The Cinematic Series: Inspired by Guillermo Del Toro

Guillermo Del Toro's aesthetic is worthy of a true storyteller, drawing the viewer into a universe filled with mystery and horror with smooth camera movements, fairground lighting, bright colors and a sense of the otherwordly.

The fascination for the gruesome and dark matters is part of his unique way of directing, focusing on narratives that aim at surprising and putting the viewer in a state of pure awe. ​Part of the world he wishes to transport onto camera comes from his own notebook drawings, as he invents creatures and intricate plots inspired by sculpture, paintings, prints, photography, costumes, ancient artifacts, books, maquettes, and film.

Make your way through the faun's labyrinth and beware of the mystical creatures placed in every corner of Del Toro's magical world. The gothic castles in the middle of dense forests are the perfect starting place for his set design, as Del Toro looks at these interiors for inspiration and adopts a collector's way of filling the spaces with rich bookcases, weird objects with elaborate detailing and animalia décor.

Sculpting and shaping space, the director also integrates pieces of industrial design in his sets, especially when setting motion pictures in the early 1900s. Furniture is usually of dark and rich wood that makes for a strong frame during the scenes. From the laboratories of ​Vener comes the ​Helix Dining Table a work of art serving as a coffee table boasting an ingenious design that uses an ancient water pipe made with a single piece of "ghiandone" granite. The helix-shaped top is made of polished stainless steel is fixed around the concave end of the stone base.

A recurring theme in Del Toro's home décor is animals, in particular insects which he considers to be "living metaphors" as he find fascination in their lack of emotion and alienness. The ​Animalia Side Table by ​Fratelli Boffi is a perfect representation of the director's peculiar aesthetic, as it is mounted in a structure supported by inward-curved feet accented with stunning carvings evoking the shape of insect feet.

Feeble rays of yellowish light are irradiated in the interiors of every Del Toro's frame, making for a gloomy and mysterious setting as a fair of illusions. The vintage feeling is also conveyed by the choice of particularly patterned drapery adorning the living.

The​ Fuwas Table Lamp conceived by the Japanese duo of ​Hands On Design perfectly adapts to the director's lighting approach, exuding an ethereal, cloud-like quality. Made with veil-thin thickness, the stone reveals its unique natural veins when illuminated by the LED light source housed in the narrow base, giving the illusion of being made of vellum paper.