Included in Louis Vuitton’s Milan City Guide, Raw & Co hosts interior decoration brands and fascinating vintage furnishings. We meet Paolo Badesco, interior designer and founder of the brand.

When did the Raw & Co project start and why did you give it that name?
Raw was born in 2005 from a dream of mine. I am very appreciative of the traditions and atmosphere of the last century, thanks to my mother’s family’s French background. I feel like the English word “raw” reflects the quintessential concept of the two cabinets des curiosités that we opened in Milan, one in Corso Magenta 10 and the other in Via Palermo 1: a collection of objects from France, Belgium, the Netherlands and England, deliberately not restored, combined with a selection of contemporary objects with a nonchalant elegance, the result of international research, which create a journey through sensations, feelings and history.
The via Palermo store, in the heart of Brera, was created in collaboration with architect Costantino Affuso, senior consultant and then partner of the second Milanese store.
The Corso Magenta boutique is located in a building from the early 1900s, with a surface area of ​​600 square meters divided on two floors, with seasonal installations: our philosophy is to welcome our customers as if they were entering our home.

How do you select the brands for your concept stores?
Our repertoire of accessories, décor and knick-knacks shares certain common characteristics: research, quality, exclusivity and history.
Everything has to fit Raw’s philosophy perfectly.

Where do the vintage furnishings sold at Raw & Co come from?
We have a soft spot for French and English traditions and culture. The Raw furnishings are not as stately as some of the most famous antiques, our research focuses mainly on the early twentieth century, with some more recent pieces from the 1950s; they are intentionally not restored as we believe that the signs of aging, the patina and the peeling are an added value that contributes to highlighting the intrinsic beauty of these objects.

How important are the city and the places where you opened Raw & Co?
Milan plays a fundamental role, it is the city where everything happens, it has a strategic relevance on the international scene in the sectors of design, fashion and taste, we are certainly in the right place.

What is luxury for you?
For us, true luxury is simplicity, non-conformism, distancing ourselves from consumerist fashions and trends, taking our time, leaving our cell phones at home, giving priority to certain values. In terms of interior decoration, it is the smell of real wood, the creaking of a period parquet, a piece of Raw furniture as a unique piece steeped in history.

Are you working on new projects with the brand?
We’ve been thinking about it for a long time, and we think that the time is right to come out with a Raw collection. We’ve also experimented with some partnerships: we’ve been designing and creating wallpaper with Wall & Deco for years and we have also created eco-friendly products for the home with an eco-friendly company based in the Marche region. Other collaborations are underway with the brands we host, but we don’t want to reveal too much!