The Story Behind Nonna Chic

The Story Behind Nonna Chic

Not that very long ago, most of us would have scoffed at the idea of drawing inspiration from our grandmother’s houses. Whether it was the pink-frilled toilet paper doll in the guest bathroom, the cabinet stacked floor to ceiling with Villeroy & Boch, the biscuit tin of sewing supplies or the refrigerator stacked with Tupperware relics of the 1970s, most of us feel a great deal more nostalgia than inspiration.

It is, after all, a generational rite of passage to renounce whatever the previous generations considered à la mode.

But everything is changing, and the new generation has uncovered a treasure trove of home-styling and interior design delights in their grandmothers’ front rooms. Grandma Chic is enjoying its own time in the sun, but Vogue recently published an article promising Italy’s own answer to Grandma Chic – Nonna Chic – to be the next big thing in interior design.

What is Nonna Chic?

Like Grandma Chic, Nonna Chic celebrates the very best things in life…just from your Italian grandmother’s perspective. From the little curios to the big furnishings – and with a strong emphasis on a kitchen piled high with tools that speak to the idea of cooking as a craft rather than a daily chore – Nonna Chic is the maximalist, rustic, traditional antidote to the more minimalistic, neutral trends of the past few years. It’s about colour, a sense of movement and the house being decidedly ‘lived in’, and a zest for life predicated on some of the simpler pleasures – good food, good drink, sunshine, and family.

Heritage brands, multigenerational heirlooms, worktops that bear the scratches of many afternoons’ and evenings’ hard work, a clearly favoured armchair, a drawer for lace and ribbon, hand-painted tableware and worktops sprinkled with flour, Nonna Chic is the cinematic and all the more nuanced answer to Grandma Chic.

Faiza Tablecloth with Screen Printed Border

Blue Palm Tree Ceramic Pudding Bowl

Green Palm Tree Ceramic Pudding Bowl

Blue Palm Tree Ceramic Small Plate

Why has it become so popular?

Trends come and go – at times, seemingly from nowhere. That much we know to be the case. But, often, the randomness of these trends can be traced back to a shift in sentiment – and Nonna Chic is no different.

For starters, it’s about nostalgia. In the world of interior design, nostalgia has gained a huge amount of popularity over the past few years. On the one hand, it offers a level of comfort and security that no other trend in interior design can mimic; it enables us to take a more idiosyncratic approach to decorating, and that alone frees us from the burden of fast-moving trend cycles that render interiors ‘out of date’ almost as soon as they rise to the top of the pyramid.

But it’s even deeper than that. Nonna Chic and other similar trends appeal to a new philosophy for professional and amateur interior designers – one that prioritises sustainability and slow, measured production against many years’ emphasis on fast consumerism. The emphasis has shifted away from buying in order to achieve a particular look, and toward curating pieces over the course of a lifetime – or multiple lifetimes, in the case of heirloom pieces.

This is at the heart of what we do – the slow, skilful creation of pieces that will survive many years of use, with production methods rooted in history and artisanal expertise rather than an insatiable need for profit and market dominance. From hand-painted ceramic pieces to fabrics woven in small batches, the cornerstones of a more sustainable and grounded approach to interior design are precisely what inspires every one of the pieces we sell to our customers.

This passion has taken us around the world, but the history and love attached to each item we source maintains a connection to home, however many miles we travel.

Will it last?

The beauty of Nonna Chic is that it cannot be achieved quickly – nor can it be achieved without its followers forming more profound connections with the pieces they bring into their homes. Whether it’s a one-of-a-kind item sourced from an antiques market or an example of true craftsmanship, the pieces that sit at the heart of Nonna Chic are not the sort of pieces that can simply be cast aside in favour of the next ‘big thing’.

Ultimately, Nonna Chic is an excuse to step away from interior design trends. It isn’t about chintz or retro curations – nor is it really about recreating the family homes we spent time in decades ago. It’s about returning to older values and stronger convictions – a degree of patience with one’s own tastes and preferences – and the results are truly something to behold.

Good styling and clever camera work cannot compensate for a lack of love, skill, time, or craftsmanship, and Nonna Chic goes to prove that singularity will win out in the end.