Photo © Amaury Laparra

Alessia Genova’s career trajectory is the stuff dreams are made of. At 19, fresh out of Politecnico di Milano, she approached legendary hospitality designer Adam D. Tihany at Salone del Mobile and fearlessly told him she wanted to work for him one day. The aspiring designer clearly made an impression: The bold introduction led to an internship in Rome in 2007, a managing partner role in 2020, and eventually ownership of Tihany Design in 2024.

Italian-born Alessia has taken over full management of the New York–based firm and its satellite office in Rome. She leads the 20-person staff and mentors younger designers while expanding the studio’s European reach, specifically with new projects in Italy. Alessia approaches hospitality interiors with an acute awareness that her spaces serve as the backdrop for life’s moments: honeymoons, milestone celebrations, and long-awaited vacations. As such, she aims to create spaces that are immersive and sensory-driven and feel both transportive and deeply personal.

Though reluctant to define her work by a single aesthetic, Alessia likens her sensibility to Hermès: timeless, tailored, and quietly refined. “My approach is less about a fixed style and more about how objects coexist within a space,” she says. “A balance of history and ease, where refinement is tempered by a quiet, contemporary tension.”

Here, Alessia discusses instinct, inspiration, timelessness, and the future of hospitality design.

What advice would you give your younger designer self?

Trust your point of view sooner. Clarity is more powerful than complexity, and restraint is not a limitation but a discipline. 

I would also remind myself that design is as much about listening as it is about creating; projects reveal themselves when you allow space for them to speak.

What does “good design” mean to you?

Good design is invisible in its effort. It feels natural, intuitive, almost obvious, yet it is the result of rigorous thinking and careful editing. It holds a sense of permanence. … It transcends trends.

What’s one design “rule” you love to break?

The idea that everything needs to match or belong to the same moment in time. I love mixing periods, textures, and tones in a way that feels layered and collected rather than prescribed. That sense of tension is where the magic happens.

What's a distinct source of inspiration you've drawn from lately?

Archival sketches of interiors from Art Deco through the 1950s. There’s an extraordinary clarity in those drawings, where proportion, rhythm, and detail are distilled to their essence … a reminder that the foundation of any space lies in its structure, long before materiality or ornament enter the conversation.

What’s something you’ve always wanted to learn but haven’t gotten around to?

I would love to spend time learning the art of lacquer, working with it by hand, understanding the depth it can achieve, and how its layered application interacts with light. It’s a technique that carries both precision and patience, capable of transforming a surface through richness and subtle reflection.