With more than 413,000 followers on Instagram between his personal profile and that of the initiative he implemented, Paolo Stella is the face and voice of one of the most popular and interesting design and communication projects of recent times.
It was he, with his @suonarestellato revolutionise the very way in which the designwhich finally abandons the stereotyped stages and pre-packaged Olympians for a select few experts in this sector, and enters, in its own right, into people's homes, this time using a private showroom, the first one to be precise, consisting of the influencer's Milanese home itself.
Furnishing objects signed by the most renowned personalities on the international design scene and beyond, iconic projects and precious productions of Italian brands are not only shown, but enter the home to be experienced, told in their essence. Paolo Stella is an influencer, creative director, but also web strategy expert, Italian writer and actor. His passion for fashion and the world of communication came after he had several experiences in the world of television and film productions.
His project @suonareStella was born as a result of the evolving contemporary digital experience, with the aim of reaching a wide audience ready to discover and desire new design styles.
Seizing in the contemporary phenomenon of influencers a new challenge for design brands was its team of communication experts, Francesca Noseda, ceo of M&C Saatchi PR, and Laura Angiusspecialising in digital innovation. With an experimental approach and profound expertise gained in the field, Noseda and Angius have brought together the dynamics of digital and the needs of furniture companies, opening up new and unexplored opportunities for the sector.
And so, the rooms of Paolo's house have, for the past few months, become the ideal stage for staging design, with selected objects that emerge from the anonymous dimension of the showroomto come alive in his home, accompanying his days, becoming the settings for his successful posts and digital content.
Thanks to his collaboration with important Italian design brands, every six months Paolo Stella redecorates his home, as in a pop-up showroom, and with each change of layout, the objects and accessories that have been in the house are sold at extraordinary prices. Not only that, at the same time Paolo designs capsule collections with important names in art de la table, home decoration and design.
With @SoundStarIn short, a real home hosts the most exclusive digital home design experience. The initiative starts with Boffi|DePadovawhich brings to Paolo Stella's home its design and architectural mood, reflected first of all in the Milan showrooms of De Padova Santa Cecilia and Boffi Solferinowith the sofa Alberese designed by Piero Lissoni, the iconic T95 table by Achille Castiglioni, the Albereta armchairs by Philippe Nigro and Blendy by Omi Tahara. And again, the linear and essential R.I.G bookcase by MA/U Studio and the marvellous Bombori lamp made by hand from rice paper and wooden strips, according to ancient Japanese traditional workmanship, from the new Time & Style ēdition collection.
They complete the set-up of @SoundStar some designer lamps and accessories selected by Mohd, Italy's largest e-commerce platform specialising in design objects.
"Design should not be shown, it should be experienced". This was the idea of this young and now well-known creative director and design influencer, whom we met up with to find out more.
Design Influencer. So they call you. How does it feel to have cleared customs and brought into everyone's homes a world that seemed for 'the chosen few'? And what has this entailed?
Since I have been doing this job, I have repeatedly come up against a shared prejudice, a condition that I enjoy and that constantly forces me to push the boundaries. The world of design is a wonderful bubble that is difficult to permeate. Starting out on this path with partners of excellence, world icons of Italian quality, makes me proud.
What does it mean to narrate design in a different way? And how do the two words (and the underlying concepts) of Design and Digital fit together?
Until now, the narrative of design followed the editorial line of perfect exposure of the object. With the advent of social networks and the acquired importance of the digital world, design must find its media exposure in the life that these wonderful objects allow one to lead, in daily rituals, in small moments of intimacy. Design should no longer be exhibited, but experienced first-hand.
From product display to product storytelling. Even the product has to be brought to life: how does this come about and where are companies in receiving this revolutionary message?
After years when design was mainly told through the furniture fair or the various catalogues, the new digital literacy has revolutionised all communication. Some companies are already ready for this change, others are adapting, some don't want to hear about it. This change is physiological, but at the same time it is total, so it is scary. But there is no alternative. Like when the transition from silent to talking cinema took place, only those who learned to use their voice remained on stage. All the others disappeared.
What is your concept of beauty?
For me, beauty is a skilful mix of harmony, use of light and personal history. there is no absolute definition of beauty, but I love it when things make sense, when I read their history.
What role do you think design should play today, also in the light of the times we are living in?
Design is living a very important moment, it is the only art form that is experienced from the inside at a time when we are all forced to live indoors. Design also has a fundamental ethical and cultural connotation, living in beauty leads people to be better. And I take responsibility for this statement.
How did your format @suonarestella come about and how much did your passion for stories influence this new idea?
I have always liked to tell my life story, to be able to give my point of view, to emphasise the peculiar angle from which I look at things. Playing Stella is precisely this angle, my personal, imperfect, intimate, funny, silent, social AND solitary account of my place in the world.
What is your concept of home?
Exactly, my place in the world.
Is there an anecdote related to your 'home' of today and yesterday that you would like to share with Design Lifestyle readers?
Certainly one of the most special elements of the house is the wallpaper at the entrance, designed Custom Made by studio Palomba Serafini, which hides among plants and animals small pieces of my book and magical words that trigger serotonin. I wanted to have those words that lift the spirit imprinted on the walls. If the house is well, I am well too. And vice versa.
To enter a home means to enter the most private and intimate part of a person, it means to enter his or her history, his or her emotions. Isn't opening this 'box' to the social world a nonsense?
I am a nonsense, and I find it incredibly interesting to contradict myself. The only truly consistent people are serial killers. We are made of vulnerabilities and certainties. And over the years, however, I have developed a sophisticated capacity for dichotomous discernment between what I want to tell and what is just mine. To this day, for example, I have never talked about personal relationships or engagements. I believe that if you have interesting content you don't need to use your private life to pull up four likes.
The design profession has always been fascinating for many young people. Social media are certainly an important information channel... but are they enough?
Information channels nowadays are very diverse, from the classic ones to new technologies. Nothing is necessary nothing is sufficient, each form of communication has its own value, being able to come up with a coordinated plan is definitely a winner.
Ph. Valentina Sommariva
