Lisa Cadamuro
Copywriter

Henry Timi is the mind behind one of the most enigmatic yet influential brands in the Italian creative scene: the eponymous HENRYTIMI. Artist and craftsman with a radical style, he is a devotee of raw materials and a lover of beauty. He divides his time between Milan, Rome, and the Marche countryside – his homeland and the location of the Manifattura, where all his functional artifacts, as unique as works of art, are created.

Right now, you are in the Marche region, at your Manifattura. What is it exactly?

Manifattura is an iconic place within the HENRYTIMI world, to which I have dedicated great passion over the past years. Architecturally speaking, it is a minimal, pure, and essential container. Inside, it houses the artistic woodworking shop, the marble workshop, the metalworking space, and rooms for treatments, painting, and drying, as well as several material libraries. This is where we transform natural wood, stone, metals, clay, and fabrics into what I call functional artworks. There is also a gallery space where we exhibit prototypes and works, in line with my galleries in Milan and Rome. I like to think of Manifattura as a place of gathering and well-being, surrounded by nature. Next to it, there is also the stable with my horses – another great passion of mine.

You chose to call your space ‘Manifattura’ – Italian for manufacture – a term that evokes tangible, ancient craftsmanship. How important is the human touch in your creative process?

Manifattura is my beating heart, the driving force of my work. It represents its tangible side, but at the same time, it is what gives me enthusiasm. I chose this name precisely to emphasize the act of making – with the hands, the mind, and the heart. I believe it is crucial to give our hands material to work with, to teach them ancient crafts that have been lost – woodworking, marble cutting, metalworking, tailoring. Manifattura was also born with this mission.

Manifattura is located in the Marche region because it is your homeland. Do you ever reflect on how this place has influenced your vision of the world and design?

Yes, more and more often. This landscape, its ancient villages, the sea, and the mountains have had a significant influence. I also consider nature to be the greatest source of inspiration and beauty we have been given. And in this sense, the Marche region is a wonderful place – just like all of Italy, after all.

It seems like you are strongly connected to your homeland.

Yes, I was born here, and my family still lives here. Corridonia is a place that gives me great serenity, which is why, a few years ago, I decided to establish Manifattura here, to do everything in this historic inland town, between the Adriatic Sea and the Sibillini Mountains. It is also a way to give value to the land and the people of the region, as I involve young local artisans in my project. I spent many years away, building my brand and career in Milan, and while I feel deeply connected to the city, this is where I chose to establish the heart and soul of HENRYTIMI.

What is HENRYTIMI, how and when did this project start?

It was born in 2011 with the opening of the gallery in Milan and the idea of creating functional artworks that went beyond industrial design, beyond trends, leaving a lasting mark. At first, it was difficult to explain and make people understand what I was doing – working with essential shapes, natural or untreated materials, sometimes raw and seemingly unfinished. But it has been a steady growth, and today, with references worldwide, we are proud of this project. We have created a stylistic line that did not exist before: the concept of art interior. If you look at the entire collection –seating, upholstered furniture, kitchens, bathrooms, accessories – you can see the journey we have taken. Extreme, perhaps, but authentic and coherent. And the market recognizes, follows, and respects that.

It is interesting that you see yourself as being an outsider of the design world, yet you are held in high regard. How did you build this unique position, and how do you maintain this balance?

I have always told myself, and I remind myself daily, that if you want to create something that leaves a deep mark and is authentic, you need passion and determination. You need to make sacrifices, study, work hard – but also have a lot of patience. Our stylistic movement is highly recognisable precisely because it is founded on passion, determination, and sacrifice, but most importantly, on coherence and a singular mission: to leave a mark by cultivating beauty every day, by creating something unexpected. I often think that in many areas of Made in Italy and Italian excellence, everything looks the same – boring. I am somewhat outside the system, yet I am part of it, because I do not love boredom. I love making beautiful things, doing them authentically, and trying to communicate and convey that. I aim to inspire, to influence, but above all, to convert those who can truly understand this stylistic and functional language.

Regarding storytelling, I remember that in the first interview I did with you, a few years ago, you initially responded in written form, almost like verses. Even in person, you have a very vivid and metaphorical way of speaking. Would you say this reflects your way of thinking?

Yes, absolutely. I do not like arrogance, nor do I like the rules of marketing or commercial strategies based on shallow approaches. I have had the patience to wait for our potential clients and our partners in design, fashion, and food to take the time to understand us.

Your showrooms are also unique; they are art galleries that reflect your philosophy. What inspired you in their creation?

Yes, they are true art galleries – I call them “galleries of functional art”. I have used this concept for a long time and have entirely removed the word ‘showroom’ from my vocabulary. In these galleries, we highlight ancient crafts and showcase finished pieces that can either be simply admired or, most importantly, used. The first gallery opened in Milan, on Foro Bonaparte in Brera, and a few years ago, we also chose to open in via Margutta, Rome – the most beautiful city in the world, which lends itself perfectly to expressing our vision.

Your pieces are very tangible and deeply connected to raw materials. Which one resonates with you the most?

I’m torn over this. I cannot choose between wood and stone. My story is a fusion of the two, with the addition of metals. Wood, stone, metals. Stone, wood, metals. Metals, wood, stone. I don’t know. What is certain is that my project is about blending these three raw materials, always keeping them monochrome or tone-on-tone, in accordance with my fundamental principle: elegance.

In Italian you talk about ‘materia’ rather than ‘materiale’ to highlight the distinction between raw materials (‘matter’) and artificial ones (‘material’). Do you see a conceptual difference between the two?

Yes. Today, the world is full of artificial materials, which I respect because they are sometimes brilliant creations. But if I have to choose my path, I say that natural stone and natural wood are unparalleled and must be respected for what they are, for their origin. I deeply believe in the concept of the original.

Your work deals with space and matter, but also with time. What is your relationship with time, both in design and in life?

I try to honor time by living it to the fullest. Sometimes, I wish for more time, but then I realize we can only live in the moment. As for design, I believe in creating works that can stand the test of time.


How do you spend your time when you are not working on one of your pieces?

I really enjoy sharing my time and my silence with animals. With my dog, whom I consider an extraordinary being, and with horses. Whenever I can, I go to the stables to take care of them, go for a walk in nature, or simply watch them run free. I prefer being among my horses rather than among people; horses give you only what they are. I believe this is a great remedy for my soul, one that I would recommend to everyone, because being surrounded by animals is something extraordinary.


Jean-Michel Wilmotte is one of the top 100 architects in the world.
After graduating at the École Camondo in Paris, he created his own firm in 1975 and achieved recognition as an influential interior designer after working for the Louvre, where he designed the temporary exhibition spaces, bookshop, and restaurants beneath the Ieoh Ming Pei pyramid.
Though he is fond of designing museums and cultural spaces, as well as refurbishing architectural heritage, throughout his career Jean-Michel Wilmotte has branched out from furniture and industrial design to large-scale projects like the Greater Moscow.
Lightness and transparency are key concepts of his design, together with the ability to find a balance between past and present, the environment and contemporary needs. Among his latest projects are the Allianz Riviera Stadium in Nice, the Russian Orthodox Spiritual and Cultural Center in Paris, the Ferrari Sporting Management Center in Maranello and the refurbishment of the Halle Freyssinet into the Station F start-up campus in Paris, together with the renovation of Hotel Lutetia – which is the topic of this conversation. Far from a simple makeover, his work on the hotel achieved the delicate task of breathing new life into the building while respecting its roots and identity, which were so precisely narrated in the novel Lutetia by French writer Pierre Assouline.

L.C. — What is it that you find most fascinating about Hotel Lutetia?

J.M.W. — Everything is fascinating, from the building’s dimensions to its exceptional location, on the rive gauche, or its monumental façade, which opens up on Rue de Sèvres, Boulevard Raspail and Place Alphonse Deville: it’s incredible to have such a building on the Left Bank.

It’s also interesting that this hotel was imagined by the former owner of Le Bon Marché, Madame Boucicaut. When she opened her department store she said: “I would like the clients to stay longer in Paris to buy in my department store: I should build a hotel”. Unfortunately, she never had the chance to see it because she died before it opened.

Last but not least, a very fascinating aspect is art. The hotel was built in 1910, a period when art and architecture were transitioning from Art Nouveau to Art Deco. The façade has windows and balusters decorated with impressive angels, trellises and grapes, while the walls of the ground floor feature high quality frescoes, friezes and bas-reliefs.

L.C. — What is the main concept behind the new Hotel Lutetia?

J.M.W. — Our goal was to recreate the atmosphere of the original Lutetia for today’s requirements. We didn’t want to do a pastiche, nor a copy of what the Lutetia was before: it was more about our interpretation. Our challenge was to create a dialogue between the existing building and the refurbishment we had in mind, balancing contemporary elements with classical ones and cleaning up everything that was out of memory.

L.C. — How did you transform a hotel from the 1910s into a hotel for 2019?

J.M.W. — We realized almost immediately that the existing building already contained the vocabulary for the new building. Therefore, we borrowed some details and developed them. For instance, the overlapping circles that were featured on the tympanum of the main building were replicated on the floor of the bathrooms. We also completely remodelled the layout by creating larger rooms and reducing their number: all the bathrooms now have a window and are lit by natural light. We took all the partitions out because of their bad quality, upgrading the hotel’s acoustics, electricity, air conditioning, etc. And finally, we added a 17-meters-long swimming pool and a SPA.

L.C. — How did you redesign the ground floor?

J.M.W. — One of the most important things we created on the ground floor is the patio. What was previously a windowless salon, with a low ceiling and heavy curtains, is now an open-air garden that brings daylight everywhere! Further, there is an axis that didn’t exist before: now, from the Orangerie you can see the entrance on Boulevard Raspail. Then we completely reorganized the spaces. Salon Saint-Germain was too small to host a bar, so we decided to move the bar on the Boulevard Raspail side, while Café Saint-Germain is now a restaurant with a new skylight by contemporary artist Fabrice Hyber, that brings happiness in with its colours. The library, Salon Ernest – which is an engaging room for book lovers – also opens onto the garden.

L.C. — How has the past remained visible?

J.M.W. — I must say that when we arrived we couldn’t see any original decor or furniture, which had totally disappeared during the successive refurbishments in the 1960s, 1980s and 1990s. We only chose to maintain the sculptures of Cesar and Hiquily. I would rather say that we uncovered the past, that is now visible again. Under layers of paint, we came across original frescoes that we brought back to life.

L.C. — What was Poliform’s contribution to the overall project?

J.M.W. — Poliform Contract was contracted for the public areas. It made the Conciergerie, the lobby, the entire jazz bar – with the countertop in curved bronzed mirror, the “lustre” and the furnishings, the salon Saint-Germain, the Orangerie, the library, the Brasserie, the bathrooms and all the details of the ground floor.

We designed things that were very difficult to produce and it always found the appropriate solution. The piece I am most proud of is the masterful “lustre” (19,5 meters long !) of Bar Joséphine, made by Poliform. It is particularly interesting as it reflects the space, the frescoes and the light, and constitutes an extraordinary contemporary object on the ceiling.

L.C. — How do you imagine life in this new hotel?

J.M.W. — Life at the Lutetia is a unique experience. Let yourself be guided to your room, eat in Saint-Germain, relax on the patio or, if it’s cold outside, near the chimneys in the library. Smoke a cigar, then go down to relax in the SPA or in the swimming pool before having dinner and listening to jazz in the bar or joining a party in Salon Cristal. The Lutetia is really the best place to live the Left Bank way of life.

Leggila sul libro.