A Gateway to an Imagined Nature
An artwork by Vanessa Stella for Unica – art for your space
Some artworks seem to find their place even before they are installed. That is what happened with the Peacock Triptych, created to stand behind a bed in a mountain home immersed in the landscape of the Dolomites.
Three panels, three fragments of a single story: at the centre, the peacock, with its elegant and silent presence; around it, branches, leaves and botanical forms intertwine in a composition suspended between nature and fantasy.
The artwork is created on a surface entirely covered in gold leaf. Gold leaf is one of the defining leitmotifs of Unica’s production, a recurring material in the creations of Vanessa Stella, chosen for its extraordinary ability to capture and reflect light, transforming the surface and altering the perception of the surrounding space.
In the Peacock Triptych, this distinctive element reaches a particular intensity: the gold leaf floods the room with a golden luminosity that brings the colours of the artwork to life, creating an ever-changing effect.
The tones of gold, deep green and blue engage in a dialogue with the wood of the house, used for the wall panelling and furnishings, with the ancient beams and with the natural light entering through the large windows, creating a rich yet harmonious composition.
The blond oak, used for the wall panelling and furnishings, warms the space and creates a natural dialogue with the gold leaf of the triptych. The handle pulls, shaped as rosettes and inspired by the peacock motif, echo the artwork and carry its visual language into the furnishings, creating a refined and recognisable continuity.
The design of the triptych therefore does not remain confined to the artwork, but extends across the walls and furnishings, becoming the defining thread of the entire interior.
The peacock is a symbolic creature, associated with beauty, transformation and renewal. Here, it becomes almost a guardian of rest, a presence that guides the gaze towards an inner landscape, while beyond the windows unfolds the majestic scenery of mountains covered in conifer forests.
“I imagined the peacock as a silent presence, almost a guardian of the room. I wanted to create an artwork capable of engaging with the mountains without depicting them directly: nature is already there beyond the window. Inside the room, instead, I wanted to create an imagined nature, more intimate and fantastical, that could accompany rest and leave space for the imagination.”
— Vanessa Stella
I imagined this triptych not as a simple decoration, but as a kind of gateway to an imagined nature: a fantastical nature made of colour, materials and precious details, bringing something wild yet deeply intimate into the bedroom.
Its connection with the mountains is therefore indirect, yet ever-present. It lies in the wood, the light, the quietness of the room and, above all, in the idea of a refuge, an intimate alcove where we can recharge our energy for the day ahead.
The Peacock Triptych was born from this encounter: between the warm materiality of the house and the reinvented nature of the artwork, between the landscape of the Dolomites and a small fantastical universe to be discovered every day.
An artwork designed to accompany rest, but also to be contemplated slowly, allowing each panel, each branch and every detail to tell its own story, while the gold leaf returns a precious light to the room, transforming the entire interior into a jewel to inhabit.
Unica – art for your space
Design by Vanessa Stella
PEACOCK TRIPTYCH — A Gateway to an Imagined Nature
