February 16, 2011Sultana at home in his favorite chair, by Emilio Terry for Carlos de Beistugui.
Francis Sultana, 38, is both an interior decorator and designer of furniture, lighting and objets. The former Creative Director of David Gill Gallery, he has 19 years’ experience working with top visionary creatives, including Zaha Hadid, Mattia Bonetti and Oriel Harwood. His London showroom-studio showcases not only his own collections, but includes a carefully curated selection of period pieces, art-furniture, luxurious textiles and signature accessories that share the same ethos of unapologetic glamour. Here, Sultana shares the story behind his success.
Hometown
I grew up in a little village on the island of Gozo near Malta. Life in the village centered around the big Baroque church, which is highly decorated. Although I was a child in the ’70s, it felt more like the 1950s – a southern Mediterranean movie set. Home was both my grandmother’s house, which was turn-of-the-century with hints of Art Nouveau, and my parents’ newly built contemporary home a couple of streets away. The family still lives between the same two houses today.
Home Base
Mayfair in London. I have a large apartment in an historical building just off Piccadilly, a place I always longed to live because my great idol, David Hicks, also had an apartment here. For that reason, it has a very special place in my heart. I live with David Gill, my partner and my great mentor – we share the same passion for art, design and the decorative arts.
Early Inspiration
In my teens, I discovered the auction catalogs of Christie’s and Sotheby’s – still printed in black and white then – and they became a route for me to learn all the names of different furniture styles and periods. I absorbed that information like a sponge. Discovering one name would lead me to another and then another – in this way I discovered the great designers of the 20th century, such as Jean-Michel Frank, Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann and Albert-Armand Ratteau. You have to remember that growing up in such an isolated place without access to information in the way we have now, these catalogs had a profound effect on my life. Through them, I found where my inspirations and passions lay.
Mattia Bonetti’s Whitney Table sits alongside Sultana’s own furniture editions in the London showroom.
Getting Started
I had a place to study architecture at the university in Malta, but I took a gap year and went to London. I already knew of David Gill’s name, and when I walked into his gallery, he was there and we started talking. He was fascinated by the fact that at my age – 19 – I knew all these names from the past. He offered me a job for three months, but I realized during that time that his gallery was everything I wanted to be. The fact that he was working with living artists – people such as Elizabeth Garouste and Mattia Bonetti – took me over completely. I was so used to looking at historical names, but here was the energy of knowing living artists and working with them.
In Sultana’s bathroom at home, the portrait above the bath is by Aldo Mondino and the side tables and palm mirror are by Oriel Harwood.
Big Break
Accepting David’s invitation to stay permanently. I learnt every aspect of his business and eventually became Creative Director before deciding to forge my own path and open my own House last year. I still help David with his business and he continues to be a great influence in my life.
Typical Day
5:45 am start. Emails from 6 to 6:45 am, personal trainer from 7 to 8 am. Office by 9 am. There is no typical working day, but a hectic schedule of client appointments, meetings with artists and office administration. I no longer have time for designing during the day, so I do most of my creative work on flights. I paint every design in watercolor, something I have always done, so people around me are always fascinated when I bring out my Smythson watercolor palette and Hermès sketchbook – the cabin crew always likes to take a look at what I am doing. If I am in London, I usually spend evenings at home and am in bed by 11 pm. It is all very disciplined.
Inspiration Board
Verdura jewels. Woven Venetian fabrics. Art deco silver. Surrealism and the Californian contemporary-art scene. I have an enduring relationship with the 1950s – think Judy Garland in A Star is Born for its great interiors – and my current book is Café Society by Thierry Coudert.
Design Philosophy
The ethos of this House is to create interiors and furniture that will have lasting value. If the design is good and the materials and quality are right, a piece of furniture will endure for hundreds of years. For that reason, I particularly favor noble materials such as bronze and silver. I not only design my own collections, but I encourage my clients to commission work by living artists, such as André Dubreuil, Mattia Bonetti or Oriel Harwood. Putting a room together is all a question of balance.
The dining room of Sultana’s Mayfair apartment. The photograph above fireplace is by Richard Prince. The dining table with scagliola top is by Garouste & Bonetti; ‘Boy & Girl’ candlesticks also by G&B.
Color
The aquas: watery greens and blues. Teal blue is also a current favorite.
Love It
The energy of younger designers always excites me. There is a parallel with what we do and fashion – older designers are always influenced by the younger generation. I love to see new talent emerging and believe we should encourage it as much as possible.
Hate It
I am not a person who hates things, but I dislike the bland and the boring. Give me elegance, sophistication and excitement – not playing it safe.
Process
I may sketch out about 20 pieces of furniture at any one time, but if you add them all up it probably works out at one design a day. I always work in watercolor, but then I have someone who can translate my ideas onto the computer. At that stage, I refine all the measurements, because furniture is all about proportion. A lot of my designs include elements in cast bronze, so I also have someone to model the maquettes for me – I used to make these myself but no longer have time – and then there is a final stage of adjustment. Everything I design is numbered, signed, inventoried and produced bespoke for a client. It is like couture – no two pieces are ever completely identical, because the size, finish and upholstery choices will alter from commission to commission. Not everyone who comes to me wants an interior done – I am very happy when people want to commission just one piece of special furniture. It is another side of my life that I enjoy.
Painting I Would Most Like To Live In
One of the tree landscapes by Carroll Dunham. I have one hanging in front of the door as you walk into my studio, and I love the colors and the strong brush strokes. It combines elegance with strength, which I like very much.
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