With clients like Marie Chantal of Greece, Mick Jagger, Nat Rothschild and Spyros Niarchos, Tino Zervudachi has become the jet set's favorite interior designer. Never off a plane, "always with 100 rooms" in his head and reputed for an effortless and lived-in elegance, twenty-five years of Zervudachi's work has been captured in A Portfolio, a vast, stylish tome published by New York's Pointed Leaf Press this month.
Although the first pages scream 'connected,' imagine a childhood portrait of Zervudachi and his twin sister taken by Derry Moore (aka the 12th Earl of Drogheda) that lies opposite a preface penned by Lindy, Marchioness of Dufferin that then leads into a foreword by David Mlinaric, Zervudachi's decorating mentor, all the owners of the incredible homes are left anonymous -- the idea being that only the interiors should shine.
This is typical of the 49-year-old Zervudachi who defines tight-lipped and trustworthy and has the quiet confidence of someone who often creates fifteen different houses for the same client. Divided into five main chapters that span across the world and whose range of titles include "Comfortable Living in Classical Rooms" and "Bold Styling for Simple and Elegant Luxury," the book appears delightfully diverse yet can be relied upon for its constant use of artisanship whether in Tokyo, Rio and or Mykonos. It is also as animated as the Paris-based Zervudachi who's popular for his good manners, prowess on the dance floor yet during working hours is happy to "eat anything thrilling like bamboo shoots" and tends to frequent the "small Japanese soba shops" near his office. When asked about his career lows, he quips, "Let's avoid because it could be a very long quote!" Instead, the ever-ebullient Zervudachi prefers to focus on "blue and white -- his favorite color combination" and how " a room should always have black and red in it."