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BILLIONAIRE 31 - Savoir Faire (Digital)

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25 Articles

A WORD FROM THE PUBLISHER

Acting appropriately is a concept that is in constant change, thankfully. What would have been socially acceptable 50 or 100 years ago is no longer so and mostly for good reasons. In the age we live in, I believe, we are required to not only consider our fellow humans but the other species that inhabit this planet and indeed the very place we call home, Earth. Acting appropriately must mean with utmost respect. It is, however, also about doing the right thing, even when perhaps it’s not socially acceptable. This is how we have moved forward, how we have advanced, how we have left behind certain societal norms and replaced them with better or even far better norms. As such, acting inappropriately at times is in fact the right thing to…

A WORD FROM THE PUBLISHER

EDITOR’S NOTE

Savoir-faire, literally translated as ‘know-how’. It’s the gestures and knowledge of craftspeople passed down through generations. Many of these crafts are in danger of becoming extinct but, in some cases, they are being rediscovered and commercialised, and that should be celebrated. In this issue of Billionaire, we highlight experts and craftspeople all over Europe who are elevating and reviving ancient techniques; bringing them into the 21st century and beyond. Take Féau Boiseries, a fifth-generation wood paneller in Paris run by Guillaume Féau. His father had taken the family business down the interior-design road, away from traditional wood panelling. But Guillaume saw the opportunity to revive the old model, and now Féau Boiseries decoration can be seen in some of the world’s most famous properties, including Palais Rose in Paris and Villa Ephrussi…

Ancient and Modern

Imagine reinterpreting timeless hand skills through cutting-edge materials such as carbon fibre, electroconductive ceramics, and self-healing, paper-based Fenix. Picture harnessing the natural properties of abundant, sustainable resources to create unique, never-before-seen forms and finishes. In recent years, traditional hand skills have been rapidly disappearing, overshadowed by the Western world’s technology-focused, digital transformation. However, a resurgence of interest in these ancient techniques is growing, as they become increasingly rare and coveted by leading design and craft commissioners. Reviving a craft technique is not enough, though. We must see it grow and evolve in the age of machines. Innovation is the key to preserving these ancient skills, whether it’s by applying traditional techniques to new materials or programming machines with more human-like qualities. Uniformity is dull, and we must strive to keep craftsmanship vibrant…

Ancient and Modern

A trip to a magical party recently took me via Madrid. It had been years since I was at The Ritz, a historic five-star Belle Époque hotel on Madrid’s Retiro district, next to the Prado Museum. It has been fabulously renovated and is now part of Mandarin Oriental. I had left my wallet on the plane and the hotel staff jumped into action immediately, paid for my taxi and then followed up with calls to the airline and the airport to try and locate it. Already impressed at their service and support in a moment like this, I was nonetheless struck by the room-key cards, which are made of cardboard rather than the ghastly plastic that is too much of an industry standard. My room overlooked the Prado Museum and I guess this…

Five Minutes With… Robin Hancock

The co-founders of sustainable seafood brand The Wright Brothers, Robin Hancock and his brother-inlaw Ben Wright started off their journey 20 years ago when a stint in France yielded a chance meeting with oyster farmer Jerome. They realised that the British concept of oysters — elitist, only served with expensive Champagne in stuffy restaurants — was ripe for a makeover. They quit their jobs and bought a historic oyster farm on the Helford River. Today they supply some 500 of the UK’s top restaurants and Michelin-starred chefs and have opened three London restaurants, including in Borough Market and Battersea Power Station; while their depot in Brixham, Devon, has become quite a pilgrimage for seafood lovers. We sat down with Robin Hancock for a quick-fire Q&A about his day-to-day life. What is your morning…

Five Minutes With… Robin Hancock

Ultimate Guide to Salone del Mobile

Milan’s Salone del Mobile will take place on April 18-23, 2023, returning to its traditional Spring dates for the first time in three years. This 61st edition of the festival is dedicated to the theme Nothing Happens if Nothing Happens, inviting designers and studios to start a chain reaction of change to rethink, regenerate and rehabilitate, to come together and go beyond sustainable design thinking. Billionaire rounds up the must-see stands at this year’s fair. Bocci Canadian lighting and design studio Bocci will celebrate the launch of its permanent base in Milan in an early 20th-century building in Zona Vincenzo Monti. For Milan Design Week 2023, a collection of new product designs and bespoke lighting installations will be presented in the intimate residential setting of the space. This includes 118 glass spheres that…

Ultimate Guide to Salone del Mobile

Helen Brocklebank Emile Zola’s 1883 novel Au Bonheur Des Dames, translated in English as The Ladies’ Paradise and set in the 1860s, is a page-turning story of modern consumer culture and its impact on society, customers and the local economy. His dream-machine overloads his customers’ senses with enticing, intoxicating displays; he introduces advertising campaigns and home delivery, a tea-room and a reading area for children — the kind of innovation that feels startlingly contemporary. What’s more, Mouret has fallen for one of his shop girls, but while his sumptuous store seduces every woman in Paris, Denise herself refuses to succumb to his charms. A walk around Harrods last week — every bit as opulently pleasurable in 2023 as the Ladies’ Paradise Zola described 140 years earlier — reminds me that a re-read…

Borgo Santandrea

In 2017, two friends from Ischia acquired Conca’s old Grand Hotel Saraceno, built in the 1960s and elegant but semi-derelict. The clifftop views were dreamy, located on the stretch of the Amalfi Coast between Positano and Amalfi, above the centuries-old fishing village of Conca dei Marini, and a long pebble beach bathed in sunlight all day long. With their vision, the friends meticulously renovated the old hotel into the five-star, 45-room Borgo Santandrea, which opened its doors last year. Attention to detail is second to none, with gorgeous fabrics from wall-to-wall, artisan-made floor tiles and a museum-quality art collection; not to mention three gourmet restaurants. borgosantandrea.it…

Borgo Santandrea

Apps and Arpeggios

An expectant silence descends within Hamburg’s iconic Elbphilharmonie Grand Hall as a single spotlight falls onto the stage, illuminating a grand piano. The innovative vineyard architecture in the concert hall, designed by Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron, means that every member of the audience is no further than 30m from the stage. The acoustics of this room are second to none; the ethereal 3D-printed ‘white skin’ walls resembling the myriad of alveoli inside a human lung. “These are almost all created by workers, not robots. There is soul in the instrument, right from the beginning.”—Eric Feidner. The stage door opens; the audience takes a collective breath, expecting Chinese virtuoso star pianist Lang Lang, tonight’s billed performer, to enter. No one appears. Is there a mistake? But no, the spotlight makes its…

Apps and Arpeggios

Raise Your Glass

“It’s difficult to tell a product that is 100 years old from a recently designed piece,” says Leonid Rath, owner of Austrian glass-manufacturer Lobmeyr, inside its Vienna flagship. Turning 200 years in 2023, Lobmeyr is undeniably modern and ahead of its time. “Lobmeyr is familiar to me, I grew up with it, heading to the workshops with my father, who shared everything with me and made sure there was a historical continuum. But reading Ludwig Lobmeyr’s biography was the real eye-opener,” adds Rath. “He was so passionate, ahead of his time, curious and relentless about being open-minded. He grounded the business in a basic yet fundamental approach to quality. He brought the brand to what it is today.” “It’s difficult to tell a product that is 100 years old from a…

Raise Your Glass

Steeped in History

On Christmas Day in 1887, William Grant, with his nine children, opened the eponymous whisky maker William Grant & Sons, manufacturer of Glenfiddich and Balvenie. Today it is the largest Scotch whisky distiller still 100 percent in family ownership. Known for being the first in the world to market single-malt whisky, the business is now run by subsequent generations of the Grant and Gordon families. “In the first sampling, we had 140 different casks to try. It was probably one of the best days of my life.”—Kirsten Grant Meikle. House of Hazelwood is the private family collection of whisky named after the Grant/Gordon family home Hazelwood House in Dufftown, Scotland. Still used by the family today, this was the lifetime residence of luminary Janet Sheed Roberts (The Wee Janie), who died in…

Steeped in History

On the Danish island of Zealand, in the historic town of Sorø, a hat-making resurgence is underway, led by a self-taught hatmaker and his wife. Eight years ago, Peter and Cathrine Hornskov opened their eponymous business Hornskov, one of only a handful of custom hatters in Denmark. It started when Peter, who was studying product development, chanced to see a video on hat-making. “I had an epiphany,” he says. Although he loved wearing hats, he had always struggled to find ones that fitted, due to his “long oval head”, he laughs. At the very least, he thought, he could make a few hats for himself. “I would work my way backwards; it was a trial-and-error reverse engineering at a crafts level.”—Peter Hornskov. Six months of research included taking apart vintage hats and…

How has Lionel a Marca’s first 18 months as chief executive of one of the world’s most historic watchmakers been? “Complicated,” he laughs, a suitable answer for the brand that marked the invention of the greatest watchmaking complication in history: The Tourbillon, a mechanism that aims to compensate the effect of the gravity on the watch. “The fact that I am a watchmaker by training and, at heart, means I can contribute usefully about the watches and their design and aesthetics.”—Lionel a Marca. Lionel a Marca comes from a background of watchmaking, as well as 30 years spent at The Swatch Group. Born in the watchmaking cradle of Porrentruy, Switzerland, after graduating from watchmaking school and a few years of experience, he joined The Swatch Group, more precisely Frédéric Piguet in 1992.…

The address says it all. Located on Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré in Paris’s fashionable 8th arrondissement, the desirable and opulent old-school chic hotel Le Bristol is a Parisian icon. Like the sophisticated designer boutiques surrounding it, Le Bristol retains its classy and classic style, decorated throughout with fine French regalia. From the moment the highly groomed and dedicated doormen open the front doors (that first opened back in 1925), there’s a sense of luxury. Le Bristol is part of the Oetker Collection of hotels. The pretty courtyard garden was designed by Lady Arabella Lennox-Boyd and has become the perfect spot to enjoy lunch, a glass of wine or the famous afternoon tea. Huge floral displays and 17th-century antiques fill the grand foyer, along with sparkling crystal chandeliers that hang from the high…

The Banyan Tree Alula resort lies in a protected desert near Saudi Arabia’s most important archaeological site. As far as the eye can see, desert sands and rocky cliffs compose a lunar landscape that hides traces of ancient civilisations. Listed as a UNESCO world heritage site, the Alula Hegra archaeological site is the largest conserved site of the ancient Nabataean civilisation south of Jordan’s Petra. “For us, the meaning is more important than the aesthetic. Nomadic architecture is the most appropriate response in this kind of environment.”—Reda Amalou and Stéphanie Ledoux. It features remarkably well-preserved monumental tombs from the first century BC, as well as structures demonstrating hydraulic expertise in the form of water wells that are still used today. Tied to the desert site is an oasis: the Alula valley is…

Collector’s Dream

Located in the historical heart of the Baroque town of Lecce, Italy, 16th century Palazzo Maresgallo was in poor shape when Miriam and Lionel Gazzola visited it. They had no plans to buy or renovate it. He had a long-standing career in restructuring old buildings; she had the perfect collector’s eye and a unique taste for art, fashion and design. Together, they already had a house in Salento, on the coast, where they regularly disconnected from a frantic Parisian life. “It was love at first sight — mixed with fear, awe and excitement — when we discovered the palazzo.”—Miriam Gazzola.“Our idea was not to create a hotel but to open all spaces for visitors to enjoy; it is very much about living in a historical palazzo surrounded by art.”—Miriam Gazzola. “It was…

Collector’s Dream

If These Walls Could Talk

On a foggy January morning, fifth-generation business owner Guillaume Féau greets us with a warm smile and Nespresso at his prestigious woodworking enterprise, Féau Boiseries. Tucked away on a quiet Parisian street, this 148-year-old institution is sought out by the world’s wealthiest for its woodwork replications taken from the most famous designers of the Regency, Rococo, Neoclassical, Empire, and 20th century periods. “The love of the classic has always been there, but now there is mixing modern design with classical architecture; for example, a Picasso or a Basquiat with contemporary furniture.”—Guillaume Féau. Féau regrets he can’t stay too long; he has an appointment with a US billionaire fashion designer to discuss panelling for her apartment in Paris’s prestigious 7th arrondissement. It will take inspiration from The Four Continents by Claude-Nicolas Ledoux, one…

If These Walls Could Talk

As jobs go, Julien de Beaumarchais de Rothschild has a completely unique one. Born in 1971, the younger son of Baroness Philippine de Rothschild, it is up to him to commission the artist to illustrate the label each year for the legendary château, a tradition continued annually since 1945. Salvador Dalí, Marc Chagall, Joan Miró, Pablo Picasso and Henry Moore are just a handful of the famous names whose original designs have graced its bottles. “We choose only those artists whose reputation equals that of Mouton. No artist in our collection ever needed to illustrate a label in order to boost their career.”—Julien de Beaumarchais de Rothschild. Previously his mother’s prerogative, he has overseen this responsibility since her death in 2014, when he selected painter and sculptor Miquel Barceló as the artist…

In a world saturated with machine-made objects, the touch of the hand is all the more sought after. This is the opinion of Irish-born Aiveen Daly, an award-winning designer who has made a name hand-making ethereal, tactile embellishment in the palaces, private jets and penthouses of the world’s well-heeled. “The age we are living in, surrounded by technology, people want something with a human connection, an intriguing provenance.”—Aiveen Daly. “The age we are living in now, surrounded by technology, people want something with a human connection, an intriguing provenance. That is true luxury nowadays,” she says, dialling in from her home in London, where she lives with her two daughters, aged 13 and 10, and Australian husband. Daly’s studio is located near Kensal Green in north-west London, where, as we speak, her team…

To Sleep, Perchance to Dream

Sleep is a serious business, at least according to Hästens, a family-run company founded in 1852 when Pehr Adolf Janson, then a self-trained skilled craftsman in poor rural Sweden, was awarded his certificate as a master saddler by the King of Sweden. “We constantly improve our skills and techniques and look for better materials but, to date, we clearly haven’t found anything better than horsehair.”—Jan Ryde. He named the company Hästens, which means horse in Swedish, and, to this day, horsehair has remained the company’s most precious asset. Following the family tradition, the second generation quickly adapted to changing times. Per Thure Janson started crafting horsehair mattresses, seats and cushions for Sweden’s first automobiles. From then on, manufacturing the most exceptional mattresses and beds was the natural way forward. The recipe for an…

To Sleep, Perchance to Dream

Nicky Wilson’s happy place is being surrounded by art. This much is evident as I Zoom into her kitchen in London’s Notting Hill, where she has popped down from her main home in Edinburgh. Her backdrop is a row of monographs from ancient books by Turner-nominated Tacita Dean; she is facing a triptych of Antony Gormley paintings; the shelf above is filled with a collection of wonky Hungarian pots; a Victor Pasmore abstract is on the wall; and, in the corner, sits a gilded-and-pink lamp created by late supermodel Stella Tennant. “There was never a masterplan. It was more a conversation at the kitchen table, bouncing a baby on the knee and saying ‘let’s do this’.”—Nicky Wilson. After our call she has a coffee date with Tracey Emin, whom she collects and…

Ca’ del Bosco, located in the heart of Franciacorta in the Italian region of Lombardy, is renowned for creating one of the most critically acclaimed Italian sparkling wines, the Cuvée Prestige, although, “in Italian legislation it is not classified as a spumante, but a wine that happens to have bubbles in it”, I’m told by founder Maurizio Zanella. The winery has its origins in the 1960s when Maurizio Zanella’s mother bought a small, run-down house (known as Ca’ del Bosc), surrounded by a chestnut forest. Deep underground in the belly of the Ca’ del Bosco wine cellar is a low-ceilinged and dimly lit corridor, where 11 exquisite black-and-white photographs hang in isolation. The images were taken by the biggest names in photography: Helmut Newton; Alice Springs; Don McCullin; Flavio Bonetti; Franco Fontana;…

Most people opt for the path of least resistance. But Valérie Maltaverne, a former French film executive who is now a furniture creator, is not most people. “When people tell me something can’t be done, that’s where I get my motivation from,” explains the co-founder of furniture maker Ymer&Malta as she welcomes us into her stunning three-storey house in Batignolles, within Paris’s 17th arrondissement. “An Ymer&Malta piece needs to make me fall in love, so they are often very poetic and in tune with nature.”—Valérie Maltaverne. Monochrome minimalism forms the basis of her aesthetic; her inspiration, she says, comes from architects such as the UK’s John Pawson (for his pared-back design) and Japan’s Kengo Kuma (for his focus on natural materials). But her home, framed around a central courtyard containing a Zen…

Flavours of the South

If you’re thinking tacos and fajitas, think again. Latin American cuisine is gaining an elevated status in some of the world’s most sought-after restaurants. We speak to three young chefs leading the movement. Santiago Lastra London KOL owner Santiago Lastra, who has earned his first Michelin star, has lived away from his home country for 17 years. He says: “The most important thing is to get to know the local produce and how to cook with what you have around you.” What ingredient from your home country do you miss most? Citrus is one of the pillars of Mexican cuisine so it can be challenging to cook without it. I miss lime and orange the most. At KOL we’ve developed lots of ways to replace this: we ferment our own kombucha, ageing it for…

Flavours of the South

My Favourite Things: Kate Corbett-Winder

Andrew Logan’s glass portraits of Coco and Rose These wall portraits of our whippets, Rose and Coco, were a present I commissioned from artist sculptor and friend Andrew Logan for my husband William’s birthday. They are fabulous artworks, yet so lifelike in the way he has caught their exact profiles and characters. Sadly, Rose died last year but lives on in portrait form. Her sister Coco is 14 and going strong. The Cherry Stove, a restored Belgian Cuisinière c.1900s After moving from Vogue to mid-Wales in 1981 to hunt down eccentric craftspeople. Hence, the discovery of this cherry stove, mid-restoration in a Montgomeryshire barn. The owners ran a laid-back business trawling Belgium and northern France for vintage stoves. It was love at first sight, although, as this gem was not for sale, several…

My Favourite Things: Kate Corbett-Winder

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