Maurizio Pellizzoni on Home Styling with Luxury Accessories

Interior designer Maurizio Pellizzoni shares his advice for choosing and using accessories to achieve that illusive sense of atmosphere at home.

What are your first considerations when beginning the styling process in a project?

The first thing I always do is look at the space and what we are working with. Understanding the space is very important as we can use some of the accessories to complement the existing architectural aspects of the room. For my GQ Bachelor Pad shoot I selected the space – an old church - for the styling and used its colours to choose what we finally used on the set.

What are the most popular requests which you receive with regards to home styling?

One of the most popular requests is to make a space feel homely and liveable, as some formulaic interior design can feel staged. On a few occasions I’ve had clients come to me with images to illustrate exactly what they don’t want to see in their home. These tend to feature generic styling that’s created something luxurious, but lacking in character. Clients often ask me to incorporate furniture and accessories they already own. This is extremely important to me as these items can really determine the feel of the room.

Mixing antique, vintage and contemporary styles is becoming more popular across interior design. What advice would you give to those looking to replicate this at home?

I would say not to be scared of doing it, but be very conscious of how the different styles work together. One of the biggest mistakes in styling is to have too many belongings, so choose a few larger pieces rather than many small ones. This way the contrasts will look intentional, rather than muddled. If you’re not sure where to start, use design classics like blue and white ceramics that have an enduring popularity and timeless elegance.

Luxury hotels often lead the way in using bold art and accessories, what is the best way to recreate these eye-catching styles at home?

The best way to incorporate hospitality design at home is to scale down, just choosing some of the features rather than all of them. One thing not to forget is the scale of the project you are working on. Even if it’s a large family mansion, the size of the rooms are not likely to be on the same scale as those in a hotel, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t replicate your favourite ideas.

What do you see as being the biggest ideas and expressions in home styling for 2017?

Blue continues to dominate, in shades moving towards green and teal. Handcrafted products are also becoming increasingly important, as clients want an assurance of quality and individuality. The Kilim Patchwork rug [LINK] embodies both of these trends; each one is made with antique oriental rugs, which have been re-worked in contemporary colours.

Browse Maurizio’s curated selection of home décor accessories here, or view his projects to see more of his versatile design style.