While LARRY’S LIST started off focusing on contemporary art collectors and their collections, we are now launching our new series, “ARTERIOR,” where we sit down with interior designers and architects from around the world to discuss the art of interior design and architecture, and their approach to creating art-worthy spaces.
We have always embraced a more cross-disciplinary view on contemporary art, collectible design, architecture, and interior design. We love to see artworks and design objects placed into context in stunningly curated private homes and spaces. Often, it is hard to single out one particular work or object, and so we want to delve more into the overall composition of collector interiors, where all those coveted items seem flawlessly connected.
Through ARTERIOR, we will discover how world-renowned tastemakers and trendsetters work with art collectors to bring out the best of their artworks and find those striking balances that are not only stunning on Instagram, but even more so in reality.
We are honoured to launch this series with Francis Sultana whose interiors we have been admiring for a number of years.
9 Questions with Francis Sultana
What is your number-one rule when designing a space to best compliment an art collection?
Colour – it’s the most important influence for me when I am designing an interior around an art collection. Whether it’s monochromes or bolder tones, you need to work with those colours to inspire the rest of a space from the walls to the soft furnishings.
Do art collectors differentiate from your other clients? How so?
Yes, they are more gutsy and more daring, for sure. They have an advanced sense of aesthetics so they really like to play with space and colour and texture. It’s a wonderful relationship.
Would you share some of your personal favourite artists that you love to see in collector homes?
George Condo, AlbertOehlen, Kusama, Ugo Rondinone, Rebecca Warren, and Flora Yukhnovitch.
Do you also do the art sourcing for your clients? If yes, how do you do it? Work with galleries, commission artists directly, etc.?
Most of my clients have art advisors or are collectors themselves, and so we all mutually collect, and therefore we often have in-depth conversations about exhibitions, galleries, and institutions, as well as the art market in general; and so, of course, we all influence one another to some extent. If I am commissioning works, they will usually be pieces from David Gill Gallery. I work a lot with Mattia Bonetti, as well as Michele Oka Doner, on many of my projects.
You are not only an acclaimed interior designer, but you also have your own range of furniture under the brand FS Editions. Could you tell us how this concept came about?
In the early days of my interior design practice, I was often asked to create one-off pieces that I couldn’t source anywhere else. My clients loved what I did, so FS Editions was born. I still create mainly limited-edition pieces as the workmanship and materials I employ are the best in the world, which I take a lot of time sourcing, and so the pieces cannot be rushed or made in large numbers.
Images of the interior design in your London and Maltese homes – both featuring your extensive art and design collection – have been shared widely across (social) media. Are there any pieces that are particularly valuable to you?
I only have things that I love in my homes – pieces that have been acquired over time. However, if I were to choose one aspect, it would be nature – trees specifically. I come from Malta where there are not many trees, so I am fascinated by them. I love the pieces I have by Ugo Rondinone and Caroll Dunham.
In the art world, we sometimes see artworks and art installations that look stunning in the .jpg, but then when seeing the actual works, they are comparatively disappointing. Do you create your interiors for the image in the magazine or for daily living?
I have never designed an interior for a photograph – the interiors I create have a long-term historical value, so designing for a ‘moment’ on social media would be the antithesis of what I do. Having said that, I am lucky that my work photographs well, but it is a secondary thought. How my clients live, what art collections they have, and what the architectural requirements are of their homes, those are the things that influence me.
As a tastemaker, are there any trends from your perspective you could share with us? What can we expect to see in your future projects?
Colour! We are all getting bolder with colour. We don’t want to see art on white walls, in a white box anymore; we want to see colour as a complimentary background. It’s more exciting, and at the end of the day, colour makes us happy.
Can you share five of your most inspirational Instagram accounts?
@larrys_list obviously!
@SerpentineUK
@vamuseum
@micasmalta
@archdigestpro
All photographs: courtesy of Francis Sultana.
Related: Francis Sultana
Instagram: @francis_sultana
A selection of artists and designers featured in Francis’ designs:
Mattia Bonetti
George Condo
André Dubreuil
Sebastian Errazuriz
Secundino Hernández
Michele Oka Doner
Michelangelo Pistoletto
Rebecca Warren
Flora Yukhnovitch
By Jamie Bennett
