A London studio, a portrait by Bob Carlos Clarke: designer Peter Harvey

The portrait on his own website was taken by the British photographer Bob Carlos Clarke, a detail that places Peter Harvey squarely in London's design scene. His London practice, Peter Harvey London, designs furniture, lighting and glass objects for private homes and contract interiors, and his work has been featured in British titles such as House & Garden, Elle Decoration, Esquire and London Style. Before furniture came a less obvious route: precision engineering, then visual merchandising, then interior architecture, three disciplines he still describes as feeding into one another.

For LaCividina he designed two upholstered pieces built for heavy use. The Mon Coeur sofa runs as a single line of curve and counter-curve, with its foam shaped by hand; the Nautile armchair is all rounded volume. Both have frames reinforced for public areas, which is why La Mercanti specifies them for British receptions and members' lounges.