Creativity, elegance and domestic appeal

The pots of red and pink geraniums hanging from the railings and the cactus with its giant orange flowers in the window offer a preview of the design creativity that reigns inside the «Lorenzo il Parrucchiere» hairdresser shop.
Deciding to renovate his shop in anticipation of next year’s celebrations for his 25 years in business, Lorenzo mixed different design cues with great creative freedom — antique and modern, tradition and Pop culture.
But of course this is Florence, where creativity is second nature to the city’s inhabitants. It is to be found everywhere in a city that never forgets its history but also has the courage to explore the world of contemporary art, organising major exhibitions and hosting often surprising installations. Take for example the giant turtle with its golden carapace ridden by a tiny man who «measures the clouds», erected (with a sense of irony) alongside the equestrian statue of Cosimo I de’ Medici in Piazza della Signoria by Belgian artist Jan Fabre. It is a temporary installation designed to attract attention to the major exhibition in Forte Belvedere.
This same creativity is in evidence in Lorenzo’s shop sign, which draws inspiration on the one hand from 1950s commercials for the first American-style kitchens and on the other from the curved lines typical of early twentieth-century signs. The result is utterly original: the «L» of Lorenzo extends to form a pair of scissors ready to cut a wavy and almost voluptuous lock of hair that escapes from the last «o», and underneath are written the words «since 1992».
The same applies to the interior, where the dark leather and revolving steel clamshell chairs are reminiscent of fifties American design, the large mirrors are set in steel frames whose curved convex shape gives them an almost eighteenth century look, the shampoo basin chairs reference capitonné upholstery, and giant portraits of long-haired models look down from the mezzanine.
This mixture of styles is underscored by the floor, which at first glance appears to consist of wood planks — in this case rather timeworn wood that makes one wonder where it has been recycled from and what stories it has to tell.
However, the most interesting thing about the wood floor is not its ability to unify the entire interior design but the fact that it is not actually wood. In reality it is a product generated by the creativity, expertise and productivity of contemporary Italian industry — «Old_wood» porcelain planks produced by Ceramica Fioranese and installed in an offset layout. The Maple beige colour chosen here offers a perfect imitation of the textural appeal of the natural material and provides a touch of modernity with a traditional flavour.
In fifty years of research, the Fiorano Modenese-based company has developed production processes that combine quality with technological innovation and a high level of eco-sustainability.
By following both the contemporary appeal of nature and the latest trends in fashion and design, the company has succeeded in creating high-quality tiles with exceptional strength and durability. Thanks to the wide range of products and sizes available and their perfect balance of design, colour and finish, these products offer unparalleled freedom for highly original interior design projects.