The Artisans

Established by creative designer Letizia Donati, Desart is a female-run and all-female company that merges the founders’ artistic backgrounds in textiles and interior design to create unique, limited series pieces distinguished by meticulous attention to sustainability and materials’ research. Eclectic and colorful cushions, baskets, and tabletops are masterfully handcrafted in the heart of Tuscany with precious, reclaimed fabrics to preserve each object’s uniqueness and artistic complexity.

Born in Brescia in1988 and currently living in Milan, designer Michael Milesi is the creator of Millesimi, a brand he founded in 2018 that interweaves fashion, Sicilian-inspired designs, and handcraftsmanship in an innovative yet functional aesthetic. Suitable as decorative objects, stools or small tables, the numbered and certified reproductions of his glamorous ReMade in Sicily collection are crafted in lightweight resin using cutting-edge techniques in a vibrant palette that recalls Hollywood and Beverly Hills of the 70s and 80s.

In 2008, art collector and painter Giovanna Palimodde founded Le Botteghe Su Gologone, a unique workshop in the old stable of the Experience Hotel Su Gologone in Barbagia, land of art and culture of inner Sardinia. With the help of the extraordinary skills of weavers and artisans Franca, Tonina and Maria, Giovanna creates stunning works of art, notably handcrafted cushions, embroidered or painted bed runners, and fine ceramic tableware and glassware, completing the exclusive collections that celebrate the tradition and culture of Sardinia.

Born in Stigliano in the province of Matera, Giuseppe Tucci completed his studies at the Politecnico di Milano, receiving a Bachelor’s in Product Design followed by a Master's in Service Design. He collaborated with various studios in Milan where he currently lives, and since 2016, has been a professor at the NABA (Nuova Academy of Fine Arts). He debuted at the 2019 Milan Design Week with “Pluvianimaliis”, his first collection of totemic ceramic objects marked by archetypal shapes that evoke the form of stylized animals with a powerful and distinctive aesthetic.

Bologna-born Mauro Sarti studied pictorial decoration at the Institute of Art. After twenty years of experience as a designer, he followed his passion for craftsmanship and wood and started crafting unique pieces under the name Mauby &Wood in 2007. Combining rare, exotic woods with resins, soft metals, and other materials, Sarti first debuted with a collection of spinning tops that transform traditional toys into luxury collector’s items. He also designs and crafts jewels, furnishings and personal accessories: precious, one-of-a-kind objects made using traditional methods.

Founded by Andrea Martini and Rienzo Cedri in Vicenza in 2004, Cedrimartini designs and produces sculptural furniture, lighting, and home décor, in small series or one-of-a-kind pieces. Drawing from their different backgrounds, Andrea in art research and Rienzo in jewelry industrial design, this duo harnesses their passion for industrial design to innovate classic designs into futurist pieces inspired by organic shapes.

Franco Zavarise founded ZAVAluce in 1982, combining his creative talent with experience in metal processing and a great passion for lighting. Zava’s collections are distinctive for their unconventional design, creativity, and great attention to detail, each piece outlined using the latest-generation machinery and technology and modeled by skilled manual processing with traditional techniques. Focused on the respect and preservation of the environment, the factory located in Cornuda (Treviso) was built according to the innovative environmentally-sustainable standards.

The stunning evolution of Ciclò monocycle, part of the Italian Design Museum since 2007, Ciclotte is the expression of a contemporary living where exercise and entertainment intersect to create an exquisite fitness tool and design. Conceived by Italian industrial designer Luca Schieppati, Ciclotte Bike is made of high-tech materials such as glass fibers and carbon, and it is the first exercise bike featuring an electromagnetic resistance system with gearbox, providing a unique experience compared to the excitement of a real road race.

Born and raised in Colombia, Criado studied Industrial Design in Milan. She started her own multidisciplinary brand in her native country, producing delicate and unique pieces of jewelry and accessories characterized by a multicultural, eclectic, yet sophisticated style. Drawing inspiration from art, fashion, and her own life experiences, Criado creates her pieces in her Bogotá-based studio using assorted metalworking techniques. She has been commissioned several projects by Latin American and international companies such as Diptyque and Swarovski.

ZPSTUDIO is a design and architecture studio that provides creative interior and product design solutions for cultural institutions, as well as furniture, accessories, and lighting brands. Located in Florence, the studio was founded in 2003 by Matteo Zettiand Eva Parigi, architects and designers who trained at the Faculty of Architecture in Florence. With the ZPSTUDIOTOOLS brand, they developed a limited series of objects with a unique style in perfect balance between tradition and avant-garde, all made in Tuscany in collaboration with artisans and small local companies.

Milano based artist Carla Milesi experimented with concrete since the eighties. In 1987, she established Concreta, a research laboratory within her family’s concrete company. Starck, Ron Arad, Mendini, Sottsass, Citterio, Fiorucci and Anna Mari all collaborated with Concreta sharing their collective know-how. Among her works, Milesi presented 22 light weight concrete silhouettes representing real-life-scale lovers, in Paris, at the Place du Louvre.

Esperia was founded in 1952 in Tuscany, elevating the purity of Light to a timeless expression of beauty. Constantly growing in its dedication to merging design and art with aesthetic and technological innovation, its singular collections comprise highly decorative lighting fixtures of elegant and contemporary allure. Entirely handmade in-house following precise and meticulous techniques, pieces are customizable upon request to suit personal preferences or decor needs.

Bottega Intreccio was founded in 2014 in the village of Mogliano, nestled in the hills of Macerata and famous for its cabinetmaking tradition. These unique pieces stand out for their weaving (“intreccio”), used since the Renaissance and carried out by expert craftsmen with dedication over the centuries. Wicker, cord, and leather are worked by hand to bring to life innovative designs of captivating modernity, while also preserving this historic crafting method.

Salda is the fifth generation, a family-run company owned by the Besana family, decorators of the Royal House of Austria, specialized in high-quality furniture and distinguished craftsmanship. Located in the heart of Brianza, the Italian furniture district near Milan, Salda’s unique creations draw from classic styles reinterpreted with modern sensibility using state-of-the-art technology. The company takes pride in its commitment to preserving age-old crafting traditions, offering one-of-a-kind pieces that are customized even in the smallest details by master artisans.

After 15 years of experience in fine arts, Laura Giannini established Ceramiche Artistiche Giannini in Bresso, near Milano, in 2015, born out of her passion for porcelain and ceramics. In her atelier, she crafts each object by hand, using locally sourced materials and applying precious finishes like gold, bronze, and platinum. From sculptures to home decor to tableware, these pieces are fashioned with special attention to clients’ needs and can be customized in every detail.

Founded in 1999 as Euroluce Light of Italy located in the town of Andria in Apulia, this small family-run company has grown over the years, inaugurating its in-house designing department in 2012 and rebranding itself as TXXNTY Brand Design in 2017. Working exclusively with expert Italian craftsmen, TXXNTY creates captivating lighting fixtures in which light and volumes interact in captivating ways to reveal both classic and contemporary pieces of sculptural appeal.

Luigi Fontana brand was founded in Milan in 1881. In 1931, legendary designer Gio Ponti became artistic director of the company, hiring master glassmaker Pietro Chiesa to guide the brand alongside him: in 1932, FontanaArte was born. With artistic directors Max Ingrand in the ‘50s and Gae Aulenti in the ‘70s at the helm, the company grew whilst maintaining its artisanal soul, collaborating with young and established designers. Today, under the guidance of Giorgio Biscaro, FontanaArte still creates lighting fixtures of striking modernity.

Michele Santalucia began working as a ceramist in workshops in Abruzzo in 1994 and refined his craft in Seville, Spain, where he learned new techniques while working with local historical workshops. In 2006, he returned to Francavilla al Mare near Chieti and opened his own atelier, where he incorporates influences of the classic Andalusian ceramics (“cuerda seca“), the typical decorations of “azulejos“, and the Abruzzo ceramic tradition, from Castelli to Rapino. His unique creations stand out for their quality, refinement, and attention to detail.

Lisa Corti’s established her eponymous Home Textile Emporium in the mid-‘80s in her home in Milan. In 2005, she moved the atelier to a 17th-century former-convent to use both as a store and a creative workshop: a symbolic convergence of Western World and Indian and African influences. Corti designs all her patterns in-house and her pieces are designed in Italy and handprinted in India. All pieces are woven using cotton spun on a wooden loom, then hand-dyed using the ancient manual block print technique, whereby carved wooden blocks are dipped in a different color and pressed onto the fabric.

After learning the trade from local cabinetmakers, brothers Costante and Piero Callesella established their eponymous workshop in 1896 in Cison, near Treviso. In the ‘40s, Costante’s son Angelo moved the atelier to a larger space in the town center and, in1965, the business passed to Giuseppe, one of Angelo’s sons, who worked alongside his two brothers. Now guided by Giuseppe’s children Mauro, Marzia, and Stefano, Callesella is a fourth-generation artisan that proudly continues the family tradition of handmade woodworking to create timeless objects of functional decor.