Kuky home

Designer Valentina Piscopo’s take on quiet luxury rests on three key pillars: her background in the arts, personal memories and celebrating local craft. As a result, her home decor label, Kuky, stands out for its timeless yet playful designs.

Expertly combining noble materials such as marble and mother-of-pearl, she has crafted a harmonious blend of the east and the west.

Debuting her first collection, Piscopo spoke to AD about how connecting cultures through design is a driving force in her work.

What inspired you to pursue a career in design? It all started early on with my love for art. I spent every day of my childhood drawing and painting, then pursued it as a degree and landed what I thought was my dream job in an art gallery in my early 20s. It was through navigating the different responsibilities of my first job that I learned more about myself. I discovered a passion for curating spaces and working with designers, that led me to my second job as a visual merchandiser for a homeware store. At the time, as a 24-year-old, moving away from the art world to pursue a design career was a scary step and I felt like I had wasted my time. It’s only now, as the founder of my own design studio, that I see how my skills and knowledge have built over the years thanks to having had experience in both fields – art and design. More importantly, I feel that it’s what makes my creative point of view unique. Today, I practice my creativity in many different ways, from styling a photoshoot to advising on a paint collection. It never gets boring.

What is the story behind your debut collection? I designed this collection, at least in my head in three years ago and it remained a dream of mine until my father suddenly passed away in March 2021. He was my inspiration to get this project started. In fact, each piece in the collection is a connected to my father: the places and things he loved, his mother’s name, where he worked… it’s all hidden in there. He was a mad creative and the biggest dreamer I’ve ever met.