A Shop to Visit — Spazio Leone
by Lauren Cochrane
Shacklewell Lane in East London is known for its pubs, the concept store LN-CC and its proximity to everyone’s favourite Turkish restaurant, Mangal. But there’s now a new destination to add to maps for a Saturday jaunt — Spazio Leone.
Opened this year, this location is actually the third incarnation of the space founded in 2020 by former music curator and Napoli native Gennaro Leone. Moving back in the pandemic, Gennaro rediscovered his first love, Italian furniture, partly through the pages of classic design magazine Domus. “Italian design has emotion in it,” he says, of the appeal. “It doesn’t just look good.”
Spazio Leone began in Stoke Newington, with Gennaro sourcing furniture made by mid-century designers like Angelo Mangiarotti and Paolo Buffa. In 2022, the space moved to Hackney Downs where Gennaro mixed furniture with contemporary artists – including, for example, striking wall hangings by Georgian designer Mariana Chkonia.
The Shacklewell Lane Spazio continues on this theme. Open on Saturdays and by appointment, the former Victorian factory mixes new art with Gennaro’s recent finds from Italian designers and modern design rockstars like Gerrit Rietveld and Alver Aalto.
Wooden floors, white walls and copious daylight artfully frame a modular sofa by Mario Bellini or the perfectly quirky chair and table set by Viennese designer Hans Günther Reinstein. Crucially, Gennaro loves design but he is keen to make an environment to remember — down to details like smell. The space is scented with Santa Maria Novella pot pourri and candles from Buly. “People always notice the scent in the room as one of the first things, then it’s the warmth of the space, and how inviting it feels,” he says. “The best reaction has been seeing people stay longer than they planned to.” You don’t visit Spazio Leone — this is a place to spend time.
A Playlist for Patter by Gennaro Leone
Gennaro has a notable background in music — so it felt only natural to ask him to create a Patter playlist to accompany the feature. His selection follows our theme of female artists, moving elegantly from Laura Branigan’s sultry Italo-disco to the beautiful low-fi sounds of Joanne Robertson. Grazie Gennaro!
Lauren Cochrane is senior fashion writer of The Guardian and contributes to publications including i-D, Atmos, and CR Fashion Book. Based in London, she writes about everything from Miuccia Prada to Parker Posy. Follow her at @lauren_cochrane_
