Giancarlo describes the dining chair Carlo Mollini designed for the Lutrario Ballroom in Turin, Italy, in 1959, as incredibly modern, like a race car, but at the same time, traditional. “I’ve always felt this chair is timeless and from a period I could never quite figure out,” Giancarlo adds. The Alpha sofa by Pierre Paulin is also a contrasting piece: “This sofa has a form that feels both space-age and alien while also comforting and familiar,” he says.

The Pierced coffee table by Isamu Noguchi captures Giancarlo’s belief that “minimal means to create a maximum effect”, made using flat sheets to create a three-dimensional object. The designer is fascinated by an object’s first intended use, such as the Borne Beton lamp by Le Corbusier, designed in the ‘60s to illuminate walking paths at night and the Pierre Jeanneret magazine rack. “Originally created for the public library, I love the magazine rack’s presence in a room,” he says.