Luigi Esposito (Architect & Interior Designer)

Luigi Esposito (architect & interior designer), born 16 September 1968, is an award-winning Brazilian architect now based in London who specializes in interior design for the international luxury market.

In 2011 his work was shortlisted for 5 categories in the International Design and Architecture Awards 2011.

Early life

Luigi was born in Tubarão, Santa Catarina, Brazil. His father, Raffaele Esposito, moved to Brazil from Naples, Italy, in 1957, where he later met and married Luigi's mother, Sonia Geraldo Martins, in 1965. Luigi was reared in Tubarão and then went to secondary school in Florianopolis, the island-city capital of Santa Catarina. Always attracted to artistic and expressive subjects, as well as his academic subjects, Luigi also took up music, singing, acting and theatre set designing, which eventually led him to enroll for a degree in architecture and urbanism in Centro Universitário Ritter dos Reis in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul.

Early career

While still studying for his finals in architecture, in 1992 Luigi and two of his fellow-students opened their own atelier, Vertico Architecture & Art, and over the next three years Vertico designed for private residencies, retail stores and even theatre sets, winning a prestigious design award for Best Retail Store Of The Year in Porto Alegre’s Lindoia Shopping Centre when it opened in 1994.

In 1993 Luigi's graduation project, Convento para Irmãs Carmelitas, was chosen as Universitário Ritter dos Reis' entry in Brazil's Opera Prima competition, an annual architectural event.

Moving to London

In 1995 Luigi travelled throughout Italy, spending time with his father’s many relatives while researching Italy’s classical architectural history before moving to London to further his studies. Balancing his studies with freelancing, Luigi, a natural salesman, worked at Donna Karen and Prada, improving both his English and his contacts in the world of international luxury.

Ralph Lauren

In 2000 Luigi joined Ralph Lauren’s London flagship store on New Bond Street, later moving across to take up the role of Interior Designer Consultant at Ralph Lauren’s new Brompton Cross Home Store. Working with Ralph Lauren confirmed Luigi’s love of American luxurious, over-sized furniture, which also includes J Robert Scott and Baker Furniture, with all three designers usually featuring in his projects.

In 2004 Luigi left Ralph Lauren to focus on growing as an interior designer, where one of his first jobs, coincidentally, drew heavily on his experiences at Ralph Lauren. The developers of the Golden Penthouse at the luxury Eagle Wharf apartments, overlooking the Thames River in Chelsea, wanted to launch it as an homage to Ralph Lauren. As well as selecting the Ralph Lauren furniture, Luigi researched and selected a number of antique pieces to complement the Ralph Lauren furniture, achieving a contemporary look balanced with a classical tone.

One of his projects during this period was the Katharine Pooley store on London’s exclusive Walton Street, which opened in 2004. In 2005 he designed Katharine Pooley’s stand for Decorex 2005, which won two awards, including a British Institute of Interior Design Silver Swing Tag for Products of Outstanding Quality and Design Innovation for a set of black leather chairs Luigi sourced in Italy. Another was designing two showflats for a leading property developer solely in Pringle fabrics.

Casa Forma

In 2007 Luigi co-founded Casa Forma Limited with entrepreneur Faiza Seth, taking his work to an international level, working on projects both in the UK and India. Casa Forma engaged in a wide range of projects, through the developers of Eagle Wharf Luigi worked on a private polo club that once belonged to Middle-Eastern royalty, and Glebe Place, once a young ladies finishing school in Chelsea, in 2010 it was proposed to develop as an exclusive, gated apartment complex for security-conscious clients, designed by Foster + Partners with the proposed interiors by Casa Forma.

Featured Work

As well as newspaper and magazine coverage, such as IDFX, Luigi's work has featured in several interior design publications, including Stephanie Hoppen's Perfect Curtains and Perfect Neutrals, and Andrew Martin's Andrew Martin Interior Design Review, Volume 7.

Professional Memberships

Luigi Esposito is a member of the British Institute of Interior Design (BIID), Membership Number 8080

Luigi Esposito is a registered member of the Conselho Regional de Engenheiros e Arquitetos, the Brazilian certification board for engineers, architects and contractors