revamp sees the six salons fitted with modern French and Italian furnishings; many of which were selected from the Fendi Casa homewares collection, as well pieces by contemporary designers such as Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec.
Colour serves to consolidate old and new in many of the salons, with the palette of each space informed by the current wall hangings and tapestries. In the petit salon, a burnt orange sofa by Toan Nguyen is selected to complement the terracotta tones of the walls and decorative cabinet. Meanwhile, in the Salon des Pensionnairess, the Borghese table by Noé Duchaufour-Lawrance is informed by the shape of the stone pine trees that dot the streets of Rome, accompanied by Welcome sofas and armchairs by Chiara Andreatti.
Traditional and contemporary continue to coexist in harmony on the walls, with new tapestries — predominantly created by female artists — joining the heritage hangings. Artwork by the likes of Louise Bourgeois, Sheila Hicks, Aurelie Nemours, Alicia Penalba, and Sonia Delaunay, as well as Raoul Ubac, Edoardo Chillida, and Patrick Corillon can now be found adorning the walls of the Villa Medici. The revamp wasn’t solely aesthetic, with the acoustic element of the heritage building also receiving an upgrade. In partnership with auditory company Devialet, custom acoustic panels have been placed behind certain tapestries in the Grand Salon, improving the sound experience without compromising its visual appeal.
Words by T. Angel
Images courtesy of Silvia Rivoltella for Fendi
