Andrea Viganò: “Alliance Group wants to bring quality and improved service to the construction and property market.”
Luca Moretti
Andrea Viganò, an architect and interior designer from Italy, the country of taste and quality, is working on the Alliance Palace and the Alliance Highline projects. These two modern multifunctional complexes in Batumi and Tbilisi will be added to the portfolio of Viganò’s Studio D73, which the Italian interior designer runs together with his business partner, fellow Italian Marco Vismara.
- Italy, France, Greece, Russia and Georgia - your Italian firm Studio D73 even has a representation in Tbilisi. Why Georgia? As a modern Italian designer working on high-end international projects, what opportunities do you see in our country?
- Studio D73 has been working in Georgia for several years. Our direct presence has allowed us to get in touch with the Georgian culture and gain an understanding of how to better approach the market with our professional architectural and interior design work. Georgia is developing very fast, mainly on the back of its tourism business, and thanks to several years of stability. As architects, we have a crucial role in this development process, providing quality and ideas in order to avoid a disorganized change in the appearance of the cities. Georgia has a great potential, and demands an open-minded European approach to business. We as foreign architects can provide such new viewpoints, but always ensure that they are integrated with the characteristics of Georgian history and background.
- How did your Georgian story start?
- Studio D73 started to work in Tbilisi four years ago. Our first project was the new Hotel Ambassadori in Tbilisi. It was a very challenging project that took us three years of on-site work to complete. This was made possible by Studio D73 working in several different countries, building up strong collaborations and partnerships with local developers and companies. This network of relationships, together with a strong attention to communication, gives us opportunities to open new markets. Our approach is also successful because we follow the project directly on site, rather than simply providing a nice design and drawings.
- Why Alliance Group?
- Alliance Group came across us through Maia Tsereteli of Key Hospitality Management. Our cooperation was born almost naturally, as from the very beginning we shared the same professional approach and mentality, being focused on the quality of services, rather than only on the financial aspects. Since we presented our initial ideas for the Alliance Palace in Batumi, I had the feeling that Mr. Akaki Songulia had the same approach to business. Alliance Group wants to bring quality and improved service to the construction and property market. We are the perfect partners to improve and boost these aspects, because we have the same values. Nowadays, to be successful, you must follow this approach with courage. I am sure that this collaboration will bring both of us much success.
- Interior designers often say that they have to first feel the environment in order to get the inspiration. What is the main driver for you with regards to the Alliance Palace in Georgia’s popular Black Sea city and the Alliance Highline in the country’s capital?
- I totally agree. You cannot provide an excellent design if you do not know the environment, the background, the people and the culture. When I started these two projects, I was imagining myself as a client who has just bought his new dream apartment, and is stepping in for the first time. How would I like to feel? The Alliance Palace mainly provides holiday apartments, and I was looking for a design that would give me the joy to relax after a hot sunny day at the sea. I step in, and I feel fresh with bright and cozy colors, the natural feeling of wood on the floor, and a cool ambience that will inspire me to spend the evening having a nice party with friends, or relaxing with my family. Great attention to the lighting effects is crucial. As for the Alliance Highline, there you have an apartment in the capital. I imagine a person with a dynamic lifestyle and work schedule, who is connected to the world. Here the design is characterized by stronger elements, darker colors and higher contrast, but always retains a balance that gives me energy and dynamism. Again, lighting and graphics are important here.
- What is unique about the Alliance Palace and the Alliance Highline?
- I would say that it is the union between high-quality Georgian property services and the best recognized Italian design and furniture.
- Looking at D73 projects, I see that you tend to add blue color to the interior - different variations of blue lighting, for instance. What meaning does the use of blue color carry for you?
- You are not wrong, using different tones and variations of the blue color is something that I like to do, because it is a color that best expresses the mood that I tend to create. With regards to lighting, it also has the power to better highlight the contrast with the ambience and the volumes. It is intense, but at the same time, elegant and refined. However, I must say that this is not something that is set in stone. It depends on the project, and sometimes I like to make changes.
- With regards to colors, is there any trick to make apartments look spacious using certain color combinations?
- Of course, there are some colors that tend to create different perceptions of space, but more important for me is the ability to organize spaces together with lighting and colors, to create the right combination and balance.
- Aside from colors, what would you say are the essential parts of interior design?
- Undoubtedly, it is the lighting. We pay a great attention to lighting, which is completely integrated with the interior. Correct lighting has the ability to radically change the ambience.
- Is there a third project/more projects you’ll be working on in Georgia with Alliance Group?
- Actually, our partnership is ongoing in the form of the Alliance Palace and Alliance Highline projects. I really hope that our work together will be so effective that it will lead us to also cooperate on the upcoming 5-star Marriot hotel in Batumi’s Alliance Privilege multifunctional complex project. We are ready to support the Alliance Group in this process of growth.
- The projects that you are working on together with the Alliance Group are both internationally recognized, multifunctional complexes. How important do you consider the Alliance Highline and the Alliance Palace for your career?
- For us, the cooperation with the Alliance Group is a very important step with regards to consolidating our international experience. Alliance Palace and Alliance Highline are challenging projects because of their size, logistics and service. They will help us grow professionally. However, it is most important for us to cooperate with a company which has a vision similar to ours. This is the best reward.
