is a London-based design historian and writer exploring the intersections of craft-led design and contemporary culture. She collaborates with designers, brands and galleries, producing thoughtful content for editorial and exhibitions.
Daniella also works as an interior consultant for commercial projects, where she specialises in the integration of large-scale craft commissions and fostering partnerships with international designers and makers.
Clients include: Ambra Medda Office, Caroline Achaintre, Charles & Co, Cob Gallery, Contact High, Hazendal, Laura Bartlett Studio, Sainte Chanel Ltd, Themes & Variations Gallery, The Josef & Anni Albers Foundation, The New Craftsman, Tom Dixon, Wyn.
To discuss a project send her an email at studio@daniella-turner.com
19.12.23
In Conversation: Martien Mulder and Luciano Giubbilei
In late July, New York-based photographer Martien Mulder spent the weekend at Potter’s House – the creative engine and periodic residence for renowned landscape designer Luciano Giubbilei. They sat down to discuss the unexpected turn of events that led to Luciano's custodianship of the house, and how it has deeply focused and energised his wider practice.
Recalling how he came to purchase the former home and studio of ceramicist Maria Antònia Carrió, Luciano Giubbilei reflects that “there is something about beauty that is difficult to resist.” Fast forward six years, Potter’s House serves not only as Luciano’s personal creative retreat but also as a nucleus for artistic exchange. Arranged around a serene cloister-like courtyard, there are dwellings, an archive devoted to the life and work of Maria Antònia and a studio hosting Luciano’s residency programme for contemporary ceramic artists.
Located in the Castilian town of Son Servera in north-eastern Mallorca, the house is a masterclass in majestic simplicity. Combining chalky gesso walls, atmospheric light play and a harmonious composition of structural and softly textured planting, Luciano’s renovation of the interior space and garden is an extension of the understated elegance and poetry so closely associated with his eponymous studio.
Although the house itself is indisputably picturesque, it is perhaps the undisturbed dialogue between its past and present – beginning with Maria Antònia and proceeding with Luciano – that has seen Potter’s House become a place of pilgrimage for design enthusiasts. For Dutch-born photographer Martien Mulder, whose own work infuses a similar quietude, the visit in late July sought to capture the spirit of the place: to find its essence in imagery and in conversation.
Luciano, you moved from your hometown Siena to London almost 30 years ago to become a landscape designer. How would you describe your approach?
I am preoccupied with composition and how composition makes you feel. My approach centres around spacing, repetition, scale and the transitional moments within gardens.
Something I find striking about your work is how you champion collaborations between the landscape, art, design and craft – can you talk about where this stemmed from?
From the very beginning of my career I collaborated with artists. The first came about through a client in London who presented me with a piece by British sculptor Stephen Cox. I remembered seeing [the piece] as a student at CASS Sculpture Foundation and it was a sculpture I really loved. Working on a project with an artist whose work had inspired me during my studies opened my eyes to the serendipitous way in which things happen in life.
One of those serendipitous moments is your story with Potter’s House, how did you first come across the space?
I have been going to Mallorca for about 25 years and became good friends with [the artist] Guillem Nadal. At the end of July 2017 he and his wife brought me to visit the ceramicist Maria Antònia Carrió at her house and studio.
What was it like when Maria Antònia lived there and what was your first impression?
The house was very beautiful – from her ceramic works, to her books, to the garden. She lived a very simple life there. There was an immediate connection between us. She described how difficult it is to make beautiful things, which is something I deeply related to. We spent the day looking at plants and at her ceramics and I purchased a few of her pieces.
How did you then end up owning the house?
On my return to London I wrote to her saying how much I had enjoyed our meeting and my desire to return. Unfortunately she passed away four months later. One of her friends made contact, relaying that Maria Antònia had mentioned my visit and wanted me to have the house. Initially, I was hesitant and wondered if I would be able to commit to such a space. But there is something about beauty which is difficult to resist. I thought about it for about three hours before accepting. There were lots of practicalities to work out, but I was emotionally already there.
I am so glad you were open and ready to take this on and continue her legacy. What was your intention for the space?
The house was already beautiful, but one of the ideas that immediately came to mind was how to restore the purpose of the place. You can restore a house or its interiors, but purpose is something different. I was interested in the studios and what Maria Antònia had set out to do there. I wanted to use the studio downstairs as an archive for her work and the one upstairs as a residency studio for contemporary artists. I work a lot with artists in my own profession and what I love most is the conversation. I am fascinated with how people become anchored in their practice and their commitment to their work. So my first response was that the purpose should be to invite other artists into the space.
It’s interesting that Potter's House, on the one hand, offers quietude–a retreat and a deep sense of peace–and, on the other hand, it sort of activates connections and artistic dialogue. How would you describe the energy?
Spending nine months living there during the pandemic I was able to develop a strong bond with every part. The house is unassuming from the outside and Maria Antònia kept the shutters closed. They were simple shutters, but the moment she opened them you entered this other world, with its entirely unique atmosphere. Upon entering, I was instantly drawn to this immediate focus of green at the end of your view. There is also something grounding about being on the white ceramic floor. You feel everything with your feet. I find it extremely relaxing.
As you say, you were drawn to the garden right when you came in, I had the same feeling …
The garden is very much the centrepiece. Everything looks into the garden, apart from the top terrace which looks out to the sea and church. Therefore, what you have is a hortus conclusus, where you are gardening within four walls. There is an extreme comfort working in such a confined space.
What about the body of water?
The central bathing pool sits is completely bordered by plants. It was always this way. When Maria Antònia lived here she described swimming surrounded by greenery and having this feeling of being within the plants.
It is beautiful and inspiring how you have created a sense of continuity with what Maria Antònia started …
There are many old plants, such as the fern, which were hers. I wasn’t looking to change it, only to improve it. For me, it is about identifying the plants that are the most important to keep and then figuring out the best way to make the composition work as a whole. That’s something I learnt at the very beginning through my dialogue with Maria Antònia. We met for less than 24 hours, but that connection changed the course of my life. I make gardens in a different way because of her and because of the house.
In Conversation: Martien Mulder and Luciano Giubbilei
In late July, New York-based photographer Martien Mulder spent the weekend at Potter’s House – the creative engine and periodic residence for renowned landscape designer Luciano Giubbilei. They sat down to discuss the unexpected turn of events that led to Luciano's custodianship of the house, and how it has deeply focused and energised his wider practice.
Recalling how he came to purchase the former home and studio of ceramicist Maria Antònia Carrió, Luciano Giubbilei reflects that “there is something about beauty that is difficult to resist.” Fast forward six years, Potter’s House serves not only as Luciano’s personal creative retreat but also as a nucleus for artistic exchange. Arranged around a serene cloister-like courtyard, there are dwellings, an archive devoted to the life and work of Maria Antònia and a studio hosting Luciano’s residency programme for contemporary ceramic artists.
Located in the Castilian town of Son Servera in north-eastern Mallorca, the house is a masterclass in majestic simplicity. Combining chalky gesso walls, atmospheric light play and a harmonious composition of structural and softly textured planting, Luciano’s renovation of the interior space and garden is an extension of the understated elegance and poetry so closely associated with his eponymous studio.
Although the house itself is indisputably picturesque, it is perhaps the undisturbed dialogue between its past and present – beginning with Maria Antònia and proceeding with Luciano – that has seen Potter’s House become a place of pilgrimage for design enthusiasts. For Dutch-born photographer Martien Mulder, whose own work infuses a similar quietude, the visit in late July sought to capture the spirit of the place: to find its essence in imagery and in conversation.
Luciano, you moved from your hometown Siena to London almost 30 years ago to become a landscape designer. How would you describe your approach?
I am preoccupied with composition and how composition makes you feel. My approach centres around spacing, repetition, scale and the transitional moments within gardens.
Something I find striking about your work is how you champion collaborations between the landscape, art, design and craft – can you talk about where this stemmed from?
From the very beginning of my career I collaborated with artists. The first came about through a client in London who presented me with a piece by British sculptor Stephen Cox. I remembered seeing [the piece] as a student at CASS Sculpture Foundation and it was a sculpture I really loved. Working on a project with an artist whose work had inspired me during my studies opened my eyes to the serendipitous way in which things happen in life.
One of those serendipitous moments is your story with Potter’s House, how did you first come across the space?
I have been going to Mallorca for about 25 years and became good friends with [the artist] Guillem Nadal. At the end of July 2017 he and his wife brought me to visit the ceramicist Maria Antònia Carrió at her house and studio.
What was it like when Maria Antònia lived there and what was your first impression?
The house was very beautiful – from her ceramic works, to her books, to the garden. She lived a very simple life there. There was an immediate connection between us. She described how difficult it is to make beautiful things, which is something I deeply related to. We spent the day looking at plants and at her ceramics and I purchased a few of her pieces.
How did you then end up owning the house?
On my return to London I wrote to her saying how much I had enjoyed our meeting and my desire to return. Unfortunately she passed away four months later. One of her friends made contact, relaying that Maria Antònia had mentioned my visit and wanted me to have the house. Initially, I was hesitant and wondered if I would be able to commit to such a space. But there is something about beauty which is difficult to resist. I thought about it for about three hours before accepting. There were lots of practicalities to work out, but I was emotionally already there.
I am so glad you were open and ready to take this on and continue her legacy. What was your intention for the space?
The house was already beautiful, but one of the ideas that immediately came to mind was how to restore the purpose of the place. You can restore a house or its interiors, but purpose is something different. I was interested in the studios and what Maria Antònia had set out to do there. I wanted to use the studio downstairs as an archive for her work and the one upstairs as a residency studio for contemporary artists. I work a lot with artists in my own profession and what I love most is the conversation. I am fascinated with how people become anchored in their practice and their commitment to their work. So my first response was that the purpose should be to invite other artists into the space.
It’s interesting that Potter's House, on the one hand, offers quietude–a retreat and a deep sense of peace–and, on the other hand, it sort of activates connections and artistic dialogue. How would you describe the energy?
Spending nine months living there during the pandemic I was able to develop a strong bond with every part. The house is unassuming from the outside and Maria Antònia kept the shutters closed. They were simple shutters, but the moment she opened them you entered this other world, with its entirely unique atmosphere. Upon entering, I was instantly drawn to this immediate focus of green at the end of your view. There is also something grounding about being on the white ceramic floor. You feel everything with your feet. I find it extremely relaxing.
As you say, you were drawn to the garden right when you came in, I had the same feeling …
The garden is very much the centrepiece. Everything looks into the garden, apart from the top terrace which looks out to the sea and church. Therefore, what you have is a hortus conclusus, where you are gardening within four walls. There is an extreme comfort working in such a confined space.
What about the body of water?
The central bathing pool sits is completely bordered by plants. It was always this way. When Maria Antònia lived here she described swimming surrounded by greenery and having this feeling of being within the plants.
It is beautiful and inspiring how you have created a sense of continuity with what Maria Antònia started …
There are many old plants, such as the fern, which were hers. I wasn’t looking to change it, only to improve it. For me, it is about identifying the plants that are the most important to keep and then figuring out the best way to make the composition work as a whole. That’s something I learnt at the very beginning through my dialogue with Maria Antònia. We met for less than 24 hours, but that connection changed the course of my life. I make gardens in a different way because of her and because of the house.