The Artisans

In 1963 Franco Lapini founded his namesake brand in Florence after studying at the Istituto D’Arte Internazionale in his hometown. After working as an apprentice in several workshops, he started his own collections, producing magnificent silver-plated objects inspired by the sumptuousness of Renaissance banquets. These trays, centerpieces, bowls, and candleholders enrich the table of exquisite homes, luxury hotels, and restaurants around the world.

Texturae was founded in 2016 by Daniele Morabito and Dario Pulitanò, two entrepreneurs from Reggio Calabria who were inspired by the most innovative artists, graphic designers, and decorators to create a new product. Their revolutionary designs recreate spaces that open a window onto fantastical new worlds. Their products transcend mere wallpaper by creating new perspectives that seduce the imagination. All designs can be realized on latex, fiberglass and magnetic canvas, high-quality, durable and eco-friendly materials.

In 1993, Claudia Frignani and her brother founded Wunderkammer Studio, where she designs and produces unique pieces and limited series, with particular attention to materials, shapes and techniques. In recent years Claudia has focused her creativity on pottery, creating exclusive one-of-a-kind pieces using the ancient technique of “colombino,” a coil-building technique completely made by hand. Once finished, the artifact is left to dry slowly, and undergoes a double-firing process in a furnace at a temperature of more than 1000°C.

Eliana Trentalancia, the founder of Reloaded Design, works with antique pieces of furniture and home decor, adding unconventional touches and creating unique objects that are bold and ironic. Each product comes from a different era and boasts a variety of Italian workmanship techniques, with a striking contrast between simplicity and opulence. Eliana is inspired by various styles, from Gothic to French Baroque, and combines diverse materials, both simple and precious, to challenge the conventions of traditional design and add an emotional resonance to each creation.

Christina Link worked in a renowned haute couture studio in Munich, Germany, before moving to Italy. She now lives and works in Tuscany where she handcrafts artistic home accessories, such as blankets and throws, using the finest velvet, cashmere, alpaca, wool, tweed, silk, and leather. All the pieces she creates are one-of-a-kind, handmade objects and boast unique combinations of colors and shapes. Her designs are timeless and elegant, crafted using traditional tailoring techniques to enhance the look of any home.

Born in 1981 in Grottaglie (a small town in Apulia), for centuries considered the site of a flourishing artisanal ceramic production due to the richness of the clay typical of the region, del Monaco grew up surrounded by ceramic art and sculptures in his five-generation family workshop. After studying artistic ceramics at the Art School in Grottaglie, he graduated with a degree in Architecture. He currently lives in Grottaglie, where he works on his collection of artistic ceramics, focused on the handcrafted tradition with an eye to the future.

Simona was born in Como and studied at the Accademia di Belle Arti, specializing in interior design. She started working in television as a set designer for events such as the Venice Film Festival and the Cannes Film Festival. She also collaborated as an image consultant with furniture and design companies, while still being a set designer for trade shows and other events. She currently works as an interior designer for restaurants, hotels, and private homes and as a product designer, creating contemporary ceramic pieces of functional decor.

It was 2015 when GioBagnara, a famous interior design company for yachts and jets, acquired Rudi Rabitti, historic brand producing leather accessories for the home. Since 2017, Giobagnara has created Rabitti 1969 and RUDI, two brands that stand out, respectively, for the manufacturing of products in real leather and recycled leather. From 2019, with the creative direction of Simone Fanciullacci, Italian designer, the company follows a more decorative approach and one that is more attentive to the raising of ecological awareness.

Master marble cutter Bruno Scandola was born in Verona. He founded Scandola Marmi in 1964, a company that now boasts over fifty years of experience in crafting hand-selected marbles and granites using ancient techniques to create exquisite household and lifestyle accessories. These collections feature objects of functional décor with unique shapes and textures to add a contemporary flair to any home and fill it with one-of-a-kind pieces that are both functional and eye-catching.

For almost one hundred years, the Enrico Pellizzoni brand has been offering Made in Italy leather and hide furniture items on the international market. Furniture, chairs, and armchairs made according to the Italian artisan tradition, combining quality and design with a mark of eco-sustainability. Enrico Pellizzoni is part of the Genuine Italian Vegetable Tanned Leather Consortium and uses plant extracts in the leather tanning of all products. The brand can be found all over the world, with widespread distribution in Europe and in the US with the Pellizzoni USA brand.

Founded in 1954, this company has been producing hand-crafted, custom-made furniture for over 60 years. Frigerio’s new line uses exclusively wood from areas of sustainable forest management and reforestation. The creative process starts in the workshop and, after a constructive exchange of ideas between designer and artisans, it becomes reality. Essential lines and balance between functionality and beauty are at the core of Frigerio’s philosophy.

Established in Florence, Casa della Cornice creates exquisite frames by mixing old Florentine manufacturing traditions with constant research and pursuit of innovation. Marco and Giovanni Pelacani are the second and third generation of a family that started this business in 1969 and since then has refined its expertise in woodcarving and in gilding objects using the centuries-old method of gouache. Casa della Cornice’s two workshops in Florence craft magical objects that are timeless and sophisticated.

Marco Dimai Lustro and Roberto Zambelli Nichelo created this brand from their shared passion for wood and the Dolomites mountains. The furnishings designed by Woodart Cortina are made of precious and ancient wood that is a carefully selected and handcrafted with passion by skilled artisans. The bond with the territory, particularly the Dolomites, and the respect for nature and its surroundings are at the heart of these unconventional designs: unique pieces of furniture and home décor inspired by the desire to give new shape to everyday life objects.

Paola Speranza graduated in Architecture at Politecnico, in Milan. She has been working with design studios as well as independently, dealing with restoration, building renovation and interior design. She collaborates with her family business of marble processing and restoration, Fratelli Speranza. In 2016, she started designing her own collection of marble objects and she created Espidesign. All the pieces in this series are one-of-a-kind, handmade objects crafted in a workshop outside Pavia; their design is minimalist and bold, for a contemporary, elegant table.

Both successful and emerging designers work for L’Abbate, blending traditional and innovative materials, color, and technology to create a collection that represents the Italian excellence in furniture. This collection combines art, elegance, and luxury and displays different designs approached with a common denominator: fulfill real demands in a creative and effective way. Each product is customizable to meet any need with exceptional versatility, from chairs, tables, and cabinets to hotel rooms.

After graduating in architecture, Michelangelo Serena dedicated himself to the innovative potential of the prestigious filigree technique, invented by his ancestors in the XVI century in Murano. With this idea in mind, and the desire to create a new dimension of Italian excellence, he founded Serena Luxury Mosaic in 2015, whose collections combine for the first time Murano mouth-blown glass, gold foil, and artistic mosaic. Today he designs, crafts, and exhibits his unique lamps and art pieces for home décor in museums, luxury hotels, and international fairs.

Oriana Capitani lives and works in Jesi, a city in the region of Marche, known since the end of the 19th century for its entrepreneurial and industrious spirit. After a long experience restoring art, she started creating and crafting exquisite frames according to traditional techniques and using old materials. Her meticulous work results from mastering the centuries-old practice of gilding and produces pieces that recreate classic silhouettes, with a particular attention to details.

In 1955, Paolo Maselli opened his first shop of antique prints and handcrafted frames in Florence. His son Gabriele studied gilding and frame restoration at the Institute for Arts and Restoration Palazzo Spinelli and in 1979 took over the business. After 60 years, Bottega d’Arte Maselli still guarantees impeccable quality and meticulous attention to detail for all its handcrafted creations, that are decorated using centuries-old techniques such as gilding “a guazzo”, silver plating, and color finishing.

With fiftyeight years of experience, Budri is a worldwide leader in artistic italian marble inlay. The unparalleled experience at the international level in the execution of major customized projects as private villas, fashion brand boutiques, hotels and prestigious buildings, together with inspiration and interpretation skills have contributed to establish Budri’s strong reputation as “Maestro dell’Intarsio”. Budri presents here the awarded Design Collections designed by Patricia Urquiola that were exhibited at Triennale Milano, Art Basel and the Philadephia Museum.

In 1963, Francesco De Maio established his workshop of handcrafted ceramics, hoping to keep alive the artistic heritage of Vietri sul Mare, a small town on the Amalfi Coast. His artistic tile-making craftsmanship is widely praised, particularly for his "riggiole" tiles used for churches' floors and dwellings of noblemen. De Maio reinterprets the family tradition by designing collections that align with new tastes and trends. His handmade ceramic tiles are decorated with classical motifs, using traditional enamels that add an exclusive finish to his pieces.