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Giampiero Tagliaferri never set out to become an architect and interior designer, but it is a hobby he has always been involved in, whether as the former creative director of eyewear brand Oliver Peoples or simply offering free advice to his friends.
“Designing Oliver Peoples boutiques around the world – we opened a lot of them – it started with other architects, then I started doing it on my own, and then every week it became my favorite part of the job. I I can’t wait to design the new store because that’s what I’m really looking forward to,” the Italian-born creative said in an interview in Los Angeles.
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The Oliver Peoples Milan store designed by Tagliaferri was his Midas moment. Featuring two large windows and accessed by a pair of glass double doors, the boutique is clad in gray and oyster-coloured Chepodi Gray marble facades, a color commonly found around the city.
The space pays homage to the style of 1950s Milan apartments with marble floors, wooden fixtures and light blue walls decorated with bookshelves that double as eyeglass frames.
This could also very well be a scene from Luca Guadagnino’s I Am Love, which was filmed at Villa Necchi Campiglio, a six-minute walk from the hotel .
Tagliaferri, a dark-skinned man with Prince Charming hair and an Italian accent, has made a name for himself since leaving a six-year stint at Oliver Peoples in early 2022 to set up his own studio in Los Angeles. Last year he opened a second studio in Milan.
The transition to full-time architect and interior designer was seamless. Tagliaferri now has help from tech entrepreneur Adrien Dewulf, who is a partner in the company.
Merging their address books together makes the road ahead less bumpy.
“Some of our first clients were tech billionaires who helped us build studios with significant projects and budgets — from a financial perspective, it was easy to launch such projects,” Tagliaferri said.
“Our customers are people from different industries who are shaping the culture of the future in some way,” he added.
The studio is primarily responsible for high-end residential architecture and a small number of commercial projects in California, Aspen, Paris, Miami and Venice.
Tagliaferri’s Italian roots are always present. He is currently building a house in Los Angeles for Brunello Cucinelli’s daughter Carolina and her husband Alessio Piastrelli. In 2021, the Italian luxury brand collaborated with Oliver Peoples, through which he got to know the family and built a showroom for them.
He also helped Milan-based restaurant group Sant Ambroeus open another space in New York and expanded the group’s coffee bar in Aspen into a restaurant. The walls of the coffee bar are decorated with green marble and faux fur, hinting at mid-century Italian design.
“The participants in these programs make me feel like part of their family. I eat in Sant Ambroeus – that’s where I always go when I’m in Milan,” says Tagliaferri, with his charm and enthusiasm Contagious.
He adds a personal touch to every project he touches, even if it comes with a strict brief to break up any rigid or cliche design choices.
In Aspen, he added an element of Alpine brutalism to the St. Ambrose location because it was something that didn’t exist there.
“I didn’t want my position to be extreme on one side or the other. It couldn’t be just a beautiful space but completely uncomfortable, or vice versa,” says Taliaferri.
“Less is more” is his design philosophy, which he links to his upbringing in Milan and the city’s hidden beauty. At the same time, living in California for the past eight years has changed the way he interacts with light and indoor and outdoor experiences.
Tagliaferri is a collector of auction furniture and trinkets, much of his jewelry comes from Europe, and has a keen eye for Italian and Brazilian design objects from the 1970s.
“I like to mix, but not as extreme as in the 1970s, but there is always tension when materials come together cleverly,” he said, adding that he also makes custom furniture.
An upcoming project with the Italian company Minotti will be announced during the Salone del Mobile in Milan, but he remains silent about it.
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