A Harmony of Interior Decor and Art in Château des Terrases in Cap d’Ail

On 8 September there was a big opening of a decor and art exhibition called “Le décor d’inférieur et l’art renaissent au Château des Terrasses” in Cap d’Ail. Italian brand of decor Zanaboni, under the protectorate of the Italian embassy in Monaco, and in collaboration with artists and designers Tullia and Paolo Canciani, exhibit part of their collection in the villa “Château des Terrasses”. The villa was built in 1885 by the British banker Henry Mendel which belongs to the period of the “Belle Epoque”.

The atmosphere of the magic villa and its ancient rooms stands in absolute harmony with the classic spirit of all the decor elements that were created by the team of designers collaborating with the Zanaboni brand. Here you can see really special hand-dyed interior items, ranging from sofas and tables to armchairs. The entire collection is decorated with incredible and rare materials (pearl, marble, gold leaf, silk, cashmere, brass, porcelain and Rocca crystals), and the exhibition ends with the masterpieces of the leading international artists. In the main hall, one’s gaze falls on the graceful sculptures “Women’s Nudes” by the French sculptor Kalin Muller and “Ballerina” by Edgar Degas (1834-1917), which add charm to the ivory coloured interior. Designer of the exhibition Paolo Canciani explained what makes the exhibition truly special:

“The whole exposition is divided into several sections: an entrance hall, a main hall, a small hall, an office, a dining room, a winter garden and a hunting room (or a smoking salon). In the latter we present a very unique and antique table decorated with gold and bronze details and its walls are decorated with paintings of animal themes made by the French artist François Legrand. It seems as if in each of his works the animal’s hair is not only visible but tangible. The dining room has a wonderful view of Cap Ferrat, which is what makes this location really magical; additionally each corner is decorated with Medici vases made of pure porcelain.”

It is important to note that Canciani’s designers, who are based in Milan, started their business activity and collaborations with the top decor brands in the 1980s. Until the present, they have been working on rethinking the style of neoclassicism and the demonstration of it in an elegant and fresh way. This design tandem was one of the first in Italy to begin to work in this direction. Now Tully and Paolo create designs for many private residences in Monte Carlo, Paris and Milan. In addition, they designed the tables for the gala events at the Hermitage Hotel, Salle Belle Époque and Salle Debussy, at the Hotel de Paris tables in the Imperial Salle.

Walking through the exhibition, it is impossible to ignore the winter garden. The small room is full of bright green and pink colours, and the walls are strewn with petals of roses and peonies. The artist of the floral theme is Carla, who adorned the walls of the winter garden with incredible paintings depicting flowers in the smallest detail. We guarantee that you have never seen a plant so close in your life. When asked why she is always depicting flowers, the artist responds with great enthusiasm: “I work in different directions, drawing animals and even landscapes. But with flowers, it’s a totally different story. I like to depict plants because they have thousands of shades. My unique feature is the paintings with a macro effect; for me, every detail must be noticeable!”

Exclusively for HelloMonaco, Valeria, the official representative of Zanaboni brand discussed the interior of the brand and the main task of the exhibition:

“This cultural event is dedicated to the anniversary of our brand, founded in 1967; we’ve just turned 50 years old! We want to popularise Italian interior products, and this time we collaborated with artists and sculptors, as the details in the interior are very important. In our business, we do not focus exclusively on the design of private residences. For example, Zanaboni has designed many institutional buildings, hotels and yachts. Two years ago we created the design of a constitutional court in Africa and several presidential residences.

The style of our brand is a combination of different directions: classic, antiquity, contemporary and baroque, which is very hip today.”

The art and decor exhibition will be held from 9 to 17 September at 1, Avenue Général de Gaulle, Château des Terrasses in Cap d’Ail.