ALL THINGS

Which way does the wind blow? Where does the light hit? Where can I have a moment alone? For A-List designer Alessandra Branca, her concept for this sprawling Harbour Island family home was defined by the life that would be lived inside it.

- STELLENE VOLANDES

Great design is the highest consideration of someone else.” Such wisdom issues forth often from Alessandra Branca.

The Rome-born designer cultivates her philosophy and practice with all the European refinement her upbringing implies, but with an equal dose of American ingenuity: She has called Chicago home for decades. “The best designers,” runs another Branca aphorism, “have lived and entertained. It’s hard to do something for someone else you haven't done for yourself.” Branca—who has been on the Elle Decor A-List since 2012; is a wife, mother, and grandmother, and is the winner of the 2025 Albert Hadley Lifetime Achievement Award from the New York School of Interior Design—knows what she’s talking about.

In the loggia of a family home in the Bahamas designed by Alessandra Branca, the pendant and sconces are by Hudson Valley Lighting.Curtain fabric by Kravet and Casa Branca; custom millstone table from Formations; iron slipper chairs from Amalfi Living; cast iron lanterns (on floor) by RH.