 The term ‘cosmopolitan’ may seem rather cliché, particularly within the realms of design. Yet the interior designer Alessandra Branca is certainly the embodiment of a cultural melting pot in her approach to and inspiration for interior design. Melding a cocktail of influences, from a childhood in Rome to her current life in America, Branca is a venerable menagerie of innovation when it comes to decorating your abode. Her work has been described as incorporating \’the comfort of the British, the chic of the French, the passion of the Italians and the wherewithal of the Americans.\’
 \’It’s interesting that each of those places is somewhere someone in my family came from — my father’s mother was French, my father English, and my mother is Italian.’ Her background as a dealer in antique prints, which she had collected since the age of 14, alongside her Italian roots, clearly comes through in her work. It is classic — but the inevitable twist comes with an injection of vibrant personality and enthusiasm for life. Visiting the Branca store in Chicago I was struck by layer upon layer of beautiful antiques and objects —it has a certain Wunderkammer feel — yet also by some of the intriguing curiosities placed amongst splashes of vivid colour. African headdresses and riding boot trees reinvented as lamp stands particularly caught my eye. Despite such talent for design, a sense of humour doesn’t fail her. Laughing, she muses on her sartorial display – \’as my husband would say, it looks like I feel into a cubist sofa!\’
 Discussing her past work as a fashion buyer it becomes clear that interior design is a platform through which to explore other areas of human life. She notes an example of such interconnectedness in the influence late 18th Century fashion had on furniture design in Europe. \’As women wore more comfortable dresses, without hoops, people started making sofas that were deeper and thus more comfortable. This started way back with the Romans — people lay down all the time on divans, so clothing had to be soft and able to move. Everything is connected, fashion and furniture are about living and both of them are very important to each other.\’
 Such influence of interior design on human social life also comes through in a more direct way in her role — ‘I’ve become the best marriage counsellor you’ll ever meet!’ Mediating the intricacies of as large an investment as a home is an emotionally delicate one. As a designer she aims to locate the ‘common ground’ — some people struggle to articulate the visual, in which case her role as a psychoanalyst comes to the fore in essentially reflecting on ‘how they feel when they feel best, memories from home and from travels when they felt completely comfortable, happy and excited.’ For others keen to indulge their own styles she is more of a ‘portrait artist’ — ‘if I don’t show a home that is an extension of them rather than me, then I haven’t done my job.’
 She cites moving to America as key to developing her work philosophy — ‘you do learn to problem solve and to organise information from the Americans — i mean the work ethic is unbelievable.’ The land of Bernini and espressos has remained similarly fundamental however — ‘Italians do show a bit more — but really in the end Italian homes are about architecture, space, colour and light. The Americans are not as comfortable in their homes. Comfort is the one thing that I make a huge effort to bring to a home.’ A black and white house plan morphs into an approach to design ‘like a business plan’ — taking a temporal view to how the house will be used — which is then ‘organised by subject, not by room.’ Colour and form are then explored within the context of the space to see what is going to work — ‘good design has to work, it can’t just look great. It’s like healthy body/healthy mind — you’ve got to have both.’
 Continually reading and learning is key to maintaining a flowing current of ideas — ‘the more you educate yourself the better.’ Discussing the trials and tribulations of the potential of stylish studentdom, she again exudes characteristic optimism — ‘student living is a fantastic place to practice making the most out of very little space – realising yourself, your needs, and your interests. I think the fun thing is that this is where so much is born — it’s the best time of your life, it really is.’ Champagne studentdom — reign on!
 New Classic Interiors (Stewart, Tabori, & Chang) is out now, RRP £34.99; All sales proceeds are donated to inner-city educational programs.
