The joy of meeting in real life

One thing I have learned from meeting some of you over the three years I have been writing here, via the six (SIX!) design retreats I have hosted with a total of around 80 guests, the monthly design clinics over Zoom, countless email chats, and the first reader event last Friday, is how brilliant this platform is for connecting like-minded people.

India Knight always says she feels instinctively that if all her readers were to meet for drinks they would immediately be friends, and now, having hosted my own event last week, I wholeheartedly agree with her. So much so that I’m definitely going to do it again.

About 10 of you came along to the Bisazza showroom, which I had redecorated for the London Design Festival. It was the final of five events I hosted, with a design retreat in Italy taking place in the middle, so it was fair to say it has been a busy fortnight.

Everyone arrived as strangers (bar two who had already made friends on a previous design retreat) and by the time the evening was over, everyone was chatting like old mates, a lunch had been arranged, and one guest, who came wanting to ask me about curtains, met another who is a textile designer and maker and who has agreed to go round to her house this week to discuss ideas. Others took tile samples home for clients and themselves, and it was a genuinely gorgeous evening.

Now I write like I talk, so I always assume that if people like these posts enough to subscribe they are probably unsurprised when they meet me, as it’s basically a 3D animated version of what they have read on the page.

But what blows me away every time is how much you all like each other when you meet in real life, and that’s the wonderful thing. Time and again the feedback from the retreats is that while people come for the design, the inspiration, the learning and the food, what they take away are the friendships and the connections.

As one guest was leaving she summed it up perfectly: “We all talk online and on social media. But if you don’t have the school run or you work from home, where do you meet new people?”

Going on retreats - be they design, yoga or cooking - has become a fantastic way to find yourself with like-minded people and make new friends. The six Whatsapp groups from my previous retreats are all still active, and many of those people have gone on to meet up at different events afterwards, and even gone on other trips together.

As I type, one former guest has just messaged pictures of her latest hotel room, with details of how she has styled it to make it feel more comfortable, while another has asked for accommodation recommendations for Paris in December - and another group is still actively sharing renovation plans and wallpaper designs a year after they first met.

So while I was nervous about this reader event (as a host you always worry about people enjoying themselves) I was also pretty confident that everyone would get along well. (I will try to arrange another one and make sure there is more notice and it’s not at 6pm on a Friday night.)

So how did we come to meet in a fancy London store anyway?

The short version is that I was invited to style the flagship store of the Bisazza tile company during the annual London Design Festival to mark the company’s 70th anniversary.

The longer version is another story of connections and real-life meetings. About 10 years ago I was invited to a tile workshop, where we were given the chance to create our own mosaic designs. Then, two months ago, Donna Podger, the head of Bisazza in the UK, asked me if I would like to rethink the showroom for their anniversary.

It looked like this:

The team at Bisazza (both those in London and Italy) assumed I would just bring along some pieces of furniture and style them to create a more relaxing atmosphere. I was unaware that the space had been decorated only a year ago, and bounced into our introductory Zoom meeting confidently declaring that we must paint the walls in a softer colour to show off the incredible mosaic panels. To which there was a sharp intake of breath.

Warming to my theme, I then suggested we retile the showroom pillars in silver/platinum to announce the 70th anniversary, and asked if anyone could invent a cocktail that would be platinum in colour. It was gently (under the circumstances) pointed out that while the walls could be redone, the pillars are actually covered in 24 carat gold and would be staying put. E basta così, or words to that effect.

Bisazza tiles are made from glass with gold leaf applied to them. You cannot use silver as it oxidises, so any tiles in that colour have to be either white gold or actual platinum.

Understanding that it was probably time to quit while I was ahead, I made arrangements to redecorate in Masquerade by The Little Greene Paint Company. The walls are in light and the woodwork is No 334.

This autumn Little Greene has released a collection of 26 new colours, including the sublime Floss and the superb pinkish white Parlour.

Now that I’ve had my way with the paint, the showroom looks like this:

In addition to painting the walls and moving some of the panels around, the white cupboards were repainted in a dark chocolate brown to match the ceiling (which we didn’t change) and the wooden floor. When the decorator accidentally broke one of the original white lamps on top of the cupboards, I seized the chance to borrow a couple of red bases from Oka.

On the other side of the show room, I borrowed the 1977 modular sofa from King Living. Some of you will know I have the exact same sofa in my house in Italy, and it’s super-comfortable and was perfect for this corner.

This is what it looked like before:

And this is the after (note the white skirting boards have been banished):

Oka very kindly lent us a coffee table that perfectly mirrors the tile panels, as well as a selection of cushions, and the 1977 sofa made it all feel a little more relaxed and welcoming.

I also styled up this corner of the showroom…

… Adding the chaise version of the 1977 with a side table.

The idea was to soften the space and create different areas where you might sit comfortably and gaze at the panels, which are like individual works of art.

Bisazza have been making mosaic tiles since 1956, when Renato Bisazza founded the company near Vicenza in northern Italy. It is now run by his nephew Alessandro, who became President earlier this year.

The company creates its designs in two ways - either digitally or hand-cut. I had just assumed that hand-cut would be better - it’s more expensive as it takes longer - but it’s not as simple as that.

A hand-cut design, such as this peach tree with its background of platinum tiles, always looks the same. You can appreciate the beauty of the pattern from near and far.

A digital creation, such as the bouquets by the sofa, changes depending on where you stand. Close up and you can see the incredible detail of the tiles (which are all the same size) and note the individual colours, the odd metallic glimmer and the variation of light and shade. But you cannot read the image.

Stand back, however, and it all comes into focus. Seen from afar the flowers above look almost like oil paintings. You could hang them as art (you can design any size you like) rather than restricting yourself to bathrooms, kitchens and swimming pools.

And while I might not choose to have Bonaparte staring at me from the bathroom walls, it’s incredible to see it in the showroom at 60 Sloane Avenue, London.

It sits near a hand-cut panel that was designed by Pucci, which was one of the favourites at all the events I hosted during the week-long festival.

We began with a media launch, where the canapés were colour-coordinated to the tiles on which they were served. I left that event at 8.30pm and rushed home to get some sleep before taking an 8am flight to Turin for the design retreat.

The following week I returned to the showroom to host a four events over two days. First we invited designers and content creators to come and create their own mosaics. Many made beautiful house numbers, but there was also a sunset, a house… and a pet duck!

On Friday morning I was granted the first UK interview (pretty much the first anywhere) with Alessandro Bisazza who talked about the company’s heritage and the future.

I asked him about the tradition of family-run companies which is so classically Italian and which we see much less elsewhere. We are all familiar with names like Alessi, Prada, Rummo, Sammontana, Zegna, and even Missoni (although that one is currently going through some upheaval), and he told me how it all chimes with the Italian concept of family at the heart of everything.

“You set up a family business and it’s like your child, so you want to love it and look after it,” he said. Of course there are bust-ups and rows, but in the end it’s about family and sticking together.

He also said he felt privileged to have been able to spend his whole working life in the family business (apart from a brief teenage moment when he dreamt of being a professional footballer) but acknowledged that the world is changing and he could only hope that the firm will still be there - and prospering - to offer employment to his 17-year-old son and 12-year-old daughter when the time comes.

Then on Friday evening, we put the chairs away, poured the Prosecco, and welcomed in some of you to end the week. And you are the reason I write, the reason I try to resolve your interior design dilemmas and to show you new ideas and bring you inspiration.

So please keep reading, keep chatting and keep showing up. And I will try and find a way to host a second reader event. I am designing the Sustainability stage at Decorex next month, so perhaps I can pick a date to be there for the day and meet up with anyone who is planning to attend.

And if you fancy full immersion there’s always the retreats. We’re updating the website for 2027 but if you’re interested, the Milan trip will be 7-11 May and Turin will be 10-14 September with a possible shorter version from 8-10 October. Venice is 14-17 March - and places for that are already sold out with a waiting list, which is why it doesn’t appear on the site at the moment.

And while there are plenty of reviews about how much fun it was and how it was great to form new friendships, one of my favourite comments came from one guest who flew over from Tasmania and remarked: “I was having so much fun I broke my Wordle streak” and that, as a committed player myself, is an endorsement indeed.

I can’t wait to meet more of you and don’t forget, if you are a paid subscriber, then the chat (which you can find both on the app and on the desktop) is like a giant Whatsapp group where you can upload pictures, ask advice and generally, well, chat.

I will be back on Wednesday with a post for all you lovely paid subscribers and, in the meantime, if you have questions for the next Drop-in Design Clinic, drop them in the chat - or if you fancy joining us on a trip next year then comment below or email me.