Clerkenwell – a pocked of London known for its literary history, bookshops and as the setting of Dickens novels –was always going to be a good fit for Rosh Mahtani. ‘I love losing myself in stories,’ she says. ‘My dream has been to create my own little microcosm, whether it’s my home, studio or brand.’
Born and raised in Zambia, Mahtani relocated to London at the age of nine. Despite the abundance of colour that filled her childhood, it was a move to Florence and a scholarly love affair with the Renaissance poet Dante Alighieri while at university that formed the foundation of her classically influenced aesthetic and inspired her to launch her jewellery brand, Alighieri, in 2014. ‘I’ve always seen Alighieri as an extension of me – a universe bringing people together,’ she says. The brand’s tagline, ‘Modern heirlooms’, is fitting for a designer passionate about ‘the juxtaposition between rustic things that feel like treasure from a bygone era and propelling them into the modern world’.
Today, Mahtani is wearing her uni-form: old Levi’s jeans, a Prada jumper (‘I gifted it to my dad one Christmas, and stole it back’), an oversized white cash-mere scarf and APC ankle boots. ‘I love the idea of timeless pieces that act as a blank canvas for our jewellery,’ she says.
Contrary to the writer’s fear of a blank page, Mahtani loves to start from scratch. It explains her choice to buy a two-storey Victorian flat, close to Exmouth Market, in October 2020. ‘When I moved in, it was a hot mess,’ she laughs, recall-ing stripping the flat of its lino floors and blue-tiled walls when she began renovations. ‘It was a real gut job.’ The makeover took a year and a half to complete, during which time she had to move her studio’s stock to her living room. ‘The flat was essentially a dispatch centre for Alighieri,’ she remembers. ‘There were weeks without running water.’
Fortunately, the hard work paid off. Mahtani’s home is an ideal mix of new and old. Donald Judd-esque lines and microcrete cement finishes seamlessly contrast with Etruscan accents and Italian-feel architecture. ‘One of the biggest things was to open up the space,’ Mahtani says of her open-plan, Fred Rigby-designed kitchen on the ground floor that is the centrepiece of the home.
To its left, through large wooden doors that are kept open to create a ‘sprawling space’, sits the living room. Crevices decorate the staircase towards the lower-ground floor (‘They make you feel as if you’re going into an under-world’), while an archway and terracotta tiles outside the bathroom subtly reflect her love of the Mediterranean.
Mahtani’s goal for her home was to create a sense of timelessness. ‘I wanted it to feel like something I’d love forever,’ she says, adding she doesn’t subscribe to trends. While several of the Farrow & Ball Wimborne White-painted walls are decorated with artefact-filled shelves, others have intentional negative space. ‘People always ask if I intend to keep them blank, but I don’t want to cover every wall. It’s important to accumulate items over time.’ Mahtani’s most treasured finds include a red leather-bound copy of Dante’s Inferno, purchased after receiving Alighieri’s first MatchesFashion order (‘I love the idea of buying a book to mark a moment’), and a rare edition of The Divine Comedy her mother found in a market for £10. ‘It’s got an inscription inside dating back to 1933,’ she says.
Despite its gallery-inspired aesthetic, Mahtani’s home feels anything but cold.‘I bring in warmth with textures,’ she explains, referring to the Tibor bouclé-covered ‘puffer couch’, the Giovanni Banchi-designed floor light (her first 'grown up' home purchase) and a marble-based antique coffee table in the living room. ‘The objects around me are so familiar that it always feels like home.’ Byredo candles, incense and a bathtub, separated from her bedroom by an Alvar Aalto pinewood screen, add to the sanctuary-like feel. ‘I love having a bath at the end of the day – there’s something magical about it.’
With an eye for treasures, Mahtani relishes visiting vintage shops in London such as Alfies Antique Market and Monument Store. ‘I found the bathroom sink in the garden of a collector in Hackney,’ she says. ‘It was dug up from the ground and was covered in mud.’ As for art, she trusts the right pieces will find her. ‘I never go out searching. I like to stumble upon things,’ she says of her collection, which includes a female bust from a Nepalese antique market, photography by Joanna Piotrowska and original Salvador Dalí watercolours.
Mahtani celebrates Alighieri’s ninth birthday this year. 'It’s always been about bringing people together and nurturing a dialogue through objects. It feels as if we are heading towards a real milestone.'
Katie O'Malley is the Site Director on ELLE UK. On a daily basis you’ll find Katie managing all digital workflow, editing site, video and newsletter content, liaising with commercial and sales teams on new partnerships and deals (eg Nike, Tiffany & Co., Cartier etc), implementing new digital strategies and compiling in-depth data traffic, SEO and ecomm reports. In addition to appearing on the radio and on TV, as well as interviewing everyone from Oprah Winfrey to Rishi Sunak PM, Katie enjoys writing about lifestyle, culture, wellness, fitness, fashion, and more.
