Barnebys: Tell me more about yourself, and then how would you describe the style in SoprArno and AdAstra?
Betty Soldi: I am an Anglo-Italian calligrapher and graphic designer who is not limited to ink and paper! I believe that creativity can be brought to life in many different ways, it is an expression of who you are, what you love, what you are curious to see emerge, and a way to get lost in order to be found. My husband Matteo Perduca is a lawyer, but a creative being also – we are both multifaceted and apply our passions and personality in everything we do. The style of SoprArno and AdAstra reflects our way of creating places we would love to visit and stay in, eclectic, curious, unique and welcoming. Classic, yet vibrant. Vintage, yet elegant. Old world charm meets the here and now.
Stars are a recurring symbol that you spot right away in the aesthetic of both SopArno and AdAstra, is there any background story to this signature motif?
My family has been hand-making fireworks in Florence since 1869, so a star-filled sky is in my veins, in fact I now like to say I make fireworks with ink! Also, it’s all written in the stars – our fate, our destiny, a notion that merges handwriting and stars for me. AdAstra overlooks a romantic garden with many masonic, esoteric meanings. It’s a human journey from dark ignorance and introspection to the light of knowledge. There is a tower there that was an observatory to the stars which is why we named the hotel AdAstra – ‘to the stars’ in Latin.
Both AdAstra and SoprArno have a very wondrous and unique style - how did you create it?
The hotels have interesting personalities, because they were not considered as hotels usually are – no renderings were ever drawn for the look and feel, the vibrancy and taste of each room came together along the way. Matteo sourced every original piece, accumulating them and then working out on site what went where. I would come along once a room was finished and make each space and room unique, handwriting ‘sweet dreams’ on the wall above the night lamp... so you could feel the personal passion and care we had taken with everything. I have curated both the SoprArno and AdAstra creative direction – from the branding and its applications to the botanical or star-filled Florentine sky tote bag you receive on arrival, to all the ceramic pieces you eat off at breakfast – all these elements add to an informal, yet curated and considered atmosphere.
Are you influenced by any specific time era or part of the world in your style of decorating?
Florence is obviously in our blood and I lived in London for 35 years, Matteo is an anglophile and we both adore anything from the past – which is difficult to date! We are surrounded by the art and discoveries of Renaissance thinking in Florence, and London attracts us for its Victorian heritage. But, we also love contemporary artists and designers too. Life is made up of many aspects, it’s about what you do with everything you encounter.
What is your favourite piece of art or design in your hotels?
We had fun mixing different styles and colours, every room speaks to you differently, and as a guest it is about letting chance see which room you get to experience, taking that experience away with you. ‘Art’ for us does not just mean a painting on a wall; to give a room, any space in fact, personality, different elements need to come together. SoprArno has more of an industrial and urban edge, AdAstra because of its history and location is more refined, blending ‘50s, ‘60s and ‘70s Italian interior details – the heyday of interesting materials and shapes in design!
In both hotels, my favourite pieces of art are the original frescoed ceilings, they are the starting point for themes or colours to bring the spaces to life.
All your rooms in Ad Astra have different themes, which one is your favourite?
Room no.3 for the amazing original chandelier, beautiful even unlit in the daytime when it glistens in the light and how the muted colours all work in that space. And the original parquet is incredible to walk on also. Oh and the freestanding bath in all the bedrooms – that is a special touch, difficult to find in Italy!
What makes a home beautiful, according to you?
Personal personality. I don’t understand why people go to Ikea to buy, say, framed prints. Frame a menu from a restaurant you ate at and loved, frame a scribble, a museum ticket – anything that belongs to YOU, surround yourself with original, authentic elements from your own experiences of life. In the end, remember it’s the details that make your space your own – write on a wall, change a paint colour occasionally – I blew a handful of glitter onto a taupe wet painted wall in my London flat once on a whim, and it still sparkles to remind me that the stars are inside of you, too!
Do you usually buy vintage pieces? What is your greatest find so far?
We source everything in vintage markets in Tuscany and London, to reflect our tastes. Personally, my friends at Retrouvius in London found me two original Mies van der Rohe Barcelona chairs at an auction in Scotland, knowing I would love them for my design studio. I love the battered brown leather and in fact have covered the seating pads with pale pink velvet that I can unzip whenever I feel like seeing the brown leather again – I adore the chrome design!
What are your top three tips for acquiring art/design/antique pieces?
Read, see, discover, and research to add to your own cultural baggage – then buy what you love knowing that it will all somehow sit together happily when everything is put in its place. Like everything, if you ‘train’ your eye and mind, pieces will speak to you in all sorts of ways – regardless of the price. My favourite pieces probably only cost a few euros!
What will your next acquisition be?
Only time will tell, with vintage finds they find you, you just need to stay open to see them!
If you could have any home in the world (not your own) which one would it be?
I have always dreamed of a bed on the beach…
You are often doing collaborations with high end Italian fashion brands, do you think you could see a synergy between fashion, art and design today?
There’s already is a synergy between all of these aspects. For instance, look at Eames, or Giò Ponti, or the brilliant Fornasetti above all! These designers recognised that there are no boundaries between fashion, art or design – they are blurred lines, where if you nurture a curiosity and interest, one fuels the other.
A design for a wallpaper can become a fabric to be worn, sitting on a similarly-conceived chair whilst dining on plates that are an extension of that design idea. Now more than ever, people are less about buying a brand than becoming their own brand, curating all aspects of their lives, looking out for unique pieces that reflect their manifesto – whether in fashion with one-of-a-kind vintage clothing, or personalised/monogrammed bags, etcetera. In furniture, again, this means seeking out quirky items that are difficult to come by, and that not everyone can simply buy in a shop.
You just opened up the doors for your third hotel in Florence, could you tell us a bit about the creative process behind the aesthetics for Oltrarno Splendid?
The inspiration was normally found by living day-by-day in the building site. Sometimes, it could be a colour that reappears after scraping through layers of old paint. Sometimes, it lays in theapast story about the place, this Palazzo for instance was built in the 15th century and used to be the home of a noble family. Sometimes, the sparkle for inspiration for a specific room could be a piece of furniture found at a flea market or some huge maps by famous geographer and cartographer Roberto Almagià for example, and with that object in mind a whole atmosphere could be created.
Almost everything in actuality came from reality and not fantasy. The main idea is mostly about giving a new good life to an old place or to an old piece of furniture. Once the inspiration came from a couple of old table tops made by Gaetano Pesce that we were lucky enough to find in a vintage shop at a great bargain. We acquired and transformed them into bedside tables, coffee tables and other useful pieces with the help of a local artisan.
Oltrarno Splendid is full of small details that you can spot and appreciate, like our collection of opera librettos of famous operas or lyrics of beloved pop star and groups written on old bar menus and so on. You can enjoy the treasure hunt, or you can simply enjoy how everything is melted together creating, we think, an effortless vintage chic.
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Text: Malin Ebbing
Photo: Nathalie Krag, Dario Garofalo and Ilaria Costanza