Fashion, Craft and Space: Virginia Arlotto on the Art of Emotional Interiors
people • designers and makers
For Virginia Arlotto, design is a form of storytelling that shapes emotion through texture, proportion and light. From her Milan studio, the Italian interior architect creates interiors that are poetic yet purposeful, blending the structure of architecture with the rhythm of fashion and the intimacy of craftsmanship.
After refining her practice at Marcel Wanders Studio in Amsterdam, Virginia returned to Milan in 2021 to establish her own studio. Her projects, spanning private residences, retail interiors and bespoke furniture, reveal a distinct narrative sensibility. Guided by sustainability and a deep respect for material, she translates memory and emotion into interiors that feel timeless, tactile and alive.
In this exclusive Designeers interview, Virginia reflects on how her years abroad shaped her creative voice, why sustainability begins with emotional connection, and how storytelling continues to define her approach to design.
Words: designeers
NOVEMBER 2025
WEBSITE: virginiaarlotto.com
INSTAGRAM: @virginiaarlotto
DESIGNEERS
You describe design as storytelling. What kinds of stories do you feel most compelled to tell through your spaces?
Virginia Arlotto
For me, a space is like a silent novel: it speaks through light, material and proportion. I’m drawn to stories of intersection, where architecture meets silhouette, where texture meets intention.
My process often begins with a feeling rather than a plan: something soft, layered, and slightly suspended in time. I see interiors as living companions, shaped by rhythm, stillness, and the traces of those who inhabit them. The stories I like to tell are about memory and possibility, about restraint that still feels deeply alive.
DESIGNEERS
Having worked in Amsterdam at Marcel Wanders Studio before returning to Milan, how did those years abroad shape your design voice?
Virginia Arlotto
Amsterdam was transformative. At Marcel Wanders Studio, I saw how objects could be theatrical, how every detail becomes part of a mise-en-scène. I learned to think beyond pure “function” to emotional choreography. However, living outside Italy sharpened my appreciation for Italian craftsmanship, materials, and proportion. When I returned to Milan, I carried with me that theatrical sensibility, but balanced by the discipline and tactility of Italian making. It’s a tension I still explore.
DESIGNEERS
How do fashion, craftsmanship, and interiors come together in your work, and where do you see the strongest crossover?
Virginia Arlotto
Fashion gives me the vocabulary: silhouettes, drape, texture, rhythm. Interiors give me scale and permanence. Craftsmanship is the glue that binds them, translating ephemeral ideas into enduring objects. The strongest crossover is in transition zones: the edges, the seams. The way a wall meets a floor, a join meets a surface, a shadow falls; these are the “seams” of space, analogous to seams in garments. In those places, the dialogue between fashion and interiors is richest.
DESIGNEERS
Sustainability is at the centre of your work. What practices or materials have become essential in your projects today?
Virginia Arlotto
For me, sustainability is about lasting beauty and material integrity. I favour local stones, natural finishes and artisanal, small-batch production to minimise waste. I often work with modular systems that can evolve over time and love to reinterpret existing elements rather than replace them. But equally important is emotional sustainability: designing with meaning so the object or space resists obsolescence in people’s lives.
“For me, a space is like a silent novel: it speaks through light, material and proportion. I’m drawn to stories of intersection, where architecture meets silhouette, where texture meets intention. ”
Virginia Arlotto
DESIGNEERS
Your furniture collection is going to be on display at Galerie Philia, how did that collaboration come about, and what does it mean for you as a designer?
Virginia Arlotto
I have always felt a deep alignment with Galerie Philia. Their curation bridges art, design, and craft, it was an environment I wanted my work to join. For me, this is more than distribution; it’s entering a curatorial context. It means my furniture is seen not only as functional objects but as narrators in a broader discourse.
DESIGNEERS
What excites you most about the current design scene in Milan?
Virginia Arlotto
Milan is electric. I love that more designers are embracing hybridity (art, product and interiors). Craftspeople are younger and more experimental. Fashion and interior lines are dissolving. And there’s a renewed belief in the value of slow-making and thoughtful design. I sense a collective confidence: to be bold, minimal, and poetic.
DESIGNEERS
What’s your dream project or commission you haven’t yet taken on?
Virginia Arlotto
I would love to design a Villa on Lake Como or a retreat in the mountains, somewhere where architecture, landscape, and emotion become one continuous experience. I imagine a home that feels almost like a sculpture carved by nature itself: pure lines, tactile surfaces, and a deep sense of calm. A place to reconnect with slowness, light, and silence.
DESIGNEERS
Your dream dinner guest?
Virginia Arlotto
My dream dinner guest would be Kelly Wearstler. I admire her fearless approach to design, her ability to merge eras, textures and attitudes into spaces that feel like a language of emotion.
DESIGNEERS
Your favourite hotel in the world?
Virginia Arlotto
I’m deeply inspired by Aman’s design ethos, which is minimalism with soul. Each property is completely contextual, reflecting its environment and culture through architecture, materials, and atmosphere. The restraint in design allows you to feel the essence of the place rather than be distracted by decoration. I admire how Aman spaces make you slow down. The balance of proportion, light, and silence creates a sense of peace that is rare and timeless. As a designer, I find Aman’s ability to create emotional calm through spatial design endlessly inspiring
DESIGNEERS
Your design hero?
Virginia Arlotto
There are so many designers to admire, it’s hard to choose, but I’ll go with Charlotte Perriand and Louise Trotter. I’ve always drawn inspiration from both fashion and architecture, and their work embodies that balance of form, function, and elegance. Perriand’s pieces are timeless and sculptural, while Trotter’s approach to craftsmanship and materials feels modern and personal. Together, they remind me that great design is about creating objects and spaces that are both beautiful and meaningful.
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