Being an Interior Design Major in Florence, Italy
Having the opportunity to study interior design in a perfectly preserved Renaissance city that is protected by UNESCO is an experience unlike any other. To add to this unique experience, I am studying at SRISA under the very woman who established the interior design program at the school, Cynthia Mohr.
Cynthia is a wonderfully quirky woman with a long career in the industry. She has been a tremendous resource. Those two things combined make for unforgettable experiences that influence design in amazing ways.
Studio Class
Studio is a lively class and a bouncing board for ideas.
It is a constructive class that is easy to find inspiration in. Every class, we are challenged to do better, learn new things from ourselves and our environment, and take in the global context of the historic city we live in. Florence has so much to offer a budding designer through its rich history, adaptive reuse, and beautiful architecture waiting to be awoken.
For our final project, everyone is transforming the same site into a different use. The site we are working with is the former Sant’Orsola Monastery. Some are creating multi-family housing, some doing cafes and museums, and anything in between.
Sant’Orsola Monastery
Located on the outskirts of the city center, it is the burial place of Lisa Gherardini, the subject of Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa.
It is currently undergoing extensive renovations to reuse the site after it was abandoned, and several failed attempts at reusing it left significant damage to the structure. It is an enormous building occupying an entire city block, which we were fortunate enough to be allowed to visit for observation.
My task is to create a boutique hotel with a dining/restaurant space on the ground and first floors. The concept of Medusa, in its modern interpretation, will inform my design decisions. The space will be transformed into an elegant, sophisticated atmosphere that pays homage to the site’s historical significance and creates safe spaces for both guests and the public.
With midterms done, we are off to the races with these designs. The groundwork has been laid, and we are prepared to bring our ideas to life. Transforming the Sant’Orsola Monastery has many challenges, but it also has much to offer, and we are capable of giving it a new life. A life that it has been waiting so patiently for!
