Italy Gives You an Extra Gear

Hermione Homes Welcomes Natalia Giacomino Architects

At Hermione Homes, we believe that exceptional homes begin with exceptional stories. This belief sits at the core of our new partnership with Natalia Giacomino Architects (NGA) - a collaboration shaped by shared values of craftsmanship, cultural depth, and a holistic understanding of how people truly live.

“Italy gives you an extra gear,” says Natalia Giacomino, London‑based architect, founder of NGA, and self‑described narrator of spaces. Trained within one of the world’s richest artistic landscapes and refined through an international career across Europe and Asia, Natalia brings a rare sensibility to residential architecture—one that aligns seamlessly with Hermione Homes’ vision of timeless, emotionally resonant design.

A Shared Philosophy: Homes as Living Narratives

For Hermione Homes, a home is never just a building. It is an experience - visual, tactile, and sensory - where light, material, proportion, and movement shape the rhythm of everyday life. Natalia’s philosophy mirrors this precisely.

“Every place has a story, a memory embedded in its DNA that must be expressed through architecture,” she explains. “The design experience must be holistic - visual, olfactory, tactile, sensory.”

This narrative‑driven approach is why our partnership with NGA feels so natural. Whether working within conservation areas or contemporary urban settings, both Hermione Homes and NGA share a deep respect for context, history, and the lived experience of space.

From Italy to London, via China

Born in Rome and educated at the University of Florence, Natalia’s architectural foundation was forged in constant dialogue with history - from Roman ruins to Renaissance masterpieces. That grounding, she believes, is an undeniable advantage.

“Being educated in a country as rich in art as Italy gives you an extra gear. You are constantly immersed in architecture and history - it becomes second nature.”

Her journey then led to China, where she spent three formative years at MAD Architects in Shanghai and Beijing, contributing to visionary projects ranging from skyscrapers and masterplans to pavilions and 4D cinemas.

“China taught me to look beyond form, to grasp the soul of places. It was intense - worth ten years of experience elsewhere.”

Today, that global perspective informs her London‑based practice, where NGA delivers residential, commercial, office, and hospitality projects with a distinctive blend of rigor and poetry.

Craft, Emotion, and Responsibility

NGA operates with a close‑knit core team, expanding with trusted collaborators as projects require. Natalia personally oversees every phase - from concept to completion - bringing what she describes as a “tailored, almost sartorial approach.”

This level of care reflects Hermione Homes’ own commitment to responsibility and refinement. Our developments prioritise not only aesthetic excellence, but also how spaces are lived: circulation, light, the dialogue between interior and exterior, and the emotional well‑being of residents.

“Architecture is not just construction,” Natalia says. “It is experience. It is emotion.”

Partnership Built on Values

Natalia draws inspiration from architects such as Carlo Scarpa, Peter Zumthor, Jean Nouvel, and Kazuyo Sejima - figures celebrated for their sensitivity to detail, materiality, and human experience. These influences resonate deeply with Hermione Homes’ design ethos: refined, contextual, and enduring.

Together with NGA, Hermione Homes continues to pursue architecture that is both elegant and profoundly human - homes that honour their surroundings while offering contemporary comfort and meaning.