House Style with Gennaro Leone and Tessa Vermeulen in Stoke Newington
It was while living in their new home that Tessa decided to quit her job in music to focus full-time on Home of Hai, which “came out of my desire to make beautiful, high-quality pieces for myself and my friends,” she says. For Gennaro, meanwhile, the renovation led to the birth of his business. The Naples native travelled home to search for pieces for the flat, where he was “introduced to my friend Enzo, who sources design for films – he found a lamp for Paolo Sorrentino in The Hand of God,” he says. “We spent lots of time together in the Italian countryside, looking through his design books” and going on buying trips. But his magpie-like eye meant he bought back too many pieces and so, “I decided to start selling them,” keeping his favourite finds for his home.
While the sun lights up the living room on a cold winter’s day, Gennaro and Tessa talk about the things they treasure most here.
How would you describe the interiors of your home?
Gennaro: Our home is a reflection of us – and we both have very eclectic tastes. We come from such different cultures: Tessa grew up in the Netherlands and China, while I’m from Naples. The most important thing to us has been to create a space with warmth, which is why we love the floorboards and the wooden dining table we brought over from the Netherlands. The key is to not have too much stuff; keep it minimal but personal. Each piece we own has a story and a memory attached to it.
Tessa: I feel very sentimental about some of our books and objects, but there are others I wouldn’t have much trouble giving away. Because our place is small, we can’t always keep everything. In the Netherlands, we have a word, gezellig, which translates to ‘cosy’ in English, but it encompasses so much more than that: the feeling of gezellig is an atmosphere of warmth – it could mean spending time with your loved ones or friends and that feeling of togetherness. That’s how I’d describe our home.
You’re happiest at home when…
Gennaro: When we’re making something slow-cooked, such as a ragù, and the smell is wafting through the flat. Or when I’m flicking through my design books and Tessa puts a record on and distracts me with questions. I’ll usually sit at the dining table too – I’m attached to it as an object and what it means: family and eating together.
Tessa: In essence, my answer is the same Gennaro’s. I’m happiest when it’s peaceful and we’re together, sitting on the sofa and reading a book. It’s beautiful in the morning too, when the sun comes in through the windows.
If you could save one thing, what would it be?
Gennaro: There are some sentimental pieces we can’t replace and they hold a higher value to us. We have a one-of-a-kind vase that we bought on a trip to Venice – I held on to it all the way home. We have another vase that was a gift from our dear friend Annaleaclelia Tunesi, a Milanese ceramicist based in London. We also have a wonderful mask prototype by Riccardo Dalisi, an architect and professor from the University of Naples, who I admire.
Tessa: We have a tiny treasured volcano sculpture that our friend Oscar Piccolo used to design our wedding invitations. But if we really had to save one thing, it would be our photos. We don’t have any on display but we each have a box of pictures and letters, which carry so many of our memories.
What is your favourite living space around the world?
Gennaro: The Royal Palace in Naples is beautiful.
Tessa: It’s so hard to pick just one. In New York, we went to the Donald Judd Foundation, which is where he used to live. It’s such a warm space. I love its simplicity and how the light looks at different points of the day. There’s also a house in Capri we love, Villa San Miguel, which is a magical home.
What was the last thing that you bought for the house?
Gennaro: Our Giovannetti ‘Anfibio’ sofa bed.
Tessa: It’s perfect for movie nights.
Top three coffee-table books?
Gennaro: Volume 1 and 2 of Repertorio del Design Italiano by Giuliana Gramigna are the bibles of modern Italian design from the 1950s until the 2000s. Everything is in there. They’re so detailed and necessary for what I do. I also like A Way of Life: Kettle’s Yard.
Tessa: My favourites are Charlotte Perriand: Complete Works, Volume 3: 1955-1968 by J. Barsac, which is actually on top of our Perriand cupboard. I find colour inspiration from looking at books – Donald Judd Spaces is one of them. And I love Apartmento magazine.
If money was no object, what changes would you make?
Gennaro: I’d like more space – and to be facing the sea.
Tessa: We’re currently exploring an opportunity in Naples. Living there, in a palazzo apartment by Mount Vesuvius, would be the dream when we’re older.
You’re having people over for dinner: what do you cook?
Gennaro: There’ll always be a plate of pasta, but everything else depends on the season. I’ll go to the farmers’ market in Stoke Newington and source quality produce, such as greens, charcuterie and cheese. Nothing too fancy. Just a comfort meal.
Tessa: My favourite pasta is very heavy. It’s from Naples and is called genovese. It’s similar to an onion-and-beef stew and you cook it for hours and hours. It’s delicious. I also enjoy baking – my favourite thing to make is a torta caprese, a rich almond-and-chocolate cake.
What does Sunday look like here?
Gennaro: Sunday is my favourite day. It’s when I make pasta. We then like to put on a movie in the evening and go to bed early.
Tessa: On Sundays, we like to get out of the house around 8am and go for a long walk. We have a few routes we like, such the Parkland walk or around Clissold Park. Afterwards, we come home and cook a late lunch for our friends. We enjoy hosting and feel that’s when our space comes alive.
What are the best things about the neighbourhood?
Gennaro: There’s a Turkish cafe called Gorki House that I love. Old men sit out the front and play cards together, which is really lovely. I usually go for lunch and order the amazing lentil soup with pickles.
Tessa: I love our neighbourhood; everyone speaks to one another. In lockdown, for instance, we did food exchanges with our Japanese neighbour. She would cook, Gennaro would make Italian food and we would swap it from the mezzanine.
I eat at Rasa at least once a week – I even have them on speed dial – and I like Esther’s for breakfast. I also enjoy going for long walks in Abney Park cemetery – you don’t feel the city around you at all. And I love to run around the neighbourhood, passing through all the different green spaces, from the cemetery to Clissold Park and West Reservoir.
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