Cosy, Collected, and Elegant : Moodboard Inspired by Vanessa Locatelli
Moodboard N° 03 — A Study Composed in Green
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Inspired by Vanessa Locatelli
This moodboard translates a layered, verdant study where eclectic elements, rich materials, and soft accents of blue and pink come together in a refined, cohesive whole.
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The Artist
Vanessa Locatelli lives in Saint-Irénée, where she tends a small farm and sustains a daily, intimate relationship with nature, the primary source of her work. Raised between her grandmother’s farm and a forest cottage, she developed an early sensitivity to landscape that continues to shape her practice.
Trained in visual arts at Université Laval and in cultural mediation at Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, she has also undertaken artist residencies in Ireland, whose misty coasts and medieval atmospheres deeply inform her visual language.
Working in small-scale oil paintings, Locatelli revisits the tradition of landscape to preserve fleeting impressions — light over water, low clouds, distant shores —transforming lived moments into enduring fragments of memory, akin to a personal archive of places inhabited and felt.
Selected Works
Vanessa Locatelli’s work draws from the shifting atmospheres of the river and its horizon, where land, water, and sky quietly dissolve into one another. In one painting, a verdant shoreline opens onto an island gradually absorbed by the river’s mist, the horizon softening into disappearance. In another, pale tones of off-white, blush, and lilac blur the distinction between cloud formations and water, as reflections and atmosphere become indistinguishable. A third work shifts toward dusk, where a dense line of trees emerges in chiaroscuro beneath a sky tinged with rose clouds, emphasizing a more crepuscular light. Together, these works capture her sensitivity to transient conditions of light and weather, translating lived moments of landscape into intimate, atmospheric memory.
The Starting Point : Shankill Garden
Shankill Garden is a small-format oil painting inspired by the historic gardens of Shankill Castle, near Paulstown in County Kilkenny, Ireland, an enchanting landscape where Victorian walled gardens, topiary lawns, woodland paths, and fairy-like groves coexist. At first glance, the composition appears entirely immersed in green. Yet, on closer observation, subtle notes of pink, blue, and yellow emerge, suggesting the presence of flowers while remaining open to interpretation, as the work gently leans toward abstraction. Without a fixed horizon or clear spatial markers, the painting becomes an immersion in vegetal abundance, where nature is felt through gesture rather than depiction. Delicate, dancing brushstrokes animate the surface, as if the choreography of paint itself becomes landscape. Intimate and deeply sensorial, the work offers a fragment rather than a view; an inner garden rather than a panorama.
This sense of intimacy, along with its layered greens and wooden framing, inspired a space designed for reading, working, and rest. A place of quiet retreat, where one can read, write, or draw in comfort. Enveloping seating, a wooden bookshelf for treasured volumes, softly diffused lighting, a single vase for wildflowers gathered along a path, and a writing desk with storage all contribute to this atmosphere. Each element echoes a detail of the painting, translating its chromatic and emotional language into a lived interior — an imagined verdant refuge to be recreated at home.
Color Palette Inspired by the Artwork
Drawn from Shankill Garden, the palette unfolds as a layered interpretation of vegetal abundance, where greens dominate yet never remain uniform, shifting between softness, depth, and shadow, like a composition in which nature is felt as much as it is seen.
- Soft yellow-green and dusty olive green — fresh yet grounded; evoking new growth, shaded leaves, and the density of a cultivated garden
- Deep dusty olive — rich and enveloping; a darker vegetal tone that anchors the composition in earth and foliage
- Muted blue — subtle and atmospheric; reminiscent of distant sky reflections filtering through greenery
- Dusty pink — delicate and unexpected; suggesting hidden blossoms and fleeting floral accents within the landscape
- Charcoal — deep and structural; introducing contrast, depth, and a sense of framing within the abundance of green
These tones translate into furniture, lighting, textiles, and decorative objects, shaping a verdant interior where color becomes structure, atmosphere, and lived experience.
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Below is a curated selection inspired by Vanessa Locatelli’s painting, translating its layered greens, subtle floral accents, and atmospheric depth into an interior where nature, materiality, and art converge seamlessly.
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Soft Brown Oak Herringbone Flooring — [Mirage / Shop this floor]Shop Vintage
Design Notes
On the Lighting
Lighting is approached here as a composition of atmospheres rather than a single source. A red marble table lamp from CB2 introduces a muted rose accent — subtle, almost intimate. A green chandelier sourced from Claude Home brings a refined, high-end signature, while a wall lamp crafted in Canada, combining porcelain, walnut, and brass, introduces a soft blue-grey note with remarkable elegance. A brass picture light, found on Etsy, gently illuminates the chosen artwork, creating an indirect glow that invites contemplation. I consistently avoid exposed bulbs, favoring instead layered, ambient lighting — table, floor, and wall lamps — allowing the space to shift naturally with time and season.
On the Furniture
The furniture selection unfolds as a balance between character and restraint. Two distinct seating pieces from CB2 define the space: a green leather armchair for reading, both classic and refined, and an olive velvet chair for the workspace, its softness and absence of legs creating a grounded, almost monochromatic presence that echoes Vanessa Locatelli’s painting. The desk, in warm-toned pine from Crate and Barrel, introduces a rustic yet contemporary gesture, its deep brown hue resonating with the walnut tones of the artwork’s frame. A wood and glass cabinet from CB2 offers both storage and visual warmth, while marble side tables — in black and fluted onyx — introduce sculptural clarity and a timeless architectural reference.
On the Accessories
Objects are chosen with intention, each carrying both presence and meaning. A black teak decorative bowl from CB2, with its organic form, subtly recalls the botanical essence of the artwork. It also illustrates how a single, well-chosen piece can anchor a space visually. A black antiqued mirror adds depth and reflection, its patina bringing a sense of history while remaining resolutely contemporary. Textiles, like cushions in linen, velvet, and cotton from Anthropologie, introduce softness and layered comfort. Olive velvet curtains from CB2 frame the space with density and warmth. Underfoot, a green hand-knotted Pakistani rug from ECarpetGallery grounds the composition, its richness offering both texture and permanence.
On Vintage Elements
Vintage pieces offer an alternative path, one shaped by time, patina, and singularity. Green leather chairs, antique pine cupboards, or a walnut writing desk echo the material palette while introducing depth and narrative. Brass chandeliers and candleholders bring warmth and continuity, while floral or traditional upholstery subtly reflects the spirit of the artwork. These elements do not replicate the space; they reinterpret it, allowing for a more personal, layered, and enduring composition.
A space is never finished. It unfolds slowly, shaped by what we choose to keep, and what continues to move us.
Curated by Camille Paradis
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