Arclinea At Home: Fabrizio and Carla Plessi
He is an internationally famous artist, she is a cultural operator, they are Fabrizio and Carla Plessi and they live in a fifteenth-century Venetian palazzo. The main room in their home, extraordinary in size and flooded with light thanks to windows at both ends, links their home office, kitchen, and the sleeping quarters. The absolute silence is broken by the audio of the video installation Splashes 2019, the only one of Fabrizio's creations present, which shares an elegant white room with sculptures and furnishings from different eras and origins.
The space is dominated by a fifteenth-century Chinese wooden statue surrounded by an enormous ficus benjamina plant opposite a Steinway grand piano.
Venice is a unique place, where the simplicity of neighbourhood life and the typical liveliness of an international capital of art co-exist
Our home has proven to be essential also for our work, providing us with the ideal concentration for new ideas and projects
Just how deep a connection Fabrizio and Carla have with the city of Venice is evident in the projects they have developed over the past year. Dating back to September 2020 is the video installation by Fabrizio on the façade of the Corner museum in Piazza San Marco; entitled L'Età dell’Oro (The Golden Age), it was made possible by support from Dior. In the same period, Carla came up with an initiative that combines fashion and sustainability, using recycled materials and involving social cooperatives that work in the city.
“I have lived in Venice since I started art high school at the age of 14, and despite my constant travels around the world and long periods spent in Milan and Paris, this is where Carla and I really feel at home. Venice is a unique place, where the simplicity of neighbourhood life and the typical liveliness of an international capital of art co-exist”.
Probably the only modern furnishings in the home, the kitchen is Italia, the first project by Antonio Citterio for Arclinea in 1988. A partition in wood separates the work area and the table where they eat and entertain.
“For us the kitchen is an important room, it is the hub around which most of our day-to-day happens: Carla likes cooking and the table next to the work area means we can spend more time together. It is a versatile space, cosy and familiar, which we also love sharing with guests, a special place, somewhere I often pause in the morning to read and think".
Against the far wall, wood panelling with shelves in dark oak house a collection of wine bottles with labels designed by Fabrizio. The finish chosen for the shelves and panelling is dark oak, whereas steel was preferred for the base units and worktops, a material that is the epitome of neutral and functional.
“Our house has deep historical roots with its Venetian seminato floors, inlaid wooden doors and wooden beams or frescos on the ceilings. We decided to add the modern touch of this kitchen, the simplicity of white walls and the resulting brightness".
Art direction and text: Juma
Photo: Mattia Parodi