Giuseppe Samà graduated from the architecture department from Roma Tre University and is a designer known for his fusion of contemporary luxury and urban design. With Giuseppe Sama Studio, which he founded in 2007, he has designed the homes of prominent figures in the worlds of real estate, sports and food. Samà, whose aesthetic is characterized by bright colors and strong visual expressions, gave us insights on the architectural use of marble. Here are the details of our interview with Giuseppe Samà, the founder of the studio.
Can you tell us about the founding story and mission of your architectural firm?
After graduating in Architecture in Rome, I founded my architectural firm in 2007. Originally I was focused on Monumental Restoration projects since my specialization was in building restoration. It was an incredible experience because I got to know how the monuments, the Colosseum for instance, were built. In 2012 I had the chance to design a beautiful house in New York for an Italian-American client. Since then, I fell in love of New York and in 2016 I decided to move to New York. I literally moved to New York pennyless, and after 4 years of experience in a architecture firm in 2020, in the middle of pandemic, I have decided to found my architecture and design studio based in New York.
How would you describe your design approach? What are your thoughts on the influence and characteristics of Italian design?
I consider myself very lucky because I do a job that I really love. Every project tells me a story, and I try to understand it and translate it in a pure form, minimalist and warm design to reflect the client’s expectations. In Italy we eat design every day. Our culture influence is unique, every object, every piece of furniture, and every architecture we design has behind a research and story. We don’t do things just because. We put in all our passion, we design with love and this is what makes us different from the others.
Can you talk about how you developed your own unique aesthetic style by combining contemporary luxury and urban aesthetics?
To be honest it comes to me very naturally. When I go for the first time to a job site I can immediately imagine how the project will be on my mind. Everything is already there, in that place, I only have to put it on paper for the clients. Each project is unique, and I always try to create a soft, comfortable, and sensual minimalism design, with earthy tones combined with the italian furniture.
What are the reasons why you prefer marble in architecture? What are the advantages of this material for you and what are the advantages of marble over other materials?
Marble is an old, amazing material. Not very easy to manage, expensive and heavy. And when combined with other materilas like antique brass, it makes your interiors, your piece of furniture unique. I prefer the marble over other materials because it’s naturally beauty. Each slab speaks loud. It’s so elegant and now the technology helps us to have new textures and type of finishes. It’s a strong material but on the same time very fragile, and under its aesthetic sometimes can be speechless but it cannot be used for everything.
What do you pay attention to when choosing between different colors, textures and patterns of marble? Which type of marble do you prefer more in your projects?
I don’t like to use marbles with lot of veins or with strong colors. I prefer soft tones with a touch of light gold and gray veins. A soft, matte finish is what I like most. There are so many different type of marbles, but I recently designed a table with a beautiful Calacatta Borghini. I fell in love of it at first sight. Usually the Calacatta’s family is what I prefer, but also the Bianco Lasa family as well. I also use other stones in my project like the Travertine Navona.
How do you evaluate the future trends of marble?
Unfortunately, we will see less people to use it for their projects, and that’s because it becomes more expensive every year. Also, the new technology allows you to create beautiful porcelain tiles very similar to the marble and people prefer it especially because of its cost.
Can you share the names and features of 3 prominent projects of your company? Can you give information about the design process and results of these projects?
Unfortunately, for some disclosure agreements, I cannot talk about some specific projects where we have used a lot of Italian and Turkish marbles. But we have the One Thoushand Museum Penthouse in Miami, C+P Residence in Italy, and M+H Residence in New York. In all these three projects we created very unique spaces, especially the bathrooms and each of them custom made with an amazing result.
+90 532 585 51 95
+90 532 585 51 95