Gazette

Le Rendez Vous avec Ilaria Ferraro Toueg

January 20, 2023 #alamode
Milanese interior

For our first Rendez-vous today we have the pleasure of sitting on a mint green sofa, surrounded by beautiful linen curtains, in a pink setting, the quintessential symbol of femininity, among ornamental plants, patterns and geometric textures, immersed in a dreamlike atmosphere, a true gourmode bijoux.

Guess who will grace us with her refined presence, delighting us with anecdotes and curious design details? Our friend Ilaria Ferraro Toueg, Italian interior and product designer, creative director of TED Milano, of which she has been co-founder since its inception. Her greatest passions have been fashion and design from the beginning. Her career boasts decades of worldwide experience in residential design and product-based projects.

Let’s get to know her personally and find out what’s on the menu!

 Good morning Ilaria, tell us about your devotion for fashion and design!

Ilaria – I’ll start by telling you that the world of interior design is constantly evolving and I am constantly keeping the flame of my passion alive, whether it’s a new trend, the launch of a new product or the discovery of forgotten or hidden gems. Let me tell you a secret right away: Milan is one of the cities that is home to so many hidden treasures, notebook in hand for the next curiosities that I will share with you!

I draw inspiration from fashion and interior designers from Yves Saint Laurent to Gio Ponti, who in my opinion are the true legends!

You mentioned Milan as a place that hosts hidden and forgotten gems where every gou gou imagines living, dreaming of a flat of his own, where he can give vent to his chic et raffiné goût. City of Italian taste par excellence where design and fashion come together, queen of novelty, a breath of fresh air. 

If you had to describe your ideal space in the metropolis, how would you imagine it?

Ilaria – Milan has always been my city. I would only change it for Paris like any self-respecting gou gou! Speaking of my ideal flat, I would start by choosing my favourite neighbourhood, the Magenta district. I would like to look out onto the streets of that slightly bourgeois Milan in which I grew up, among the period buildings of that area which was developed between the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th, to the west of the city centre along the perimeter of the old city walls. We are talking about entrances with imposing wooden doors and fine marble cladding in bright, sometimes pinkish colours, often framed by black marble borders. Inside these buildings, there are almost always small, well-kept, quiet gardens planted with roses and wisteria. A Milan of modest and unexpected elegance can be discovered in the ancient apartment blocks with their stone staircases. I would like my flat to have a large entrance hall with one of those typical Palladian or Venetian-style floors. The ceilings are certainly very high and decorated with different plaster stuccoes in each room, so I would prefer the main floor with large windows and a bow window in the living room. I would like cast-iron radiators with barely noticeable decorations, waxed and polished parquet floors laid in a herringbone pattern and rigorously nailed down so as not to miss the creaking sound that wood makes when you walk on it. I would like an original marble fireplace in the living room to fill with candles to light on cold winter nights while I read a book lying on a cosy sofa with comfortable feather-filled seats, one of those with a wooden shaft as they used to do in the past.

Desirable and sought-after, tasty delicacies with a worldly flavour, a creamy heart and a retro scent. What is so unique and special about the homes of the Milanese who love art, design and a refined palate that they have become style icons?

Ilaria – Large rooms and high ceilings are the characteristic features of period buildings and houses, although there are many differences depending on the architecture and the period to which the flats date. By definition, period houses are exclusively those built for noble use.

We like to snoop around, imagining ourselves fully dressed with a nice caramel-coloured trench coat, the inevitable accessory, a big hatready to hide us, magnifying glass and smartphone in action to impress wonder and amazement in our eyes and our virtual galleries. Where are the homes of true Milanese loved ones located? Which neighbourhoods are most in vogue for their sophisticated designs or the most fascinating historical buildings?

 Ilaria –

The Magenta district in Milan is my favourite, the place to meet and start a gourmet tour is 
Piazza Virgilio where Via Boccaccio and Via Monti cross. The style of the buildings recalls the classicism of the late 16th and early 17th centuries. Turning into Via Boccaccio we find the first Art Nouveau pearl of the neighbourhood, Casa Donzelli,designed by Florentine Ulisse Stacchini in 1903, architect of the Central Station. A few steps and we are in Piazza della Conciliazione, large and bright, the nucleus of the neighbourhood with its elegant buildings. At number 1 in the square is Casa Binda, built in 1900, a grandiose example of Art Nouveau, with its alternation of bow windows and rich floral decoration, particularly evident in the main door. A little to the south, after a building with a graceful balcony supported by cherubs, we find another jewel, Casa Laugier (1905-1906), located on the corner of Piazzale Baracca and Corso Magenta. This building is a pure example of Art Nouveau with its exceptional decorations and the wrought iron on the façade by Alessandro Mazzucotelli. Also noteworthy is the 
Santa Teresa pharmacy below, one of the oldest in Milan, which preserves furnishings and decorations of the period in inlaid wood and glass decorated with floral motifs.  Back in Piazza Conciliazione, we come to the most significant corner of the district, Piazza Tommaseo.  In springtime, the Piazza is one of the most beautiful corners of Milan for the extraordinary blossoming of its delicate pink magnolia trees, an unmissable sight in this season. The small, quiet square is overlooked by small villas with Baroque and Renaissance elements, as well as the neighbourhood church, Santa Maria Segreta. A stone’s throw from the blooming magnolias, we walk along the district’s green oasis, Via XX Settembre, with its pretty, elegant villas. Continuing towards Via Ariosto, as far as Largo V Alpini, is a single row of Art Nouveau buildings. Of particular note, at number 21, is Casa Cavalli Agostoni, built in 1908 by Alfredo Menni, in which stylistic grace is combined with a bas-relief decoration representing languorous dancing women, the Four Seasons. At 19, Via Ariosto, we find the grandiose Palazzo Troubetzkoy, designed by Cesare Berni in 1919, which has French-style mansards with a corner dome next to floral decorations and wrought iron that make us dream of Paris.  A little further on, in Via Guido d’Arezzo 5, we come across another historic building, this time an example of Milan’s late Art Nouveau, La Casa Frisia, also known as Casa delle Lumache or Casa delle Aragoste (House of Snails or House of Lobsters), recurrent decorative subjects on the façade, built between 1920 and 1922 by the architect Edmondo Cattò.  Eclecticism dominates the streets of the district.

After having delighted and satisfied us with the virtual tour of the Magenta district, which we invite our gougou readers to visit and share with us through photos posted on social media pages, now is the time for curiosity. Among the beautiful projects you are involved in or which have seen you as a protagonist in recent months, would you share with us some spoilers about your interior design and your most precious gems to “steal” with your eyes?

Ilaria – When I decorate a house I always start by taking into account the historical context in order not to distort the main features. In a late 19th century or early 20th century flat, I would let the structure of the house with its period enamelled wooden doors, large windows with draughty frames and high ceilings remain the main character. For me, the imperfections and signs of time are the beauty of these types of houses. I would enhance the ceiling stuccoes typical of this period, painting the walls in cool, restful shades of celadon alternating with a palette of pastel and neutral tones for the furnishings. I would prefer the warm light of lamps and chandeliers to illuminate the large rooms of such houses, and I would not obstruct the natural light coming in through the large windows by framing them with simple ivory linen cascading down. To create an eclectic and very personal style, I would alternate vintage pieces with design pieces; a timeless lamp is a must in the living room or at the entrance like the Snoopy by Flos in its first black and white version. As I am used to doing, I would personally design the kitchen to give it an eclectic and non-standard look, with enamelled doors and gilded brass handles. In the bedroom, I would always choose a very high bed, perhaps a four-poster bed, and among the furnishings, I would use a large trunk and a wooden chest of drawers to store linen in linen or hand-embroidered percale cotton. I would prefer the wardrobes to be in a dedicated room with walls decorated with wallpaper and a large central cabinet for folding and storing clothes. The last room, for me the most important, is still the bathroom, which I would like to have a parquet floor, walls covered in light-coloured marble and decorated with wallpaper.  I imagine it to be bright and spacious, and I certainly wouldn’t renounce to a cast iron bathtub in the middle of the room and to the stylish taps resting on a spacious vanity with a marble top with cold veins and a large mirror well lit like a real gou gou vanity chic!

And now we come to gourmet à la mode objects and furnishings. Rare items to have at all costs, where to find them and how to contextualise them! We imagine our home comfort zone to be radiant, a real photographic set in which to free our dreams and thoughts. 3 must-have interior designs you’d recommend for a gourmode space.

Ilaria – Must-have items for the home are to be found strictly by wandering around vintage markets, my favourite being the Antiques Market on the Naviglio Grande, a real highlight at the end of the month. Three must-have items for me are 

  1. the designer lamp to place at the entrance on the vintage chest of drawers or the cupboard in the living room;

the vintage cotton velvet armchair in an eclectic colour, an indispensable accent to any living area;

the piece of vintage chinoiserie, an ever-present reminder of the East, always très chic in the classic Milanese flat.

And for you?
We certainly haven’t forgotten: your beautiful home will have so much to tell, style, furniture, decor, furnishings, what would you like to add to your wish list? Amaze us by mentioning 3 items that you would like to purchase next.

Ilaria – My next purchases will definitely be: 

  1. the Venini mushroom table lamp in pink with its classic streaks;
  2. a vintage 70s sofa to be reupholstered in pink cotton velvet;
  3. a free-standing mirror that can also be used to hang clothes and that I would like to design and produce myself.
What else?

Having reached the end of this Rendez-vous in the company of interior product designer Ilaria Ferraro Toueg, gou gou girl par excellence, we thank her for transforming simple design ingredients into a delicious à la mode meal made up of memorable rooms, furnishings, decorations and squares. 

While we wait to discover our next host of the tastiest and most fashionable date, we ask you: do not forget to propose names of people of inspiration and juicy themes. 

À bientôt!