TOP OF THE LAKE

A colourful home on Italy’s Lake Como is a true ref lection of the heart and soul of its owner, Stefano Guidotti

SStefano Guidotti traces his creative roots to three significant places in his life: first to Naples, where he was born; then to Florence, which he considers his second home; and finally to Lake Como, the exquisite enclave nestled in the Alpine foothills near Italy’s border with Switzerland. It was a certain synchronicity that brought the interior designer to the region: the Italian design company Baxter, where Guidotti is art director, is based there. “My adventure with Baxter began almost by chance during a business trip abroad,” he explains. “We met, and it was like love at first sight that has now lasted almost five years.” When Guidotti found his spacious one-bedroom waterfront apartment in a stately early 20th-century Mediterranean-style building, he was immediately seduced. “It arrived at a moment in my life when I needed to try a new creative pathway,” he says. “I love being near the water and now I can watch the sunset — which is my favourite time of day, when a magical light seems to envelop the whole place.” For Guidotti, home is where he tells his life story; as he adds to his eclectic collection of treasures gathered while travelling all over the world — from Marrakech to Budapest and Paris — it continually grows and evolves. His love of collecting objects is in direct contradiction to his self-professed obsession with order — a dilemma he says he resolves by “creating a balance between full and empty spaces”. Guidotti admits that his relationship with colour is so strong as to be almost maniacal: from one room to the next, the connection between the individual spaces and palettes is clear. “Every house has a soul, which emerges as you work on it,” he says, “and I follow my instincts. I started with the pattern of the original cementine tiled floor, which reminded me of a huge carpet, and the other colours followed on from there.” Throughout the space, exotic succulents stand to attention in pots or weave their tendrils seductively around walls, adding an extra dimension of drama. “I love these plants,” Guidotti says. “They’re like sculptures, and their amazing, giant flowers surprise me every time.” Guidotti’s combined passion for colour, order, water and light is so wonderfully and harmoniously expressed here. Whether it is in the vivid shades painted on the walls; the carefully chosen mix of modern, vintage and ethnic furniture and objects; or the lake backdrop visible from vantage points throughout the home, his heart and soul shines through. About two years ago, feeling the need to experiment creatively in other contexts, the designer joined Italian jacquard textile firm Imatex as artistic director. “While these experiences are all different,” Guidotti says, “the unifying common denominators are colour and experimenting with materials.”

“EVERY HOUSE HAS A SOUL, WHICH EMERGES AS YOU WORK ON IT, AND I FOLLOW MY INSTINCTS”