Interiors '70

Interiors '70 presents a selection of exceptional Italian interiors photographed by Carla De Benedetti between 1965 and 1975. This was particularly rich period of creativity in the field of interior design and its protagonists included Joe Colombo, Carla Venosta, Renzo Mongiardino, Alberto Seassaro, Giorgio Pes, Nanda Vigo, and Gae Aulenti. Spaces styled by these masters characterise a transitional period in the evolution of Italian decor that is not easily categorised. However, De Benedetti's strikingly eloquent photographs, made for architectural and interior design magazines of the time, offer an extraordinary commentary on these influential interiors.The dramatically composed images communicate the style of each space with astuteness and an instinct for the designer's intentions. The decor of the residences shown, located principally in Milan, is characterised by a bold use of colour and intriguing geometries, styles that are now beginning to re-emerge in the world of fashionable magazines. These interiors now exist only in De Benedetti's photographs which have been restored for this book and are more luminous and crisp than when they were originally published more than thirty years ago. An informed text by veteran design journalist Giovanni Odoni sheds light on De Benedetti's important career and on this undervalued period in the history of Italian interior design.