Issue #26, September 22, 2007

With Marco Battistotti It’s All About Proportions

Rendering of a Private Residence Greenwich, Connecticut

Marco Battistotti was born in Milan , Italy where he studied Fashion Design at the prestigious Marangoni Fashion School . After completion, Marco’s inclination was clearly toward Architecture and Interior Design inspired from the Old Italian Master Architects, the interior design of Renzo Mongiardino and Alberto Pinto. In 1993, his aptitude for work brought him to New York City where he began his career as a second in charge of one of the top 500 Interior Design firm in the world. His continuing education in classical architecture and his knowledge of mechanical constrains learned when he worked for his father’s engineering company in Italy, resulted in a series of extraordinary residences throughout the East Coast, Europe and the Middle East. In 2002, Marco then established his own firm in New York City and later in Bridgehampton. Although Marco’s preference is classical architecture, he also designs streamlined contemporary and Zen interiors that generate what he calls the “wow effect…”

Marco strongly believes in proportion as a starting point to achieve beauty and harmony in architecture and interior design. Major missteps in design can be easily avoided by following proportion canons that have been proven right for centuries. Giacomo Barozzi (b.1507; d.1573) often simply called Vignola, was one of the great Italian architects of 16th century Mannerism. The three architects who spread the Italian Renaissance style throughout Western Europe are Vignola, Serlio and Palladio. Vignola who worked with Michelangelo, set the standard for proportions in Classical Architecture by applying a ratio based on a style. The Tuscan order was the more robust, while the Corinthian the slimmest one. The Tuscan order, inspired by a profile of a gentleman’s face, has a ratio of 7:1, meaning that the total height of the column including base and capital should be seven times the diameter or vice versa, while the pedestal should be 2 1/3 times the diameter and the entablature (the portion above the capital) should be 1 ¾ times. Additional formulas have been established to determine the proportion of the capital and base.

The Roman Doric order (commonly refer as Doric order), not to be confused with the Greek Doric order, was first introduced as early as the 7^th century BC and has a ratio of 8:1; the pedestal should be 2 2/3 times and the entablature should be 2 times the diameter.

The Ionic order, originated by looking at the interior of a shell, has a ratio of 9:1; the pedestal should be 3 times and the entablature should be 2 ¼ times the diameter.

The Corinthian order, first drawn by watching a waved rattan basket surrounded by acanthus leaves and stalks growing around it, has a ratio of 10:1, the pedestal should be 3 1/3 times and the entablature should be 2 ½ times the diameter of the column. This order maintains the same constrains as the Corinthian Composite that was conceived by adding Ionic scrolls on the four corners of the capital.

Similar canons should apply when dimensioning a door casing or a window casing. Such moulding should not exceed 1/6 of the opening (example: on a 36” door, you should not exceed 6” casing). And again, when selecting a crown moulding, you should follow the 1/15 ratio (10 foot ceiling= 8” crown moulding). Those are just a few examples of parameters that should be applied during the design process.

Marco’s philosophy is “We build better not bigger”. He also emphasizes the importance of a furniture layout when designing a home as the furniture layout will determine the lighting and electrical plan. Art placement is also very important for those clients that own artwork. And, the production of a rendering of the room in addition to floor plans and elevations are vital in order to capture the depth of the room and give the right picture to his clients during and after the presentation process. There are several tricks to make you rooms look grand; one of those is to maximize the height of the doors throughout the main floor as well as having a double height ceiling in the entrance hall. It is crucial for a client to consult an Interior Designer

during the planning process to assure that not only the exterior of the house will look great but to maximize the use and splendor of the interiors as well. Marco often receives phone calls from clients that have just received preliminary drawings from the architect or builder and would like to have the flexibility to maximize the use of the interiors without incurring any demolition work. Marco provides interior design layouts and furniture placement, lighting and plans, and the furnishing and decoration while managing the whole process through on site project management.

Marco is a professional member of the Institute of Classical Architecture-Classic America , the American Society of Interior Designers, and The National Trust for Historic Preservation, the BBB and the Oxonian Society, a volunteer for Habitat for Humanity, an active philanthropist in a dozen of charitable organizations and has spoken several times at the Harvard Club in New York City .