This historical Florentine villa is given a contemporary rethink
Danish design brand Frama and filmmaker Albert Moya have worked together to update the Villa Medicea di Marignolle in Italy
Multidisciplinary Danish design brand Frama has breathed new life into a historical Italian home, collaborating with filmmaker Albert Moya to create a welcoming space in Florence. Located between Galluzzo and Soffiano in the southwestern suburbs, Villa Medicea di Marignolle has a rich history. Both the former home of Galileo Galilei and one of the Medici family’s villas, it is now a base for Spanish-born Moya, who was keen to combine the 15th-century building with contemporary design codes.
‘I teamed up with Frama to create a studio, a space acting as a school where artists can meet students,’ Moya says. ‘A place where everyone can learn something new, absorb knowledge, and exchange ideas. There is a natural interaction between the interior architecture, Frama’s universe, and each selected piece. It is a harmonious, unified and balanced approach.’
It is a laid-back aesthetic encapsulated in the interior of the villa, an icon of Renaissance architecture, with the creation of two workspaces that serve equally for relaxing and socialising, in these surroundings that marry architecture, design and art.
For Moya, the tranquillity of the Florentine villa is key to its success, and his partnership with Frama defines the parameters of the untraditional living studio. It is a natural project for the Danish studio, which composes design solutions from its base and showroom space in the historic St Paul’s Apotek in Nyboder, Copenhagen. In the past, the brand has worked on both lifestyle objects, fragrances and homewares and interior architecture projects, as well as offering a multisensory approach to design solutions for furniture and lighting, creating warm and welcoming spaces.
‘With an emphasis on natural materials, simple geometries, and uncompromising quality, our work celebrates craftsmanship,’ the brand states. ‘It connects the imaginative with the practical, resulting in a uniquely honest aesthetic.’
INFORMATION
framacph.com
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Hannah Silver is the Art, Culture, Watches & Jewellery Editor of Wallpaper*. Since joining in 2019, she has overseen offbeat design trends and in-depth profiles, and written extensively across the worlds of culture and luxury. She enjoys meeting artists and designers, viewing exhibitions and conducting interviews on her frequent travels.
-
Explore Cornwall's cosiest coffee shops
Cornwall is known for its natural beauty and stunning landscape, here is our pick of coffee shops to enjoy the views and refuel
By Tianna Williams Published
-
Maude’s Brâncuși-inspired sex toys go on display in a new Paris exhibition
Maude’s design-led vibrators are now on display at Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, as part of ‘Private Lives: From the Bedroom to Social Media’. Brand founder Éva Goicochea talks to Wallpaper* about partnering with the museum and opening up cultural conversations around sex
By India Birgitta Jarvis Published
-
‘I was captivated by the idea of merging two iconic brands’: Nigo on his 1990s-inspired collaboration with Moncler and Mercedes-Benz
Unveiled at Moncler’s ‘The City of Genius’ event in Shanghai this past weekend, Japanese fashion designer Nigo unpacks his three-way collaboration with Moncler and Mercedes-Benz, which includes a play on the G-Class alongside a fashion collection in his eclectic style
By Jack Moss Published
-
Naples Central Station boasts a wavy, wooden signature roof that is dramatic and sculptural
Naples Underground Central Station by Benedetta Tagliabue is a work of art that’s inviting and vibrant, matching its dynamic context
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
‘Carlo Scarpa: The Complete Buildings’ is an essential tour of the Italian master’s works
‘Carlo Scarpa: The Complete Buildings’ is the perfect book for architecture enthusiasts
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
New Aesop Milan store is a haven of beauty and tranquillity
The latest Aesop Milan store to open is a hub of wellness, beauty and tranquillity in the Italian metropolis
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
A new water mirror casts a misty veil over ancient Roman baths
Architect Hannes Peer reveals a water mirror in Rome – an immersive architectural installation at the heart of the ancient Baths of Caracalla
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Modernist architecture: inspiration from across the globe
Modernist architecture has had a tremendous influence on today’s built environment, making these midcentury marvels some of the most closely studied 20th-century buildings; here, we explore the genre by continent
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Giovanni Michelucci’s dramatic concrete church in the Italian Dolomites
Giovanni Michelucci’s concrete Church of Santa Maria Immacolata in the Italian Dolomites is a reverently uplifting memorial to the victims of a local disaster
By Jonathan Glancey Published
-
Milan’s 10 Corso Como revamp nods to the concept store’s industrial character
Milanese concept store 10 Corso Como unveils its new look by 2050+, a stripped-back design that nods to its 20th-century character
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Carlo Ratti announced curator of Venice Architecture Biennale 2025
Carlo Ratti has been revealed as the Director of the Architecture Department at the Venice Architecture Biennale 2025, with the specific task of curating the 19th International Architecture Exhibition
By Ellie Stathaki Published