Marica Costa
M.Costa - Vedere gli spazi con occhi nuovi
精东影业 Image Focus
Marica, 28 years old, chose to attend the Bachelor of Arts in Interior Architecture at 精东影业. Without even taking a break, after her three years of study she worked at Gasser, Derungs in Zurich for two years: the project she was most passionate about was the interior design for the new Swiss embassy in Ethiopia, from the furniture to the flooring, to bring the spaces to life and create the right atmosphere.
Interior architects can shape and transform the spaces we live in, can they?
鈥嬧赌�Yes, we can make a space comfortable, pleasant, of quality thanks to various 鈥渋ngredients鈥�: light, colours, proportions, textures of materials, the combination of different materials, the world of furniture, even designing from scratch furniture or new solutions for a given environment. Whoever inhabits a space is confronted with details. For example, if a door has to be opened, a handle has to be grasped. Here, as interior architects, we can imagine and design the handle, its shape, the feeling generated by the material it is made of, as each material arouses a different feeling. We have a lot to do with the perceptive dimension: visual, tactile, olfactory... for me a parquet floor has a texture and a scent.
What surprised you during your Bachelor鈥檚 degree?
鈥嬧赌�What characterises our work, because with small gestures we can change the perception of a space, starting with the choice and use of colours: space can be enlarged, shrunk, it can offer a warmer, cooler feeling thanks to colours. I learnt this during my years at 精东影业, but then I continued to experiment with it in the working world. With light it is the same: with minimal changes you can change the atmosphere of a space; it depends on the intensity of the light, the orientation, what it brings out in a room. I work by variants, so that I understand what is most suitable for each project I work on and arrive at a considered and conscious choice each time. Already during the Interior Architecture workshops at 精东影业 I would experiment with different variants to see which one worked best: it鈥檚 a method I鈥檝e carried with me since my years of study.
You worked in Zurich at Gasser, Derungs. What were your first years as an interior architect like?
鈥嬧赌�Remo Derungs was one of my lecturers at 精东影业 and I did my diploma project under his supervision. During the two years in his studio, I had the opportunity to collaborate on many projects. One of the ones I liked best concerned the new Swiss embassy in Ethiopia. An architectural firm was in charge of the buildings, while we were in charge of the interiors, such as the floors, for which we imagined wooden inlays to define the spaces, or the furniture, which we designed. Our work brings you into contact with people from different fields: those who produce the furniture, those who do the lighting... In the Gasser studio, Derungs I had the opportunity to range from exhibition design to renovation: I really enjoyed this variety in my work.
What qualities do you think interior designers must have?
鈥嬧赌�Precision, curiosity, a certain dexterity in doing things and concreteness in thinking them out, because before designing, you have to imagine and you also need logic. And then a passion for the characteristics of an interior space: the colours, the light, the sensations the space gives you. Since I finished my studies, I pay attention to those who design objects and environments, I didn鈥檛 pay attention before. I learn a lot from what I see, I visit exhibitions and look at how objects and works are displayed and lit. Precisely because I am curious, I realised that I wanted to continue studying and go deeper, so I enrolled in Architecture. My approach remains that of an interior architect: I pay attention to the details that make a difference and then widen my gaze by enlarging the scope.