THE PAST IS PRESENT Elisa Ossino is a Milanese super-stylist turned product designer for Italian design brands such as Salvatori and
De Padova. Her styling is conceptual and meticulous, and she admits to obsessing on set about incremental shifts in object placement for
the perfect shot. But, contrarily, in her living space she is all about emotional environments. “At home I am more surrounded by classic
pieces, pieces with history, which clear and calm my mind,” she says. Her furniture at home has serious provenance – from Eames, Prouvé,
Le Corbusier and Florence Knoll – which mix with a large, artfully damaged, 18th-century religious painting. There is a casual quality
to the way the shelves are interspersed with flea market finds balanced with carefully curated ceramics in the style of artist Morandi.
Take away: Look for objects with history and learn to embrace the imperfect.
Karen’s books Perfect Imperfect ($65, Murdoch Books) and The Alchemy of Things ($59.99, Murdoch Books) are available in bookstores.
THINGS WE LOVE