to launch his own eponymous mens- and wom-
enswear lines, which soon attracted fans like
Brad Pitt, Orlando Bloom, and Angelina Jolie.
Today, the Neil Barrett label counts 23 free-
standing stores around the world and head-
quarters in London, Switzerland, and Milan.
The latter is in the same complex as the chic,
Dimore Studio–designed Ceresio 7 restaurant,
in a light-flooded building that once housed a
school run by the Italian electricity board.
Inside, though, the apartment is distinctly
dark and atmospheric. “We thought, We’re
working all the time, so let’s enjoy our home
more as an evening thing,” Barrett says.
He and Lumaga made numerous changes to
the layout. By reducing the size of the kitchen,
they were able to enlarge the living room. They
also added an extra bathroom and created a
capacious new dressing room, which doubles
as a home gym. “Wherever I am in the world,”
Barrett notes, “I get up and work out at around
seven in the morning.”
What the interior may lack in tonal diversity,
it certainly makes up for in rich textures. The
kitchen floor is lined in sheet metal, beds areThe master bath’s
sinks are by Ideal
Standard, the
bamboo chair is
by R&Y Augousti,
and the walls
and floor are in
Carrara marble.An image of
Barrett by Milan
Vukmirovic
mixes with family
photos on a
custom bookcase
in the hallway.
“
I like the idea
of contrast.
Everything I do is
quite graphic.
”
NEIL BARRETTtopped with goat’s-hair throws, and there are
numerous tactile items by Barrett’s longtime
friends, designers Ria and Yiouri Augousti,
including eel-skin vases and shagreen-clad
stools. The decor also attests to his predilec-
tion for photography (especially images of the
human body) and a love of the natural world.
“I have this fascination with animals, insects,
and birds,” he says. “They’re the most beautiful
3D creations that can constantly inspire.”
Several family heirlooms have also made their
way into the apartment, including a Victorian
mahogany dining table. Indeed, after nearly
30 years in Italy, Barrett still considers London
home—even though he no longer has a residence
there. “When you’re British, you always feel
that,” he says. At times, he has considered
moving back, but says he would miss living in
proximity to the high-end fabric producers he
depends on for his fashion collections. Not
to mention one other significant factor—the
Italian weather! ◾