Inspired by Stanley Kubrick’s cinematic masterpiece 2001: A Space Odyssey, architect, designer and artist Achille Salvagni has transformed his Mayfair gallery into a “sumptuous retro-futuristic time capsule” for his showcase Apollo, running from Thursday March 15 to Friday September 7. Intrepid design lovers entering his Grafton Street atelier will be transported by the spacecraft-white spaces, which are punctured by porthole windows framing a constellation of stars shimmering subtly on hidden screens.
Several of Salvagni’s most iconic pieces furnish the futuristic scene. His six-arm Spider White chandelier (€86,400) in patinated cast bronze and backlit onyx hovers like a UFO over the main space, and in the connecting room two monolithic side tables – the multifaceted Emerald (€14,400) and the illuminated onyx Menhir (€26,400) – are arranged in such a way that they appear as if they have fallen to earth from the depths of outer space.
The stars of the show are Salvagni’s Bubbles wall sconces (€26,400) – a new iteration of designs originally conceived for artist Jeff Koons – and the Brancaleone sconces (€18,000) in onyx and bronze, which resemble the helmet of a spacesuit when viewed in this otherworldly environment.
Salvagni’s vision is a response to the advent of space tourism. “It’s a futuristic yet opulent interior with highly crafted pieces,” he says. “It’s my personal homage to the imminent exploration of uncharted territory – a marvel soon to be revealed.” It promises to be a stellar event.
