Branca - 1stdibs 50 2022

With typical understatement, Alessandra Branca calls the primary bedroom suite she created for the 2020 Kips Bay Decorator Show House in Palm Beach “a great place to start and end your day.” Housed in a Dutch Cape–style residence, it is, in fact, two places (at least in spirit): one representing the lush side of Palm Beach, the other the fanciful side of Portugal, a country that has long served the designer as a source of inspiration. Her hand-painted Porto paper, part of her collection for de Gournay, lines the lower walls as tiles might and frames doors and windows in lacy, heat-beating trompe l’oeil. Adding sparkle are a Karl Springer Lucite coffee table and Maison Jansen gueridon, both from Iconic Snob Galeries. But the clear winner is the bespoke four-poster, with linens made by a collective of Rwandan women for Casa Branca. The designer insists that here, as in every room she does, “quality is important, authenticity is integral, originality is embraced!”

Photo by Nick Mele

“Homes are living things that evolve as we do. They should continue to inspire.”
— Alessandra Branca

Designer Picks

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Delft Blue-and-White Vases, 1771–86, Offered by Bardith

“I love Delft because of the amazing color of blue achieved in the process and the naïf styling of the design. I am using it in projects in Palm Beach and New York. If you love blue and white, you cannot go wrong with antique Delft!”

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Pair of Four-Light Rock Crystal Sconces, New, Offered by David Duncan Studio

“I have always loved rock crystal and particularly love the combination with gilt bronze. These sconces are fantastic, as they are not just practical, providing great light, but also art and sculpture all at once. Place them, as they are, on a bedroom wall by themselves.”

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Pair of Faux-Bamboo Armchairs Attributed to Maison Jansen, 1940s, Offered by Branca

“Everyone knows my weakness for stripes, particularly black and white ones, but also for Jansen, who designed and produced some of the most exquisite furniture of the twentieth century. This pair of beechwood faux-bamboo chairs would mix just as wonderfully in a classical interior as in a modern, edited space.”

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Brass Bamboo Coffee Table with Leather Top, 1970, Offered by Branca

“Another great favorite is this super-scale leather-topped coffee table. It is so rare to find large-scale classically inspired mid-century pieces! This is perfect to put between a pair of large sofas.”

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