The new Pavilion at FORM dedicated to Alta Decoracion: the style of elegant living

Undoubtedly one cannot ignore the reality that today, the preferred mode of contemporary decoration is the modern style, especially with the younger generation as it is a different approach to the one in the home that they will be leaving. This is not a new phenomenon but in Malta, this shift in preference to the Italian look as we know it, took a while to take root. However today it is very deeply embedded almost to the exclusion of anything else. It is now so deeply rooted that anything else is considered old and decadent even if all the world over is balanced and almost equally divided between what we in Malta call modern and what is referred to as contemporary. By contemporary, we mean a style that is familiar from yesteryear but regularly evolving in terms of color, texture, shape, volume, finishes, and accessories that reflect change without a dramatic shift in design.

Form has always been associated with real choices apart from Modern and Contemporary and by this, one is not referring to options that are more of the same as preferred by most furnishers here. In the seventies, Form imported treasures from India and Thailand that still grace many beautiful homes. Hundreds of ethnic, antique and Anglo-Indian pieces, brass inlaid doors, marble columns, wood carvings and statuary found their way here until their export was disallowed. Form also operated a factory producing Rattan furniture for over 20 years. This was followed by a wave of Chinese and Indonesian furniture as a result of an association with La Maison Coloniale. Today you can still buy Provencal, Indian and Chinese pieces from Form in line with a philosophy to provide exciting options to mainstream living.

This year Form has gone even further with the launch of a Pavilion dedicated to the Alta Decoracion style. The style pays homage to the skills, craftsmanship and designs of yesteryear and which are still in demand due to their excellence in terms of quality, their sombre yet very refined lines and unique finishes and mostly due to the ability of these pieces to harmonize well with that heirloom or special piece that many people possess whilst still able to sit equally well in modern and avant-garde settings.

Alta Decoracion, in brief, is the art of bringing unique pieces of furniture and accessories together that have their root in designs, skills and finishes from the most important epochs such as the Art Deco and mid-Century periods. It is also their ability to blend with other styles in a seamless and elegant style that was the reserve of the few with flair and elevated taste. Alta Decoracion is not related necessarily to antiques but can work alongside them. It is characterized by rich textures and the feel of the fillings and fabrics of the sofas, the wall hangings, the floors, the walls, the furniture, the accessories and colour and most important harmonisation in the overall setting and beyond.

Experience Alta Decoracion at Form with unique pieces from the Keno Brothers, Vanucci, Kalahari and other collections by Theodore Alexander.