Pietro Scaglione, PINTO

PINTO’s portfolio runs the full spectrum from baronial and baroque to colorfully contemporary. What universal sensibilities, in a style-agnostic sense, are common threads throughout your work?

Casablanca-born, École de Louvre-educated Alberto Pinto founded his eponymous studio more than 50 years ago, championing 20th century maximalism to become a global design legend. As Art Director of the late icon’s storied practice, Pietro Scaglione has no small assignment: innovate a legacy interior design firm beyond its larger-than-life founder and consistently produce work at the cutting edge of international relevance. Scaglione shed some light on how it all happens, from styling the world’s largest business jet to their latest new condominium in New York City.

At The Wales, your team transformed the interior of an iconic Carnegie Hill hotel into an even more remarkable condominium. How were you able to interplay elements of the building’s past, your past work, and the surrounding neighborhood in executing your vision for it?

The Wales was before anything a renovation of a well-known NYC building. Here, the challenge was very exciting: renovating and transforming a New York City landmark. It's something we're used to doing at PINTO, as we've refurbished and transformed various important historical and listed buildings, like Le Lycée Français de New York or The Lanesborough in London. The neighborhood itself played a major part: We worked to preserve the classic spirit of the Upper East Side, a very important aspect in the client brief, while tastefully adding the European twist that's is in our DNA — nothing too strong or aggressive which would have eclipsed to building itself. In addition to the residences, PINTO was commissioned for the public areas and amenities of the building. We created a simple décor with discreet and light colors, following a modern-classical style that has become one of the specialties we've developed through our several private and public projects. As usual, we paid special attention to quality work and details, bringing a refinement that can be felt immediately upon entering the building. The lobby is a large space with high ceilings, complemented by custom moldings and floors of striking Bianco Estremoz and Grigio Nicola marble, paired with Zimbabwe Black granite throughout. Antique wall mirrors reflect the warmly-lit custom brass chandelier, while a decorative fireplace and seating area offer a timeless focal point, along with a custom-designed front desk specially designed for the place.

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How would you describe the present-tense of soigné?

“For us, comfort, perfect finishes, and details are not negotiable."

The Penthouse at The Wales combines rich patterns with finely-detailed appointments by PINTO. Image: VMI Studio.

A private residence in Paris, meticulously curated by Scaglione and his team. Image: PINTO.

For us, comfort, perfect finishes, and details are not negotiable. High-end quality is part of PINTO’s work and spirit. This is possible thanks to the suppliers and artisans who produce all our designs with a remarkable sense of refinement and originality, all to the highest standard.

"Made to measure" first and foremost, with particular attention to comfort and detail. But whatever the project, PINTO interiors are almost always cheerful, colorful, eclectic and generous. Since 2020, Fahad Hariri has brought a more contemporary and romantic look to this PINTO signature, which can be found in the brand’s latest creations as well as in furniture editions.

3,000 square feet of bilevel outdoor space — outfitted with a kitchen and wet bar, butler's pantry, and a fireplace — crowns the penthouse at The Wales, beckoning enviable perspectives of the Central Park Reservoir and surrounding skyline. Image: Adellco/Corcoran Sunshine.

PINTO’s focus is the art of making things special. Almost everything we do is custom-designed. It's a very haute-couture fashion approach to interior design — or as we like to say, haute decoration. Our décors are unique. We've created interior designs for beach houses and contemporary apartments and renovated classical-style historic mansions (and even villas and palaces), along with jets and yachts at the cutting edge of innovation and comfort. This is our specialty: being able to respond to all our client’s demands, bring their interior design dreams to life, and to put it simply, make them happy, comfortable and at home in their surroundings, no matter if they're on the ground, in the sea, or up in the sky. This haute decoration aspect is really embodied in yachts and especially in aircraft, where absolutely everything is custom made. We design each chair, table, curtain, cushion, etc. — and it's in these projects where the luxury experience is pushed to its climax and the comfort, the perfection of the finishes and the refinement of the details are primordial and make you forget all the technical and security requirements, which are very binding in such projects. Yachts and jets are also projects where the latest technologies play a bigger part compared to anywhere else.

In your quarter-century at PINTO, you’ve worked on residential developments, hotels, yachts, and — a particular niche for your team — private jets. What philosophical similarities, and practical differences, guide your creative process for "moving" commissions vs. their fixed- structure ones?

It must certainly be the most stunning private jet we've outfitted — not only because of its exceptional size, but also for the large quantity of entirely custom-made details and finishes which were specially developed for this project. It took several years to develop it in collaboration with Boeing and the Completion Center to be sure that everything we specially designed on request of the client complied with security and technical mandatory requirements. On this project, we innovated by creating never before-designed elements, such as a curved glass automatic sliding door to separate the private areas of the plane from the entrance hall. This element which would have been easily built in a house has taken several months of development and samples to reach all the binding requirements to be authorized on board of an aircraft.

Let’s talk about the big bird. It doesn’t take two full hands to count how many 747s are flying in BBJ (Boeing Business Jet) combinations, but your team famously designed the cabin for one of these rare planes. What were the most critical considerations for making your design fly?

How do you see the future of traditionalism in design (if there is one at all)?

PINTO designed this sumptuous custom cabin for an Airbus A320, one of several grand-scale private jet commissions in the firm's portfolio. Image: PINTO.

From our point of view, we experience two strong places where traditionalism in design is finding a future. The first is in craftsmanship. Here, traditional techniques and materials still play a major part, and clients are more and more sensitive to the handmade, traditional ways — trimming, embroidering, cabinetmaking. Second is the design itself: Along with design briefs from passionate clients to recreate classical décors in the taste of the XVIIIth or XIXth century, we've seen an increase of requests from clients for what we call "classic contemporary style." For these clients, we create interiors that softly mix classical and modern elements and styles with a homey and very personal atmosphere, halfway between traditionalism and the latest creation in design and allow personal expression that tells a story. They're also interiors that are made to last, and answer clients' concerns about sustainability. These are the types of projects we love to design, and we have a great and long experience doing it.

The Upper East Side, of course, has a reputation that precedes it. What do you love most about this part of the city? How did the cachet of the place, and its famously discerning clientele, influence certain decisions?

PINTO has created designs all over the US — Santa Fe, Palm Beach, the Hamptons — yet most of them were in the Upper East Side. The founder of the house, Alberto Pinto, from early, was very attracted to the United States, particularly to New York City and the Upper East Side style and atmosphere. The chic, spacious feel of the Park Avenue was even the main inspiration for Alberto Pinto’s last personal residence at Quai d’Orsay in Paris. Since then, the flavor of the neighborhood has been a source of inspiration, and the brand's study library is full of books about great Upper East Side residences and interiors. Many UES clients have become close friends of the house, including loyal business partners such as Edward Ronson, who has been a great actor and influencer of the Pinto headquarters and offices interior design branch development. They've influenced Pinto’s style and ethos. Philippe Renaud once wrote that the Pinto brand's interior designs were "a mix between British chic, French elegance, and American pragmatism."