House style: Brigitta Spinocchia Freund

The creative director of Spinocchia Freund, Brigitta Spinocchia Freund has more than 25 years’ experience in the interior-design world. Her passion for art heavily influences her approach, both in creating collaborations with artists and in championing the inclusion of art and collectible furniture in her schemes. She has worked on super-prime residential projects in the UK, Europe, Asia and the US.

Where do you live?
I live in Notting Hill, close to Portobello Road – it’s one of my favourite streets. It was a conscious decision to move here, because it’s so multicultural. There’s a lot of creative energy and the antiques market is a constant source of inspiration. 

What’s the style of your home?
It’s a period house, white stucco, but I’ve streamlined the interiors. My style is eclectic: I favour vintage collectibles mixed with contemporary forms. There are classic elements, in terms of mouldings and architecture – I used French artisans to create all the panelling – then I added in pieces by designers I adore, including Pierre Jeanneret and Jacques Adnet. There’s a brutalist screen by Jean Prouvé as you enter the house – it’s wonderful. 

What’s your design philosophy?
It’s really about pieces I love. I don’t have a rulebook as such. I try to take a sustainable approach, particularly with materials: for example, my house has reclaimed flooring, which adds character. I favour pieces with provenance.

With collectibles, it’s about buying well – just a few things you can renovate and keep, or resell. So maybe look for a vintage sofa by Charlotte Perriand on 1stDibs that needs respringing: items like that tell a story. 

Any other pieces of furniture or art on your personal hit list?
I work a lot with new artists, particularly through the Crafts Council, Lee McQueen’s Sarabande Foundation and Angelica Jopling’s Incubator gallery. What’s great is finding young creatives and putting their art in your home. Take Darcey Fleming, for example – she works in recycled hay. We’ve all got a responsibility to help new talent, and I’ve always got my sights set on collectible pieces. Some of them might be unachievable, like the Man Ray photograph I saw in Elton John’s collection, but it’s something to aspire to.

Any suppliers you can recommend?
Les Puces de Paris Saint-Ouen is a favourite of mine for antiques and vintage treasures. If I’m sourcing online, I go to 1stDibs, Pamono and Modernity for those hard-to-get pieces, while Béton Brut, Joseph Berry and Alfies Antique Market in London offer beautiful historical finds. In Paris, I love Galerie Jacques Lacoste, Glustin and Royère, and for contemporary work I go to Carpenters Workshop Gallery, David Gill and 88 Gallery. 

Do you have any original art in your home?
Douglas Gordon, who’s a video artist, has done a piece for our house. My husband bought a Tracey Emin for me recently, and I have work by Vik Muniz, who’s a Brazilian artist and photographer. And, of course, there’s the pottery that my kids have made, which is everything to me.

Which are your most precious possessions?
We have a curiosity cabinet downstairs, and everything in it is priceless: my daughters’ pottery, my son’s elaborate Lego builds. And there are a few archive books I’d run away with, because I’m a big collector. That’s my guilty pleasure.

Any key figures that have influenced you in terms of design?
So many: Charlotte Perriand, because I’m a collector of her pieces. I love Paul Dupré-Lafon’s work from the 1930s and I adore Frank Lloyd Wright’s architecture. I love the brutalists – I gravitate to that kind of work. 

And projects you have particularly loved?
The Collector’s House at 1 Whistler Square in London. I like to consider the essence of a home: how much energy and light you’ve got in a space. Because this is a townhouse, you have to draw people down to the lower-ground rooms, so we created secret passages in a speakeasy style. I put a mix of collectible antiques and midcentury pieces in the house: 1950s Noguchi, Jacques Adnet – and a beautiful André Arbus cabinet I almost wish I’d kept for myself.

Finally, what’s the strangest request a client has made?
One of them saved a wounded bird: it would fly around the room and perch on your shoulder. We made a beautiful little house for it. All my clients have an element of fun. Ultimately, you’re trying to use their personality to forge something new. In some respects, you become a psychologist, you know? 

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