CLOSE10 Of The Best Interior Designers From Europe
Every year Architectural Digest, a renowned interior design entity, rounds up the definitive list of the top design, decor, and architecture talent created that year. The AD100, as it is called, features leading visionaries, icons, and innovators from the United States and around the world — along with 30 legendary members of the AD100 Hall of Fame. In this article, we selected 10 of the best interior designers from Europe: some are all-time favorites, others are newcomers in the industry, either way, their interior design projects speak for themselves!
Casiraghi Architecture d"Intérieur
Since cutting his teeth at Dimorestudio in Milan, the Italian-born, Paris-based Fabrizio Casiraghi has crafted an intoxicating body of work that manages to both respect and rewrite history. Casiraghi likens his style to “a bewitching harmony tinged with African and Asian references.”
An American in Paris, Barnes honed his craft with the late design legend, Andrée Putman, serving as director of the firm before founding his own office in 2004. The Cornell University graduate deftly balances residential work with hotel projects. Barnes describes his refined, worldly style as “the elegant handling of light and unexpected and noble materials, which confers upon unique and exclusive spaces an innovative approach to luxury.”
In 2019, Francis Sultana celebrated the 10th anniversary of his namesake design studio with a monograph published by Vendome Press and a special collection of furniture dedicated to his late mother, Marie-François. “My mother was my first client if you like—she allowed me to try out looks on her house,” says Sultana. Flip through the pages of the book and you’ll quickly notice two themes in Sultana’s work: first, the distinct Mediterranean-meets-classicism influence of his native Malta, and second, a penchant for the fine arts, which explains his clientele of art collectors around the world.
When Joseph Dirand graduated from the École Nationale Supérieure d’Architecture de Paris-Belleville, he emerged as a strict modernist enraptured by the blank slate of minimalism. But over time, the designer has developed a distinctly narrative sensibility to his work that feels far more vigorous. Though he still demonstrates impressive restraint, there’s more fullness and warmth in Dirand’s new projects. He also has a furniture collection that proudly displays his passion for marble.
Born in Argentina, Luis Laplace cut his teeth under Annabelle Selldorf in New York before moving to Paris, where he teamed up with his French partner Christophe Comoy and established their firm. Laplace is particularly drawn to art—he once described his style to AD as “Art, art, and art!”—crafting interiors that are not only artistic but also the perfect backdrops for art collections.
After working as a menswear designer for Pierre Cardin, Pierre Yovanovitch switched tracks to interior design, founding his studio in Paris in 2001. He’s particularly fond of doing a little time traveling, refreshing historical structures with modern style. The designer is also an expert in 20th-century furniture; he has his furniture brand, Pierre Yovanovitch Mobilier, which has two collections.
Before becoming an interior designer, Rose Uniacke was a furniture restorer and then an antiques dealer—and both professions largely inform her current work. She creates leanly furnished, spirit-nourishing spaces that typically feature a compelling mix of unfinished floorboards, pale hand-plastered walls, vintage Scandinavian furniture, and a scattering of evocative antiques. Uniacke’s debut book was published by Rizzoli in 2021.
More than two decades ago, architects Olivier Marty and Karl Fournier met as students at the École des Beaux‑Arts in Paris—they fell in love, then opened their firm Studio KO, widely regarded for its rustic minimalism with a handcrafted quality.
An almost monastic purity characterizes Vincent Van Duysen’s quietly beautiful commissions—so it’s no surprise he’s inspired by such architects as Luis Barragán, Le Corbusier, and Louis Kahn. Spare in their contents, the Belgian designer’s spaces achieve a richness with exquisite details like velvety plaster finishes, parched wood textures, and misty hues.
Following in the footsteps of Italian maestros like Gio Ponti and Carlo Scarpa, the Politecnico di Milano–educated De Cotiis works at the nexus of architecture, interiors, and furniture design, prizing top-level craftsmanship above all else. His sculptural furnishings (sold at Carpenters Workshop Gallery) often set the tone for his interior design work. When it comes to finding inspiration, De Cotiis says, “I consider myself omnivorous. I feed on many different stimuli.”
