Tour the Italian ambassador’s redesigned London apartment

A redesign of the Italian ambassador Inigo Lambertini’s London residence in Grosvenor Square is the latest venture from Nick Vinson – a Wallpaper* contributing editor and a longstanding stalwart of the team – distilling his creative flair and knowledge of design history into a unique interior.

Vinson joined Wallpaper* as Milan editor in 2003, before becoming special projects director in 2007 (orchestrating memorable moments including enlisting Karl Lagerfeld as guest editor in 2009) and continues to enrich our pages through projects that merge his interest in design, rigorous precision (under his alias, Picky Nicky, he penned a monthly column for us) and longevity.

More recently, he has expanded his creative reach, collaborating with luxury brands such as Ceccotti Collezioni, Armani Casa, Berluti and Birkenstock, and helping to create the striking interiors for the Cromwell Place Café in South Kensington. From the start, he has woven luxury design with contemporary art, selecting objects of value to elevate each space and set that he creates.

Redesigning the Italian ambassador’s residence in London

The Italian ambassador’s residence is set over the second and third floors of a Grade II-listed building originally built in 1868, and the apartment’s interiors were last remodelled in the 1930s by architecture practice Wellesley & Wills. By the time an invitation to tender was issued in 2023, the residence was starting to look decidedly tired. ‘As time passed, those spaces were no longer able to adequately convey the image of Italy in the world, nor to reflect the vitality and innovation of our country,’ says Lambertini. ‘The goal was to combine tradition and modernity, highlighting the elegance of the building without sacrificing a contemporary imprint that reflected the excellence of Italian design.’

To win the bid, Vinson worked with Fiona Lamb, of Avanti Architects, who supported on all technical (and bureaucratic) aspects of the project. Avanti’s expertise lies in the conservation of modern buildings dating from the 1920s to the post-war period, with notable restorations including the Isokon Flats in Hampstead and Berthold Lubetkin’s penguin pool at London Zoo.

For the apartment refreshment, Vinson chose to maintain its existing character while adding new elements that are placed in conversation with the building’s features and its Italian connection. ‘I wanted to create a display for the best of made in Italy,’ says Vinson of his concept for the apartment, which reads like a who’s who of Italian furniture and design. ‘The best part was encountering the enthusiasm from all the fantastic Italian companies involved.’

For what he dubs ‘a dream project for a dream client’, he worked with the support of the embassy’s head of administration Federico Balsani. The finished renovation encompasses more than 50 Italian brands, handpicked by Vinson, and includes all furniture, lighting, paint, radiators, textiles and accessories.

There are beds by Vincent Van Duysen for Molteni & C, bedside tables by Piero Lissoni for Porro, Mario Bellini-designed leather ‘Cab’ chairs for Cassina, Antonio Citterio’s ‘ABC’ armchairs for Flexform, sofas by B&B Italia and Minotti, ‘Logo’ lamps by Armani Casa, ‘Kyoto’ coffee tables by Gianfranco Frattini for Poltrona Frau, a marble dining table by Angelo Mangiarotti for Agapecasa, and a kitchen by Poliform. There are pieces by design icons such as Luigi Caccia Dominioni, Giandomenico Belotti, Achille Castiglioni, Charlotte Perriand, Franco Albini and Franca Helg, fabrics by Rubelli and Dedar, mirrors by Martino Gamper, wooden objects from Bottega Ghianda, vases by Ronan Bouroullec for Mutina, and grooming products by Eredi Zucca.

The contemporary designs and objects are mixed with pieces from the embassy’s own collection of antiques, which were carefully restored. ‘Nick’s ambition was to preserve as much of the historic interiors as possible and work “with’ the original plan,’ says Lamb. ‘He was keen to not lose the historic patina of age [nor] scrub it clean of its past.’

Vinson’s own approach shines throughout the apartment, but it’s in a collection of carpets that his flair for design really dazzles. Personally designed by Vinson for the space, the carpets are defined by four motifs, each inspired by the floor of a notable Italian building. A triangular pattern mimics an ancient mosaic adorning the floors of the Roman Baths of Caracalla, while Villa Borsani, near Milan, inspired a design similar to the undulating marble floor in contrasting colours. Parma’s Palazzo della Pilotta is referenced in a geometric motif in the living and dining rooms, while Carlo Scarpa’s Olivetti store in Venice inspired a design of contrasting squares. The carpets were made by Italian company CC-Tapis especially for the project.

The interior’s conceptual brilliance lies in the details, such as the original acorn-shaped hinges that were carefully restored and matched with an archive 1932 textile from Rubelli on antique chairs; and the tassels Vinson created for the residence’s keys, made by Como-based textile specialist Lorma, in hues that match each room.

The colour palette is very rich, with each room bathed in vibrant shades of red, blue, yellow and mint green that discreetly recur on walls as well as carpets, upholstery and artwork. Bedrooms have matching coloured bathrooms, their matte walls painted in specialist Kerakoll paints that contrast with the travertine and marble elements already in place. ‘The ambassador said to me at the start, don’t be afraid of colour,’ Vinson recalls, and he didn’t hold back.

A series of artworks have also been chosen to match each space both aesthetically and conceptually, with some nodding to Lambertini’s Neapolitan origins. Working closely with his extensive network of cultural contacts, alongside art advisers and gallerists, Vinson spent more than a year selecting paintings, sculptures and photographs. The impressive collection includes canvases by Agostino Bonalumi, sculptures by Andrea Cascella, and photography by Mimmo Jodice, Gabriele Basilico and Massimo Listri. ‘The photographic works, expertly illuminated by Flos lights, create a welcoming and evocative atmosphere,’ says Lambertini. ‘These visual and material elements dialogue with each other, giving the spaces both a contemporary aesthetic and one deeply rooted in our cultural heritage.’

Says Lamb, ‘Nick has combined the best of Italian design, bespoke textiles and expertly judged colour schemes, alongside restored original furniture, to produce a series of refined and sophisticated rooms, delivering a masterclass in how to represent historic interiors in a fresh and modern way.’

nickvinson.com, avantiarchitects.co.uk

A version of this article appears in the May 2025 issue of Wallpaper*, available in print on newsstands, on the Wallpaper* app on Apple iOS, and to subscribers of Apple News +. Subscribe to Wallpaper* today