Nina Yashar
THE GALLERIST
best known as the founder of Milan’s Nilufar gallery, a temple of design and style.
Besides being one of the most stylish women in design (you can’t miss her at Salone del Mobile, decked out in her chic signature turban and oversize earrings), Nina Yashar also runs one of the world’s most venerated design galleries, Nilufar. Her life changed while venturing north. “I discovered the world of design on a trip across Scandinavia,” she says. “At the time I was focussed only on collecting and exhibiting antique and contemporary carpets, but instead of coming back to Milan with them, I brought back a lot of fine armchairs and sofas, which shocked everyone!” Alongside collaborating and supporting emerging designers at Nilufar, her current passion is vintage Italian, Brazilian and Mexican design. She believes successful design is about balance. “Everyone’s personality and vision is characterised by both feminine and male aspects, and the feminine side is sometimes underestimated. Finding the right combination between them is the way.”