Rare objects and secret addresses: Tara Bernerd's tips

The DESIGN OBJECT I WOULD HAVE WANTED TO HAVE DESIGNEDThe Riva Aquarama, the most beautiful of all. I love its polished wood that I often reproduce in my interiors (the collector's book Riva Aquarama, 2,150 euros, on rivaboutique.it).

Collana in oro con tre ciondoli portafortuna: l’evil eye e il dente di squalo sono di LOREE RODKIN, a destra The Rich Cream, AUGUSTINUS BADER (50 ml, 280 €).

And THAT OF WHICH I AM MOST ORGANISED The collection Silhouette Stories, eight pieces I have created in collaboration with Medea 1905. My favourite is the Carlo Club Chair to go with the coffee table Monty from the Onyx Grey marble top (medea.it).

WHICH PROJECT WILL BE PRESENTING AT FUORISALONE 2026 In the Frette flagship store in Via Manzoni I will be presenting Turning Tables, a collection of cotton-linen blend table textiles that dialogue with the visual language of the Disrupting Architecture line of 2025. And, next to the textiles, a selection of household objects, such as trays in Canaletto walnut with decorative leather inlays that echo the distinctive motifs of the mise en place pieces, coasters in printed leather with a colour palette of burgundy, leather and blue, and jewellery and storage containers in lacquer and travertine.

Turning Tables, una collezione di tessili per la tavola in misto cotone-lino.

The MOST LOVED INTERIOR PROJECT EVER The Maison de Verre by Pierre Chareau, a visionary. I remember when, very young, I came across his late 1920s project, avant-garde in its use of industrial materials and techniques, glass, steel, exposed iron beams painted burgundy. It is an approach that has influenced my way of conceiving interiors, metropolitan, industrial, but always warm (just reissued the book Pierre Chareau. Modern Architecture and Design by Esther da Costa Meyer, 55 euros, on hoepli.it)

Motoscafo in legno Riva Aquarama, FERRETTI GROUP. (©Alberto Cocchi)

The ARCHITECT THAT MOST INFLUENCED ME There are many, from Luis Barragán for his sense of proportion and colour to Charlotte Perriand for the way she gave texture to her furniture. I am attracted to personalities who are daring in their work, I am thinking of Tadao Andō and his use of concrete, and Frank Gehry with whom I had the good fortune to work in Los Angeles on a project in front of his Walt Disney Concert Hall, an architecture that always moves me. (In Tashkent, the foundation stone of the new National Museum of Uzbekistan was laid: the design of the country's most important museum was entrusted to Tadao Andō. It is scheduled to open in March 2028).

The MOST BEAUTIFUL GIFT I RECEIVED RECENTLY A Russian papier-mâché lacquer box by Palekh. Every year a friend gives me one for my birthday; they are poetic, with their decorations featuring fairy tales, folk dances, flowers and landscapes (vintage Palekh box, hand-painted, 130 euros, on ebay.co.uk).

“Pile I” (2017), di Antony Gormley alla mostra “SURVEY: Antony Gormley”, al Nasher Sculpture Center, Dallas. (© Antony Gormley. Courtesy of Galleria Continua. Photograph by Ela Bialkowska, OKNO STUDIO)

The PODCAST I'M LISTENING TO I just listened to the episode on Hermès by Acquired, the podcast by Ben Gilbert and David Rosenthal dedicated to the history and strategies of large companies. An in-depth and well-crafted tale in two voices (acquired.fm).

MY FAVORITE BEAUTY PRODUCTS I really love The Rich Cream by Augustinus Bader (€280, augustinusbader.com), a moisturiser developed by a medical expert in stem cell research, and I always carry the Magic Hydrator Mistby Charlotte Tilbury, who is also a friend (€42, charlottetilbury.com).

AN UNFORGETTABLE PLACE WHERE I HAVE TRAVELED RECENTLY This summer we took an extraordinary trip to the Komodo archipelago. Aboard a traditional Indonesian wooden boat, we sailed among the islands, met the famous Komodo dragons up close, walked among colours I didn't even think existed in nature ($12,000 per night for a 10-person boat,rascalvoyages.com).

Carlo Club Chair e Monty Side Table disegnati da Tara Bernerd X MEDEA 1905.

The BEST SOUVENIR I HAVE TAKEN HOME FROM A TRIP There is a bottle of perfume painted from the inside that I bought in Shanghai when I was 15 years old that has followed me through all my moves and is now in my office. More recently, I brought home some fans from Hakone, Japan, where I am working on a new project right in front of Mount Fuji (traditional Japanese fan in tulle and silk lace, 140 euro, on hakuchikudo.jp).

The LAST ITEM I ADDED TO MY GUARDAROBE A bag Brera Microcoloured Eucalyptus by Valextra (€1,980, at valextra.com) which I personalised with a silk ribbon in the same colour. I like it for its discreet aesthetics, the absence of an obvious logo leaving room for quality craftsmanship.

And THAT'S TO TRY My beloved tweed hats I buy at the Cesare Attolini men's shop ($595, at cesareattolini.com).

The LAST MEAL THAT IMPRESSED ME A dinner at Ishizawa, a Japanese omakase restaurant where I have just been in Singapore, a chef-led tasting experience that really surprised me. Everything was beautiful, simple and delicate, and for me, always in a hurry, it was an opportunity to stop and take time to savour, even through my eyes, every moment of the preparation of the entire menu (Omakase premium dinner, $550, ishizawa.sg).

Scatola di lacca russa, Palekh. A destra, maschera in seta con zucca e spezie, DROWSY (79 €).

IN MY FRIDGE NEVER LACKS Finocchi, Yakult and a Fleur de Sel Noir chocolate bar from Lindt (€4.95, lindt.co.uk).

A RECENT DISCOVERY The Drowsy sleeping mask, perfect for constant travellers like me. It is silk, soft, padded, snug and without annoying elastic bands (silk sleeping mask with pumpkin and spices, 79 euro, drowsysleepco.com).

MY FAVOURITE ROOM IN MY HOME The living room of my London home, overlooking the waters of the Thames and Albert Bridge, a spectacle when it is all lit up in the evening. It is a very large room, perfect for receiving friends, but also for sitting alone and watching a film. It speaks well of my interpretation of interiors: wooden floors, concrete walls reminiscent of Tadao Andō, transparent glass doors and sculptural furniture.

A PLACE THAT HAS A PARTICULAR MEANING I feel happy in Forte dei Marmi, a fixture of my summers, where I always book at the California Park Hotel. I like being able to look at the sea, the colourful baths, and then turn around and admire the hills and mountains with their marble quarries and go on bike rides (double deluxe room, 760 euros per night, californiaparkhotel.com).

Il sushi di Ishizawa, a Singapore: ogni pezzo onora la purezza delle tecniche tradizionali Edomae.

WE COLLECT Everywhere I go I buy Murano glass vases and ashtrays from the 1960s and 1970s, the faceted and solid ones have beautiful colours and communicate solidity (Fashion 60S ashtray, 529 euros, at originalmuranoglass.com).

The FIRST APP I LOOK AT IN THE MORNING In addition to WhatsApp, Duolingo. I spend a lot of time in Milan and am trying to learn Italian (duolingo.com).

A PLEASURE I WOULD NEVER REJOIN A plate of spaghetti with clams at the Bagno Santa Maria restaurant in Forte dei Marmi (bagnosantamaria.com).

THE ARTIST I WOULD COLLECT, IF I COULD Basquiat, Blue Period Picasso and a sculpture by Antony Gormley (current exhibition SURVEY: Antony Gormleyat the Nasher Sculpture Center in Dallas, until 4 January).

The BOOK ON THE COLUMN I recently switched to the Kindle. It is the ideal solution for people like me who travel a lot and always with only hand luggage. I am now reading The Days of Eternityby Ken Follett, the third chapter of the trilogy The Century (€18.05, on amazon.co.uk).

THE VIEW THAT INSPIRES ME I've just returned from Hong Kong and there are few views that inspire me as much energy as the one from one of the many rooftops in Central. Among the many, I recommend the Pool terrace of the Four Seasons. It feels like being on a page from Gulliver's Travels, there is a world teeming with life, people, boats, lights, fascinating especially at night. The view sweeps over Kowloon Bay with its skyscrapers set against a backdrop of mysterious tropical mountains (Tasting Menu, Lung King Heen restaurant, two Michelin stars, €414, fourseasons.com/hongkong)