Be Our Guest Vol. 2 | Cabana Magazine’s Martina Mondadori
Welcome back to Be Our Guest, our series celebrating the people who set the tone and always get invited back.
Our next guest is Martina Mondadori, founder of Cabana Magazine. Editor, tastemaker, and a true storyteller of interiors that feel personal, layered, and lived in. From Milan to Tangier, her world is full of pattern, color, and memory. Rooms where nothing feels accidental and nothing feels too perfect. Her spaces invite you in and make you want to stay awhile. The kind of spaces that remind you that a room can hold a feeling long after the night is over.
What’s something you've learned about the power of design?
“Good design creates a home, and a home can be a kind of refuge from the world. It’s something deeply personal. Especially in moments when the world feels chaotic, you realise how powerful it is to have a space that grounds you, cocoons you and protects you. Design, when done well, can achieve this.“
Are you more likely to collect objects, books, places, or stories?
“All of the above, if I’m honest! Everything I create at Cabana is a kind of patchwork of the things that have inspired me along the way - objects, certainly, but also books, places, and intertwining all, the stories that bring them to life.”
A book you’ve given away more than once.
“Not actually a book, but our Cabana City Guides. They’re full of insider tips to the places I love most, and they make such a thoughtful gift for anyone looking for inspiration or planning a trip.”
What qualities make something feel “Cabana”?
“For me it’s about a sense of life, about evoking emotion. When you walk into a space and feel the person behind every detail - that’s very Cabana. Often it means interiors that are layered and built slowly over time, evolving with the tastes and lives of the people who inhabit them. Equally, our upcoming issue reminded me that simplicity can be just as moving: spaces filled with light, calm, and clarity can evoke just as much emotion and very much speak to our ethos.”
What does the world look like through the Cabana lens?
“Full of intrigue. At Cabana we try to see beauty everywhere - especially in the details that others might overlook.”
A moment in Cabana’s journey has felt particularly meaningful to you?
“Opening our store. It’s incredibly special to have a physical space where everything comes alive - the magazine, the homeware, the lifestyle. It feels like our world made tangible.”
The most beautiful table you’ve ever sat at
“I’ve been lucky to sit at many beautiful tables, but one that stays with me is a lunch at Lee Radziwill’s apartment in New York. A small round table with a vivid Indian tablecloth. The plates were vintage, the glassware Murano with a hand-painted pink rim. Every detail was perfect, I can see it now. It was very special. I wrote about it all on Cabana’s Substack!”
What’s a small thing that brings you disproportionate joy?
“A compliment from my children. It reminds me I’m still cool in their eyes.”
The best host you’ve ever known - and what made them unforgettable
“Undoubtedly, my mother. She had the rare ability to make every single person in a room feel welcome and at ease. It was really quite something to see.”
A space you wish you could live in
“Perhaps my childhood home, Casa Cabana. I often find myself thinking about moving back there.”
A belief about design or interiors where you changed your mind
“I’ve learned to appreciate interiors that don’t shout. Spaces that are quiet, restrained, and subtle can make an incredibly powerful statement.”
A room from your childhood you still dream about
“Anything by Mongiardino. The world that he created and which I still enjoy every day left such a deep impression on me.”
An Italian habit the rest of the world should adopt?
“A deep appreciation for artisans and craftsmanship.”
The perfect spot in Milan for people-watching.
“Any piazza outside a church. I love sitting near Santa Maria delle Grazie and watching the mix of locals and visitors passing by.”
The view you wish you could wake up to every day.
“Nature – an expanse of untouched beauty, be it Tuscany or the Ligurian coast.”
A tiny luxury you refuse to give up.
“A cappuccino.”
A detail in a home that instantly wins you over.
“Beautiful or unexpected tiling. I love their tactile nature and the depth of colour. Such a simple thing, but they can transform a space.”
A material, pattern, or color you personally associate with the Cabana universe.
“Terracotta. It really is where it all began for me - the longing for Italy’s warm, earthy palette when I was living in London. Our tastes evolve, of course, but those colours will always feel deeply comforting.”
The object on your desk right now
“A secret, I’m afraid. It’s a fabric from an upcoming collaboration launching in April. I’m sworn to secrecy but just itching to tell as I’m very excited about it.”
A craft tradition you treasure
“Hand-painted glass. It’s something we commissioned very early on for our homeware line, and the pieces remain among my favourites.”
Your favorite unexpected pairing of objects
“Rattan with almost anything. I love juxtaposing wicker or rattan with more refined materials - glass, porcelain, silver. It softens everything and makes a table or a room feel instantly more relaxed and inviting.”
The object in your home you’d rescue first in a fire.
“My china collection—although my mother’s vintage YSL pieces would be a very close second.”
The piece in your wardrobe that feels most like you
“Anything by Ulla Johnson. Her clothes always feel effortlessly elegant.”