Walking along the Via di Monserrato in Rome with Daria Reina and Andrea Ferolla can take a while. Everyone stops them to say hello – from the owner of the storied restaurant Pierluigi to the model being photographed for a magazine under a stone archway. The couple opened Chez Dede here in 2015. Known for a distinctive mix of pieces – from Andrea’s fashion illustrations and printed silk foulards to vintage furniture and curated clothing collections – it has seen every Rome-based fashion director and countless celebrities come through its doors, including Tilda Swinton and Lily Collins.

The concept store has become a destination, along the way transforming this street near the River Tiber, which now features ateliers, design galleries and chic boutiques, from clothing, textiles and homeware at Soledad Twombly and custom leather handbags and silk scarves at Maison Halaby, to jewellery at Delfina Delettrez. Daria and Andrea have recently created the Superattico Monserrato, an exquisite two-bedroom apartment for friends and long-term aficionados of the brand to rent above the shop, which overlooks the terracotta rooftops of the city and is imprinted with Chez Dede’s coveted interiors style.

A view across the River Tiber to Ponte Sisto and the dome of St Peter’s Basilica.

Alixe Lay

The pair met in 1996, when Daria – a Franco- Italian photographer and graphic designer – freelanced at the advertising agency in Rome where Andrea was creative director. Both in relationships with other people, they were friends for eight years: I always found him super brilliant, but it wasn’t until we became unhappy with our partners that we saw each other in a different way and would go to exhibitions together. How amazing to stand in front of a masterpiece and understand what the other likes, what moves them,’ says Daria ‘We realised we were in love.’

They began to work together, specialising in luxury brand campaigns, mostly for Bulgari and top agencies. From the start, they had a firm vision. A luxury hotel group wanted 10 of Andrea’s illustrations for a brochure,’ recalls Daria. ‘It was so unattractive, I said, “If you want us, you must rethink the entire project.” The result is a beautiful coffee-table book – often stolen by hotel guests – with Andrea’s illustrations and Daria’s design. ‘If people take things, you did a good job. Luxury brands have the power to educate fools about beauty. They have a great responsibility.’

This sense of responsibility led to Chez Dede (the French nickname for both Daria and Andrea). ‘Italy in 2005 was in a fashion crisis,’ Daria says. ‘The world was turning to Asia for cheaper manufacturing and we felt we had to do something.’ Over lunch on holiday on St Barths, they came up with the idea for the perfect bag – big enough for travelling and beach days, but chic enough for evenings: ‘Very cool.’

Andrea and Daria on a Berto Salotti sofa with a French 18th-century tapestry in the Superattico apartment.

Alixe Lay