Jacques Grange Restores Venice Apartment With Picture-Postcard Views
Jacques Grange Restores Venice Apartment With Picture-Postcard Views
Many times, architectural design is truly enhanced by its surroundings and how it connects with the world around it. This is exactly the case for this Venetian Pied-à-Terre, where French interior designerJacques Grange, created its modern interiors around the picture-postcard views.
A view of the Grand Canal from the apartment.The Grand Canal as seen from the apartment.The Palazzo Venier dei Leoni, home to the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, is visible from the apartment across the Grand Canal.
Like Canalettos come to life, the views dazzle from this Venice apartment. Owner Nikki McCullagh, a design enthusiast who lives between Australia and London, enlisted Jacques Grange to restore this piano nobile apartment in a small palazzo on the Grand Canal.
The original Gothic mullion windows were retained and encased in new window frames that slide into the walls, preserving the view. The vintage chairs are Italian, the cocktail table is by FontanaArte, and the 1950s Angelo Lelli ceiling light is by Arredoluce.The 1950s chair is by Franco Albini for Poggi, the vintage pendant is by Max Ingrand for FontanaArte, the terrazzo flooring is original, and the walls are sheathed in custom Marmorino Venetian plaster.
He worked with Venice-based architect Barbara De Stefano to streamline the space, enhancing its breathtaking in three directions. The gallery-like decor was inspired by the interiors of the Italian modernist Carlo Scarpa.
The cocktail table is by Azucena, the Ignazio Gardella chairs for Gavina are in a C&C Milano linen, the vase is by Antonia Campi, and the artwork is by Michael Goldberg.A stone table by Angelo Mangiarotti and chairs by Franco Albini for Poggi face a view of the church of Santa Maria della Salute. The pendants are by Luigi Caccia Dominioni for Azucena, and the coffered ceiling is original.Milanese gallerist Sharon Goldreich selected several of the midcentury furnishings in the living room, including the 1950s Ico Parisi sofa and an Ignazio Gardella bookcase for Azucena, which displays ceramics by Bruno Gambone.
“I’m passionate about art, design, and decor,” says McCullagh, who rents out the apartment when she isn’t using it. “And about the personal journey, one is afforded in the restoration of special historical spaces.”
Under an original wood-beam ceiling, the iron bed and bronze mirrors are customs, the 1950s floor lamp is Italian, and the antique parquet flooring was reclaimed from a Venetian palazzo.The vanity, walls, and floor are in a Cremo Tirreno marble, the pattern of which reminded Grange of the waters of Venice; the sink fittings are by Dornbracht.
