Observations from the Road
Arrivederci Roma!
Nov
My take on the unbelievable Design Leadership Summit in Rome
Day one – as you step into the bustling, marble lobby, you are immediately greeted with the friendliest Italian welcome from all the staff. Breathe it all in!
There are enormous bunches of Italian style flowers to greet you in the lobby of the Hotel de Russie – not really my style, but to each his own regarding glam I say!
If you follow me on the mighty Gram, (and as my mum would like to say, – if not, why not?) you will probably know that I have just been on a whirlwind design extravaganza in Rome with the Design Leadership Network. Such a treat!
I arrived on a public holiday and Rome was packed with people – and hot! Very surprising for November!! The ladies were all lamenting the fact that we bought some fun fall outfits and ended up in tee shirts most of the time! Oh well, climate change is real guys!
This was the first big international Design Leadership Summit since the Covid pause, and it was mind boggling! They certainly know how to put on a show that will blow away all those jetlagged cobwebs!
Apart from blowing our socks off with drinks and dinners in the most inner sanctum places in Rome, most of which are only accessed by a very lucky few – (the DLN takes great pains to make our summits unforgettable), the main reason for these get togethers, is forging friendships and building community with our fellow creative brethren. Being back in the fold again, reminded us how much we have missed these gatherings. How much we delight in getting to rub shoulders with all types of people from our creative community, it also, in my case, these gatherings have gifted me with some deep friendships over the years.
Morning one before registration gave us a chance for some ‘walkie talkie’ as we call it. We were joined by Cynthia, and we wandered around the Borghese Gardens with no particular plan, just taking in the atmosphere and sharing stories of our travels…
I’m obsessed with the giant pine trees – they remind me so much of my childhood in Cape Town where they dot the sides of Table Mountain. I have heard that they are being systematically removed because they aren’t indigenous… not sure how I feel about that….
Girl talk with a view!
Happenstance happens when you’re wandering with no agenda…
Peroni break in honor of my dear sister Julia, her favourite drink…. Rome was the first city in Europe we visited in Europe with my mum and our new stepfather. He brought us all on honeymoon with them – all four of us little children that he acquired with his widow bride. Looking back that was an enormous undertaking. We were so thrilled by it all, so being back in Rome floods me with nostalgia….
Post registration drinks and dinner in private palazzo’s – with the DLN the hits just keep on coming!! They like us to be constantly awestruck by what comes at us next! I think this was the Villa Medici in the Borghese Gardens, but quite honestly looking back on it, the gloriousness just all seems to blend into one big gasp!
If your dinner guest bores you, you can always get a quick tutorial on Roman art by staring at the walls laden with masterful works.
Day one’s lectures were all about Italian interior design. It is so very different from American interior design, or English interior design that my heart seems to favour. The message I came away with was that Roman interiors, whether modern or traditional, all seem to be hyper aware of the ancient roots of the city. The two-thousand-year-old history can not go unacknowledged or unreferenced – even with the smallest gesture, the ancient history and sense of place is never forgotten. The photos above are Marella Caracciolo Chia, a woman of endless relaxed style and grace. We were also charmed by Gianluca Longo of the World of Interiors – he talks of his love of both English and Italian interiors, equally, and in their own way….the sharpness of Italian design and the comfortable, relaxed and slightly eccentric English interiors!
One of the most fun parts of the trip are oddly the minibus commutes from our hotels to the various event destinations. It is quite amazing how, after 8 people have squeezed in, and introductions are done, so many varied topics can be touched on in a 20 minute ride. Sometimes the theme is fun and fluffy and sometimes we get really deep!
One of my travel companions on one of these trips announced that he was really glad that we weren’t being lectured on ‘branding’ this time. I’m so bored of the branding chat he said, it’s been beaten to death, this is so much more interesting! He was right, the thread that emerged for me was:
- Keep going, however many people try to sway your opinion or fill you with doubt.
- Everyone starts somewhere, there are low moments, and moments of self-doubt for most creatives.
- Stay true to yourself, don’t wander off into new territory chasing what someone else expects of you.
- Ignore boundaries, there is no reason why you need to stay in one design place, have a go at anything that inspires you!
- If you are true to yourself, you are your own brand!
I so believe in all of this, I just don’t see the point in going into territory where others have gone before and done a thoroughly good job of it too!
The awards dinner at the Palazzo Colonna was enough to make any jaded Italianophile – take a giant breath! I don’t think I have ever been in rooms filled with more splendour. And to think that this is a private residence that has been in the same family since the 1400’s!!
This way to dinner….
The receiving room
View into the courtyard from the window – can you believe that this privately owned villa has been in the Colonna family since the 1400’s??
I loved the view from this window too – I am going to do agave in pots everywhere!!
Above new pal Scott!
These trips are all about friendship and forming new relationships in our community. The courtyard of the Hotel de Russie was the perfect spot for after dinner drinks, chatting about our takes on the day’s events, scary shifts in world events, and things that we have noticed in our design world.
In our afternoon session a really weird thing happened… We all tromped off to our afternoon tours, ours was the private viewing of a scandal ridden villa in the middle of a huge family dispute that contained a rare Caravaggio painted ceiling. It was quite a walk and we were all eager to get there and get back to a nice Aperol Spritz in the hotel courtyard.
The story involves a former Playboy bunny, multiple heirs and a mind-blowing price tag.
We arrived, and I have to say the casino – (the name for a building expressly used for entertaining and holding your masterpieces, mostly in a garden setting), was looking slightly the worse for wear. The garden was untended, and it had a very sad atmosphere. After viewing the painted ceiling, we started going back down the narrow spiral stairs, everything went dark, and our guide shuffled us out of the side door. Is that it??
We were a little perplexed, but we started down the driveway with a shrug, my phone rang, it was my daughter about key arrangements for her house in London on my return trip, and suddenly I looked up to the most enormous raging man behind me! I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone so angry in my life, he looked like he would explode. We took off sharply!
Turns out, it was one of the sons from marriage number one, he was furious we were in the disputed villa, what a drama! No blood was spilled thank heavens!
The following day it was architect Pierro Lissoni – a man whose design prowess knows no bounds. He will not be pigeon holed – he likes to design everything in his world! And why not? So inspiring.
La Sirenuse is perhaps the most iconic, family-owned hotel in Italy. I just loved hearing Antonio Sersale, the CEO and creative director, talk about the deep relationship he has with the artisans that create the products that are the mood of the hotel. The floor tiles, the Murano glass lamps, the upholsterers, the furniture restorers, they are all part of the workings of the hotel that put together make it feel so original and right. Clinging to the hillside in Positano, it might be the most Instagrammed hotel in the world. I don’t think there is a more dreamy Italian moment to be had, than sipping prosecco and eating a couple of oysters in the outside oyster bar.
The prize for the most passionate speaker definitely went to Flavio Manzoni! He is chief design officer of Ferrari and he got really deep into his subject, this left me and a couple of ladies I was sitting with slightly baffled…. He was our last speaker and they almost had to drag him off the stage, it was so cute! ‘Just one more thing!!!’ My hubbie would have been transfixed, I kept on texting him pictures of the slides – pretty amazing!
I left the last afternoon to do some wandering on my own. I enjoy mingling with the crowds, soaking up the atmosphere of a city and looking and looking….
Travel opens our minds, sets off our creative cogs in our brains, it reminds us that there is not one way of doing things, not one ways of seeing the world! It doesn’t have to be fancy like this, it’s just important to get out there and explore. New adventures always need to be part of our lives…. Get those air miles working for you asap!
