A rising inspiration
Studio Fenice
Few things are more exciting than starting a new project and getting delighted by the gaze and creation of others, with the intensity and emotion of the first time, when everything remains to be done and a new world of possibilities opens up before us. That is the moment in which Christian Maroselli finds himself with Studio Fenice, the online design platform that he iniciated in 2021 and was presented to the world this year through the ‘Días de Verano’ [Days of Summer] event in Baja California Sur, Mexico.
Studio Fenice is not only a new professional project, but it has become a home and a whole aesthetic universe shared with his recently created team in Todos Santos. Alongside them, Christian has been fascinated by knowing the work of bold and talented artists and designers, both from Mexico and from the rest of the world.
Studio Fenice refers to the Phoenix, which rises from its ashes. Why did you decide to give it this name?
Studio Fenice’s birth coincided at a time when I departed Los Angeles after living there for twenty years. A city where I built a successful business with my husband, Jean de Merry. I left the city of Los Angeles and decided to settle between Meggen, a bucolic small town in the Swiss mountains, and Todos Santos, Mexico, a green oasis surrounded by the hot and dry Baja Sur desert. I selected two places that were offering me opposite lifestyles, cultures, etc. Fenice is the Italian name of Phoenix, the mythological bird that burns itself and is born again from its own ashes so I thought it fitted well with that new chapter in my life.
You eventually chose Todos Santos as the place to establish the company and create a local team, also reflected in the selected designers. Why is it important for SF to be related to Mexican design in this way?
I originally started the company in Switzerland, and it has always been my goal to seek talents from all over. However, during one of my trips to Baja, where I was overseeing the building of our house, I decided to assemble a creative team to help me develop Studio Fenice’s website. I started to get to know Mexico through my team’s eyes and found many of the talented Mexican artists and artisans that are now on studiofenice.ch.
The headquarters of Studio Fenice and your house in Baja are located in the same plot of land, in Baja California. What atmosphere did you want to create in that multifaceted place?
The atmosphere that we were aiming for was a quiet and simple architecture with high ceiling rooms, bathing in outdoor light coming in through large metal doors that open onto a garden of olive trees.
In addition to the aforementioned team, for the creative direction you have the help of Francis Rudman. How did you meet him?
I met Francis back in 2018. We worked on an ad campaign for Jean de Merry and one year later he assisted me also with the revamp of its website. We had scheduled a photo shoot in mid-2020 that was canceled due to Covid-19. It was during one of our many discussions that Francis introduced me to computer generated imagery. He was just starting his practice and we decided to give it a go by introducing MMXXI, a collection which celebrated the twenty years of Jean de Merry. We have been collaborating since then. Working with Francis is a real pleasure. Perhaps one of the best experiences I had in my professional career and I look forward to what our next projects bring us.
The Studio Fenice web goes far beyond being an online shop, but rather a space in which to meet creative people whose gaze connects with SF. What is the purpose of offering such content?
It was important to me when I worked on the concept of Studio Fenice that the platform connected in a different way to people. There are a lot of places and people that inspire me everyday and I want to share those with our visitors.
After putting together a good list of designs on the Studio Fenice website, it seems that it is time to go one step further. What plans does the project have by 2023?
Next year we will introduce a few pieces that are designed, produced, and to be sold exclusively through Studio Fenice’s online platform. It is a real pleasure to work alongside so many talented artists, and I am looking forward to unveiling their new work very soon.
