Sandra is a third-generation architect and professor. who earned the opportunities to pursue her advanced studies at Harvard and the AA School in the UK.
Following a number of successful positions at renowned architecture and interior design firms in London (she began her career with Foster + Partners, lead for many years Harrods Interior Design teams, and worked internationally on exceptional award-winning projects), Sandra established her eponymous Atelier and works between Paris, Monaco & Miami. Sandra’s signature is the result of an intricate dialogue bridging heritage and innovation, sophistication and purity, elegance, and boldness, borrowing constant inspiration from her travels, from art, fashion, and every form of creative expression.
What is the philosophy, the purpose, or the “raison d’être” behind your work?
“I am first and foremost a design fanatic, I am in love with beautiful things, and I have always been a perfectionist with a great eye for details. It gives me great pleasure to stimulate a sense of happiness, emotion, and beauty in people’s world through my work. Creating someone’s home, someone’s sacred space, is a great privilege: it is the temple of their memories, and I may contribute to making their daily life in this space a little bit more magical and improving their quality of life. I create interiors that tell stories and reflect my client personalities and individualities. I like to create atmospheres that have a human dimension, I don’t care about creating cold and static projects to make magazine covers, what matters the most for me is to create spaces that have a soul”, says Sandra in a formula which she reveals is, more or less “one quarter off-the-shelf pieces, one quarter vintage/antique pieces, one quarter bespoke pieces and one quarter owner’s pieces”, which she just pulls all together.
She advocates for her clients’ personal style, “I don’t care about following trends to impress or to make magazine covers, this allows me to push my creative boundaries and design outside my comfort zone. My team and I work very closely with exceptional artisans and craftsmen at a very early stage of the design process, I believe in the strength of people and excellent savoir-faire coming together to achieve something unique.”
“There is a real value in handmade creation, says Sandra, with the investment of so many skilled man-hours of work and the importance of preserving heritage crafts.
I like to promote and work with artisans, to keep craftsmanship alive and because the hand cannot do the same thing twice. My interiors tell stories, they are the result of hundreds of hours of manual work and creations, acknowledging ancestral techniques we may never duplicate.
Whenever I develop a design from its conception, it feels as if I’m writing a poem on a blank page.
The client is my muse, the heart of my storytelling. Knowing everything about the site’s history is crucial for me, as well as my client’s aspirations, dreams, preferences, and lifestyle… It is important for me to understand the reason behind how they respond to aesthetics, and the way they want to feel inside their space.”
Recognized for her creative originality, exceptional client skills, and insights, Sandra’s professional contribution had a key influence on the realization of some of the most beautiful and prestigious 5-star hotels, amassing awards and plaudits internationally (the Harrods Presidential Suite in Cala di Volpe in Porto Cervo), headquarters, and palaces in Oman and Doha, as well as townhouses and private residences for HNWI, celebrities and royals in London, Paris, Miami, and Monaco.
Her team also manages international projects of all sizes (villas, apartments, pieds-à-terre, penthouses, hotels, retail, offices, restaurants, and yachts) with clients receiving the very best advice and professional services on each and every project, with the upmost discretion and confidentiality.
“We recently completed an effortlessly chic Parisian apartment, an ultra-luxurious family office in Monaco, a panoramic penthouse in Miami Beach, and refit a classic Italian yacht in a shipyard in Mallorca. We are currently designing the interior of an exceptional 62 meters Sanlorenzo Super-yacht and many more exciting projects are on the pipeline in Monaco and around the world.”
Yacht design
“We are the creators of tailor-made yacht projects, transforming an owner’s dreams into innovative realities. Our yacht section provides new build, refit, and all the styling services a luxury yacht requires regardless of its size, from the most extravagant of requirements to the most unique and sought-after pieces, be it Lalique crystal faucets with 24k gold, curated art collections, sourcing all the yacht essentials, or creating a bespoke signature fragrance…We will do everything to translate and reflect the unique character of our clients’ taste and lifestyle at sea. Our clients also get access to special services, like a fully personalized scent that will be custom-made to their preference for their yacht. The process takes approximately 6 months with a master perfumer in Provence and our clients, through several testing stages This experience has been thoughtfully crafted to be totally unique and unforgettable.”
Your inspiration, your visions how do they come about?
Sandra rooted her identity and inspirations in a mixture of Eastern/Western cultures and travelling is second nature to her.
“When I travel I feel that my creativity grows and my soul expands, I am convinced that travelling can make you better…
I travel a lot for my work and take time to discover the work of different artists, craftsmen, designers, and local techniques. From the architecture to the construction materials, I pay close attention to every element surrounding me. As I wander around a beautiful place such as Paris, where every street corner is inspiring, I consistently try to cultivate a sense of amazement and see things as a child would, remaining mesmerized. A fair amount of time is dedicated to visiting international fairs and new artisans, craftsmen, and artists in order to broaden our selection of materials and ideas and enable my designers and I to constantly innovate and create anew.
My work distinguishes itself by the nobility and exclusivity of the luxurious materials used, the bespoke prestige of having something absolutely unique and and original, which will stand the test of time.”
