“We were inspired by Venice—the architecture, the history, the monumentality,” says AD100 designer Vincenzo De Cotiis over Zoom, swinging open the shutters of the Palazzo Giustinian Lolin, a Baroque-style palace in the city where he has recently taken up residence on the piano nobile.

It’s a misty afternoon in February and a few small boats are traveling along the waterway that has facilitated trade, transit, and cultural exchange for centuries. “When you’re here, you understand what happened in the 15th century,” continues the designer’s wife, Claudia Rose De Cotiis. “How Venice became a world market.”