With an Instagram profile of over 39 thousand followers and over twenty years of experience in the field of renovation and interior-design, the architect Clara Bona writes about architecture and design for various publications, including Cose di casa on-line and for some inserts of Corriere della sera, mainly Cook and Vivimilano.

She shared her personal selection of products from the #homicommunity with HOMI and also told us about her profession but also about her favourite places and design objects.

What changes have really taken place, and are now essential, in the house compared to the premises formulated during the lockdown period?

These last two years have certainly made everyone become more aware of the homes and spaces we live in. Many people have decided to make changes, often in areas of the house that they had never noticed in their previous lives or hardly gave any importance to. Nowadays, we all spend more time at home and we all want to have a space in which we can feel good. We want the right places in which to work, but also to exercise or relax. Some people have felt the desire to have a more beautiful and efficient kitchen, others want a bathroom that feels like a small spa, others have given priority to the living area, others have started to decorate small balconies or small gardens that until now had remained unused... There is certainly a lot of excitement and attention to all the issues related to personalised and comfortable living.

What are the main rules for furnishing a house, regardless of current trends?

In my opinion, they can be summarised in four basic points:

Creating a unique interior that corresponds to our personality and needs. Without following fashions but choosing what we like best, trying to achieve a balanced and harmonious whole with a mix of new pieces, design objects and old or antique pieces, but always with a story to tell.

Understand the type of style we like and whether it suits the type of house we need to furnish, without creating fakes, but trying to make the most of what we already have.

Try to have a consistent pattern throughout the house. It is essential to create a sequence of spaces that is right and balanced in the choice of colours, materials and furnishings. It shouldn't look like three different houses put together just because we like so many styles and don't know how to choose...

Avoid overly trendy materials: these can only be chosen for finishes, accessories and all those little things that can easily be changed when you get tired of them... The floor and wall coverings in the bathroom and kitchen, on the other hand, are more classic and will be more adaptable to any changes in style in the future, without having to redo everything...

What three colours must be found in a house?

Dust rose, brick, sage green 

What three houses are close to your heart?

Le Cabanon by Le Corbusier

Malaparte House on Capri

Geoffrey Bawa's Lunuganga in Sri Lanka 

What three places are close to your heart?

India, where I've been so many times, and where I returned to each year before Covid hit...

My home in Liguria, a rustic house among olive trees which is my buen retiro when I want to disconnect

Milan, my city, which I have always loved but in recent years is becoming even more beautiful. It's small but international, and has everything you could want from a city

What pieces in your home are close to your heart?

A portrait made for me by a very good painter, Alessandro Papetti. I find that having a painting made especially for you is a real luxury. 

The Arco Lamp, a great classic, which I wanted as a wedding gift 32 years ago and is still one of the pieces I would take with me if I moved.

An old Turkish Kilim, bought at an antique market many years ago in London, and brought back in a suitcase...

And many other objects bought on various trips: a small statue of Ganesh bought in Mumbai, a Balinese wooden centrepiece, an iron tray from Morocco... Each one reminds me of the effort of transporting it, having to carry it around in my rucksack on travelling trips, many times cursing the idea of having bought them! But the hardships I went through to get them make me love them even more...