A home is made by the people who live in it. This is the leitmotif of the work of Clara Bona, an architect and designer who, at Milano Home, narrates the present and future of the concept of living.
Clara Bona, an interior designer and architect from Milan, the founder of Studio 98, which she has been leading since 2021 with her team, is a sunny, authentic, and original person. For 35 years, she has been involved in homes and furnishings, and at the same time, she is a creative who designs collections of objects and accessories, in addition to writing about design and lifestyle. One might wonder, "What else?" She candidly responds, "I love to travel and share on Instagram what I like: the places I visit, the exhibitions that impress me, my days on construction sites."
At Milano Home, she will be the protagonist of a case history in one of the talks organized within the fair, aimed at providing updates for industry professionals. The concept of living is evolving, and as a result, the objects that furnish it are changing and adapting to new needs.
During the Milano Home press conference, you stated that you expect to find something practical for daily use at Milano Home. So, not just ideas and inspirations but also products?
Yes, I expect to find insights and ideas, but also tangible objects, such as those selected for the Green Circle. All things that can inspire us and enrich our homes.
We currently reside in the digital age, where everything is just a click away. How can a physical store or showroom compete with the vast online offerings?
For me, the store still has a strong appeal. I don't think online shopping should be demonized, but at the same time, I find it much more beautiful, pleasant, and interesting to be able to visit a store, talk to knowledgeable people who can advise me, touch and experience something that might happen right there and then, thanks to a particular display or the way something is presented. Above all, I love human contact, which can also be found on Instagram or social media, but it never quite equals the experience of doing something in person.
How do you relate to your clients? Do your clients usually follow your choices?
My clients usually choose me because they love my style and what I do. Most of them let me guide them, but it also happens that they have very specific ideas that are quite different from mine. I believe that, to create a home, compromises must be reached, always remembering who will be living there. So, the client's desires and tastes come first and can be highlighted with the right advice. That being said, I admit that sometimes the choices of some clients make me suffer because I'm one hundred percent sure that the house would have been better in a different way.
Looking at your projects, it is evident that there is a balanced blend of innovation, taste, and the preservation of traditions and the identity of the home. In light of all this, it seems that trends are not so important to you, or am I mistaken?
Trends are important for me to listen to and understand as inspiration, but a home should never be too trendy, or it will risk going out of style and becoming tiresome in a short time, and above all, it will appear dated. So, the choices need to be well-calibrated, especially those that cannot be easily changed.
Trends are important for me to listen to and understand as inspiration, but a home should never be too trendy, or it will risk going out of style and becoming tiresome in a short time, and above all, it will appear dated. So, the choices need to be well-calibrated, especially those that cannot be easily changed."