The Artisans

Born from a fascination with light and a passion for art, Alessandro Giacomelli and Dominique Wolniewicz founded Diaphan creative studio in 2019. Starting with friends and family-commissioned designs, today their site-specific, bespoke installations are the result of collaborations with curators, collectors, and retailers. Dedicated to the excellence of design and craftsmanship, Diaphan sets new standards for the industry, transforming light into poetic experience using a research-based approach and contemporary interpretations of natural forms.

The Locchis have been restoring, grinding and carving crystal objects back since the nineteenth century, when the family was commissioned work by the Grand Duke of Tuscany. Since then, the skilled craftsmanship of these master grinders has brought back to their original condition goblets, bowls, cruets, salt-cellars, precious Murano-glass chandeliers. Situated in the heart of Oltrarno, the florentine southbank, the atelier is now famous all over the world for the quality of its restoration on glass and precious crystal items.

At the heart of NB Milano Design lies an innovative concept aimed at creating long-lasting pieces: harmonizing aesthetic with the mutability of natural materials over time. The 3D leather collection is probably their signature production, used in different furniture pieces handcrafted by specialist artisans entirely in Italy. The vision of NB Milano is to create sensual and organic pieces that engage as many senses as possible. They achieve this objective thanks to a strict selection of the best materials, in which any imperfection is enhanced to stress natural beauty.

Award-winning Bottega ND Dolfi specializes in maiolica pottery. Founded in 1941 by Giovanni Dolfi in a historic workshop in Montelupo, a hamlet on the Tuscan hills, the atelier continued with Silvano, who still creates internationally-acclaimed pieces, and is now run by his daughters Daria and Natalia. Master craftsmen keep traditional techniques alive while experimenting with materials and designs. Each piece is based on originals without becoming a replica, but retaining the unique quality and character of one-off productions.

An unconventional embodiment of a dynamic and fast-paced reality, DalMoto is a design brand based near the majestic Lake Como inspired by Futurist Italian architect Antonio Sant’Elia. Creating contemporary pieces following traditional crafting techniques combined with new technologies, each design is distinguished by meticulously handmade details that enhance their durability and comfort.

Over a hundred years ago, in 1902, grandfather Pampaloni founded a workshop that would become one of the most prestigious silver factories in Florence, just a short walk from Palazzo Vecchio. Their difficult labor still achieves impressive results, thanks to innovative design and traditional techniques coupled with the skilled hands of Gianfranco and Francesco Pampaloni and their busy machines. Like their ancestors, they respect machines, maintaining that "handmade" is not better per se. Artisans achieve their best when coupling their skilled hands with the aid of machines.

Florentine Paola Staccioli is a ceramist with unique artistic abilities, maybe inspired by her literature studies. She decided to dedicate herself to pottery after some experiences within applied arts, in particular batik and glass. She creates clay objects that support decorative and pictorial elements using the luster technique. The results are unique, impossible to replicate even by the artisan herself. Her works featured in exhibitions in Japan, Germany, France, as well as notable Florentine institutions including the Uffizi Museum (2012) and Palazzo Pitti (2010).

Craftsmanship and modern design techniques interpreting Made in Italy excellence in Italy and worldwide. The Franco Bianchini brand was founded in 1968 in Casaleone (VR); it’s a family business that, for two generations, has been manufacturing designer pieces with refined taste and exclusive furnishings with a mark of sophistication and cosmopolitan flair. Collections that transpire from the perfect balance between a reinterpretation of Art Decò and modernity, with classic items such as bookcases, cupboards, wardrobes, beds, upholstered furniture and accessories.

Ceramic artist Roberto Cambi is a name of reference in contemporary Italian ceramic art. He has been exhibiting successfully since the late 1970s, after obtaining his diploma at the Academy of Fine Arts in Bologna. Cambi's practice is very eclectic and delves in different techniques, but is often referred to as "pop and humoristic". His playful works are created focusing on the interaction of ceramics with their surrounding space. Yet, although his installations are mainly site-specific, due to their flexible nature they can easily adapt to any dimension and space.

Roberto Milan is introduced to the sculptural art of woodworking at a young age in the family tradition workshop. Talented mentors have influenced his artistic path. His design aesthetic blends ancient techniques with modernity of contemporary forms and visions inspired in particular by the idea of cosmic energies. His works can be found in prestigious international private and public collections, notable appearances at Art Basel Show, International Art Fair in Miami and Sofa in Chicago.

Bottega Scarpelli continues the Florentine mosaic tradition that goes back to the Medici and the Italian Renaissance. They work gems and stones blending extraordinary skills, tradition, and a flair for innovation. Renzo Scarpelli is a master mosaicist with over 40 years of experience, who passed on his passion to his equally-talented son Leonardo. Yet, they are the final craftsmen of a complex creative process in which painters – who draw the mosaic design and decide the colors, and stone seekers – whose job is to find the right stones, play a vital role.

Stilleben is an Italian brand founded in 2017 in Modena designing and manufacturing designer accessories for the table and kitchen. Presenting everyday objects with refined quality in materials and volumes. The primary objective is to enhance the quality of Made in Italy craftsmanship. The name chosen for the brand originates from the German word "stilleben" which means still life. The contemporary still life of great masters like Giorgio Morandi who portray the world of small common items such as vases, glasses, bottles, and bowls.

Experts in the art of marble, the members of Tuscan Studio Formart develop artistic projects for both interior and exterior spaces. Thanks to years of experience in the field of ceramics, they are now interested in creating a new production process encompassing different materials. The artworks designed by the Studio are precious and innovative objects that focus on form and art, as suggested by the name "Formart", with a continued research in defining new shapes and in the use of different materials.

Tato’s main objective is to make things well. For a company that produces lighting fixtures this translates into working with meticulous understatement. Tato’s idea of design takes an age-old tradition of manual skill, and projects it into the future. Excellent design always starts with people, and is firmly rooted in research and experimentation, where the knowhow of local artisans is as important as the relationships with the international partners who contribute to the expansion of the brand.

Carlo Guglielmi, soul and founder of Firmamento Milano, boasts a professional career of more than 50 years in the world of work and more than 35 years in the world of design. After his experience within the most prestigious companies in the lighting industry, he decided to create his own business project, supported by an efficient work team. Firmamento was founded with the aim of creating a different option in the area of lighting, with collections of lamps and lights of industrial, modern and refined design.

The unique design of Splot Design is the result of creative experimentation and careful craftsmanship that began in 2018 in Piacenza, Emilia Romagna. The making is inextricably linked to a process that transforms, through expertise, the raw material into a work of art. The tradition inherited from High Craftsmanship allows this professional studio to develop collections that tell an all-Italian story, a story that speaks of prestige, highest quality and exclusivity.

Oscar Zanetti was born in Murano in 1961. One of his ancestors, Abbott Zanetti, was the founder of the Museo del Vetro (Museum of Glass) and opened the Scuola del Vetro (Glass School) in the 19th Century. Oscar began working with glass at the age of 14 while attending the local art high school. He started out as an assistant or "serventino" and perfected his technique at some of the most prestigious Murano glass ateliers, including Venini and La Murrina, before joining the family workshop. His preference for natural subjects is reflected in his collection.

Arkof began as a craft workshop in Bergamo in the 70s. Specializing in the creation of designer furniture and furnishing accessories, over the years the company has chosen to undertake a path of modernization that has led to the use of new technologies and materials. Arkof collaborates with influential designers with whom it shares attention to every detail and the search for new furnishing projects with a distinctive character. The brand not only boasts a strong presence in Italy but also abroad, due to a widespread distribution network.

Luci Italia was founded in 2017 by Giorgio Valobra and Riccardo Ongarato with the purpose of presenting the finest collections of custom-made, hand-blown Venetian chandeliers and lighting to the wider market. Giorgio Valobra, a 4th generation master jeweler whose family was the official supplier of the Italian Royals, contributes his extensive expertise in high-end retail, while Riccardo Ongarato, a 3rd generation master glassblower from a prestigious Venetian family, delivers the highest level of craftsmanship and creativity, resulting in exceptional pieces

These modern and original designs are manufactured exclusively by hand, making each Guido Niest creation a precious and unique piece of art. Many of the exquisite silver objects, with their sensual and uncompromising allure, are featured in prestigious exhibitions and galleries around the world, and represent the labor and virtuosity of the artisan against the suffocating repetitiveness of global mass production.