Scenography + Interior Design = CHROMASTUDIO
Elga, Giuseppe and Sofia are a multidisciplinary team that designs through the use of colour.
The idea was born in 2019 by Elga and Giuseppe, set designers and interior designers, both passionate about design and planning. The use of colour was a natural consequence. Over time the team has expanded, collaborations with other professionals have made a theoretical idea feasible, and today they can be considered the real strength of this team. In 2022, designer Sofia joined them.
Tell us about yourselves and your work. Where did your vocation begin? Any first memories?
- Elga: my first memories were born in the classroom, I was a student who paid little attention to explanations, I built a world of creativity in which I could take refuge during classes. I spent all my time drawing, I used colour in all its variations. As an adult, I came across some of these drawings by chance and discovered that in reality, all these sketches were nothing more than decorations. Sometimes I drew real scenery where the scenes took place, sometimes I imagined imaginary places where the stories unfolded. As I grew older, I forgot this passion for several years, until the moment I started going to Milan, this city reopened the doors of my fantasy world. Today I look at the world with the same curiosity.
- Sofia: My first memory goes back to when I was little. My family tells me that when I was only 8 years old I used to collect furniture catalogues, I spent hours leafing through them, then for fun I started to look into houses through the windows, I loved to imagine people's lives, to create stories that emerged from their furniture. When I got older, I started playing the game "The Sims", I think it was my first approach to the purest creativity of this craft. The game allowed me to make real projects, designed entirely by me, that I had always wanted.
- Giuseppe: I come from the world of 3D graphics, this is where my idea of three-dimensional space was born. Later, I started to feel the need to create my own style, first only in the virtual world and then also in the real world. What I take with me from 3D graphics is precisely the idea of designing without limits, in the virtual world one can play with the imagination, we see it now with the birth of the Metaverse, a new world where everything is still possible. Every time I start a new project I like to start from the same premise: to create something that has no limits, once the idea is born I adapt it to reality looking for concrete solutions.
What do you find most satisfying about your work, and is there anything you are particularly proud of?
What we are very proud of is customer satisfaction, when we feel that we have helped someone to realise their dream, the idea of their own home. The home is a safe place, with our work we touch a very delicate sphere, it has not only an aesthetic value, but also a psychological value, it requires respect and delicacy.
Surely, another thing we are proud of is the public recognition, being published by journals The important people in the sector place a lot of value on what we do. Every time it happens there is great joy in the house. chromastudio. But what we are most proud of is the relationship that exists within the studio, teamwork is the only thing that allows us to achieve our goals, others see the result, but the path, the journey that has taken us there makes us very proud of the journey. We feel especially proud when we receive recognition from our colleagues, it makes us understand that we have done a good job, not only for the client, but also for those who know our work well.
What is your creative process like, what are your sources of inspiration, any particular music while working?
Comparison, it all starts from there. The first approach to the project is the briefing we have with the client, followed by a brainstorming session in which each of us gives free rein to our ideas. We all put something into the project, even the client is a member of the team, because it is on him that we build the concept, the union of everyone's ideas gives life to the design, that's why each project is unique.
If on the other hand we think about where inspiration comes from, anything can be inspiration, the elements of nature, the work of others, a film, a piece of art, a colour, there are no limits, it all depends on the way you look at things, sometimes it helps to look at things from a different perspective, to change the point of view. It's also fun to be inspired by something from a different world and turn it into a project.
We like to work with music, we usually choose the music that best suits the project we are working on, it helps us and is in tune with the work.
Favourite colour, book, film and record - in that order! ;D
- Elga:
- Green.
- "The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho.
- Stanley Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey".
- "Emozioni" by Lucio Battisti.
- Giuseppe:
- Aubergine colour.
- "Greenlights. The Art of Running Downhill" by Matthew McConaughey.
- Quentin Tarantino's "Pulp Fiction".
- "Earthquake" by I Litfiba.
- Sofia:
- Colour lilac violet.
- Joseph Conrad's "The Shadow Line".
- Hayao Miyazaki's "Howl's Travelling Castle".
- Adele's "21".
We would also like to point out a book that brought us together, because it marked our path together "Who took my cheese?" by Spencer Johnson. We recommend it to all those who want to make a change in their lives.
Is your home a reflection of who you are? Tell us what it smells like, your favourite corner, your favourite decorative object or piece of furniture, if you treasure a collection... And if you have a pet, introduce it to us!
- Sofia: In part yes, my house is a reflection of who I am, although in some ways not yet. When I reflect on my house, I still see it as incomplete, as if it should also grow with me. I like to think that projects never have a conclusion, because our houses represent who we are at that unique moment, but they also need to be enriched, modified, restructured again. Nothing stands still in a universe that is always in motion.
There are several corners of my house that I prefer, for example, the kitchen, the volumes that meet, the light that illuminates the living room and the sunset that irradiates the studio. Light in an interior project is fundamental!
Daisy is our one year old kitten, she fills our days with life and sweetness.
- Elga and Giuseppe: Our home is not yet a reflection of who we are, we are Milanese by experience, so we have not yet found our real home environment, but we are sure that soon we will be able to realise this project as well.
If we have to think of a smell that makes us think of home, it is the smell of the sea. We are from Puglia, we always carry the sea inside us, in every project, because we like to imagine the way it makes colours sparkle, the way it makes us meditate, the way it makes time slow down. Our homes should do this, bring us back to that natural dimension we miss so much.
Pets? Of course! Floki is not only our mascot, but also the studio's big dog, she helps bring good humour to long working days and then there is Daisy, Sofia's kitty, who is a real mascot, her friendliness is really contagious! Our pets are the heart of our homes.
If you could buy anything right now and take it home, what would it be? Anything!
- Giuseppe: I would buy a house with double height ceilings, it gives a sense of air and breath that is priceless.
- Elga: I would buy a theatre, with a stage, all the programming for the shows, the actors, the costumes, the orchestra, the red velvet seats, in short, everything! I know, it's a crazy answer, but that's what I would like.
- Sofia: I dream with my feet on the ground, I have always loved the designer Vico Magistretti and I want to buy the Atollo lamp, which he designed for Oluce in 1977.
A great plan at home always includes...
We come from different parts of Italy, but cooking unites us all, so good food and good wine represent perfection. We love to dedicate time and love to the kitchen, that's why we love to design the atmosphere of the kitchen, it is one of the rooms of the house where the most beautiful activities of daily life take place.
Do you have any star dishes?
Elga: I love cooking fish dishes, Giuseppe is the wizard of lasagne and Sofia takes us to the Orient with her wonderful Gyoza.
Where is your favourite place in your city and abroad?
- Sofia: I don't have a particular favourite place, I have many in mind related to my city, Rome. I definitely prefer open spaces surrounded by nature, I particularly love bucolic landscapes. In the city I prefer to go to museums, or go on guided tours to get to know the most hidden corners. A place I keep in my heart is definitely Barcelona, it was a wonderful trip, the colours, the weather, the atmosphere of the city enlightened my soul.
- Giuseppe: My place of heart is the sea, because it frees my thoughts, gives me serenity and takes me back home. A simple bench by the sea, alone or in company, is my favourite place. I fell in love with Cabo da Roca, Portugal, "Where the land ends and the sea begins...".
- Elga: In my life I have lived in different cities, in each one I have found my space, paying attention to the little things. In my Puglia, the region where I come from, my favourite place is a secluded, uncrowded beach, where you can admire wonderful sunsets; in Milan I love the great heights of skyscrapers, the same happens abroad, I love panoramic points, places where you can look at the world but the world can't look at you.
Anything you want to tell us that we haven't asked you - speak now or forever hold your peace!
That we feel Spain as a second home. I think it is the place in the world where we feel closest to our Italy. Unfortunately, we still don't speak Spanish well, but we are eager to learn it, because we hope to travel to Spain as many times as possible in our lives. We love the way the Spanish celebrate life and then we love the thousand colours, the way the architecture communicates with the landscape, they are always a great source of inspiration for us. So we would like to tell everyone how much we love our work and that for us this is not just a profession but it is our whole life.
