NO.15 ALVARO PICARDO: UP OUR STREET - 8 Holland Street's neighbours, near and far

Alvaro Picardo shares his light-filled home with his partner, an Old Master paintings dealer. The space is filled with reds on greens and deep blues, an ode to the sumptuous palette of Old Master painting but interspersed with the impasto strokes of Modern British art and the geometry of Brutalism.

Growing up in Barcelona, Alvaro takes great inspiration from visits to Cadaqués where he still has a home. A small fishing village visited by Dalí, Picasso, Miró, and Duchamp, it acted as a breeding ground for a genre of Mediterranean architecture inspired by Modernsit architectural giants like Le Corbusier. Influence of this style is evident in the mathematical precision of his geometric striped design - but Alvaro's desire to test himself and work to commission is evident in the variety of styles and designs dotted around the working space.

This is the newest challenge, "drawing fills me with panic as I can't rely on formula." Chinoiserie designs made for his house in the English countryside are beautifully rendered in Chinese Blue and a stack of alike lampshades made for commission feature an elegant Islamic pattern. 

Dissatisfied with resitng on his laurels, a series of exciting projects lie ahead - he is currently working on a project creating a lamp with a Spanish company with shades painted by local special needs children as well working with Swedish interiors company Svenkst Tenn. A bright future certainly lies ahead for Alvaro!