Take a look inside Gracinha Viterbo’s eclectic home.
Gracinha Viterbo and family
Viterbo Interior Design is an award-winning firm renowned for its luxury residential and hospitality projects. With an expanding portfolio in Singapore and the region, it is logical and timely that the firm establishes a base here.
Apart from an office, Creative Director, Gracinha Viterbo, who six years ago took over the reins of the firm that her mother, Graca Viterbo, founded in 1971, also chose to set up home here. She shares it with her husband, Miguel Stucky, who is also MD of Viterbo ID, and their four children – Santiago, Gui, Benjamim and Alice.
Settling In
Unlike their sprawling 20,000 sq ft property in Portugal that used to belong to Stucky’s grandmother, with its huge garden, colossal pool and a luxury of space that makes it possible to have everything on one level, Viterbo opted for something different in Singapore.
“I wanted an apartment that is modern and centrally-located, yet surrounded by trees and natural light,” she says, and the apartment at 8 Napier fits the bill.
To Viterbo, “Every home tells a story and every space is a moment.” It is about “creating lifestyles and writing tatler_tatler_stories through spaces” and the inhabitants are the characters in the story. But a visit to Viterbo’s home reveals more than her family’s daily rituals and her design style; it also offers an insight into her designer’s mind, one which Viterbo likens to a “matrix comprising different worlds”.
Indeed, Viterbo’s apartment is an eclectic mix of myriad styles, colours and textures and it is a treasure trove filled with the avid collector’s art, furniture, fabrics and coral. “A house doesn’t have to match perfectly but the execution must be perfect,” Viterbo emphasises. In the living room is a sofa custom-made by Viterbo ID, whose boomerang-shape breaks free from a rigid layout and sets the tone for informal gatherings. The contrasting colours and textures of overlapping carpets – a rough raffia against the luxuriant emerald green of a Diane von Furstenberg Climbing Leopard rug juxtaposed with a neutral cream, adds depth to a flat surface. The layering of cushions creates a sense of richness. These cushions are custom-made by the self-professed “Fabric Encyclopedia” using antique fabrics, Ikat and an assortment of other materials such as metal studs.
The Story Goes…
The main living area exudes an elegant yet vibrant feel
In between the living room and adjacent space is a pair of partially folded screens to provide a notional sense of separation. The green frames infilled with faux stingray print panels together with a curved metal armchair by Hayon from Sé -London, purposefully placed in between the two spaces combine vintage with futuristic.
Viterbo turned what was originally intended to be one dining space into a “room within a room” by carving out a second living area. This is slightly more formal compared to the living room out front, but no less intimate. Two custom-made sofas are arranged face-to-face on either side of a vintage coffee table, and a geometric, black-and-white Paul Smith rug is placed underneath, echoing the monochromatic tones of the painting by internationally-acclaimed artist Pedro Cabrita Reis. An oversized elliptical table by Philipe Hurel in the dining area and a Patrick Naggar semi-circular sofa create an alcove for cosy dinners. The multi-functional dining table, as well as the island bench in the open-concept kitchen also double-up as Viterbo’s workstation and are great for laying out large format drawings. A cluster of pendant lights from Portugal brand Delightfull can be tilted to various angles by adjusting the steel cords and magnetic discs. This creates visual interest, as does a convex mirror wall sculpture by Hervé Van der Stratten that has the effect of capturing moments within the spaces.
Design Philosophy
To Viterbo, “interior design is not simply picking out furniture from a catalogue”, which is why she designed many of the things in her home; not just furniture and fittings, but also curtains and cushions. Running the length of the corridor leading to the bedrooms is a series of modular bookcases designed by Viterbo. An interesting zig-zag formation is achieved simply by staggering and stacking them. Placed in a prominent corner is an 18th century mirror belonging to Stucky’s grandmother with “The art of looking sideways” stenciled on it, a poignant reminder of their Portuguese heritage and the firm’s manifesto.
Santiago’s room is a symbol of pre-adolescence independence. Pandering to the nine-year-old’s love for sport are a bed with leather trim and stitching is inspired by the first American soccer shoes and black-and-white checks on the cushions. Wallpaper with a corrugated metal-like print injects an industrial edge while the greens on the rug give it a vintage feel, a theme that continues throughout the home. Every one of the children’s room features a piece of genuine art because Viterbo believes that “art appreciation should begin from a young age.”
Little Alice’s room is fit for a princess, with vibrant colours and shapes and miniature furniture, including a mini four-poster bed. Toys and books are organised on open shelves that are stacked on top of the bay window and colourful fabric panels conceal any clutter. “A child’s room should be fun and comfortable, but functional and systematic at the same time,” says Viterbo. “The shelves and compartments are like drawers in their heads and help train them in organising ideas in their minds,” she adds.
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