The Artisans

Secondome is a Design Gallery focused on contemporary designers and innovative projects worldwide. Founded by Claudia Pignatale in 2006, Secondome produces its own collection of furniture and objects working to launch experimental designers, artisans and master craftsmen. Its mission lies in highlighting both the high quality manufacture of the Made in Italy brand and the originality of products, emphasizing the tradition of Italian craftsmanship whilst breaking the mold of lifeless objets d’art.

Il Bronzetto, an historic Florentine company is specialized in the hand-made production of high quality furnishing, accessories and lighting in brass and bronze since 1963. Simone, Pierfrancesco and their cousin Michelangelo inherit from the founder Antonio Calcinai the knowledge of materials and their processing techniques producing with creativity and high professionalism, unique and quality artisan artefacts. Il Bronzetto offers a wide range of styles, from classic to modern up to the striking contemporary design, as the Brass Brothers & Co. collection. Il Bronzetto can also carry out custom-made projects following the client from design to creation of the final product, aided on one side by the manufacturing expertise and experience, on the other by the use of technology to create items with high quality standards.

Cino Cini started producing combed fabrics for drapery in 1956, a move that paved the way for a long family history culminating with the foundation of Arcashmere in Prato, Tuscany. Now run by his son Fabrizio and his nephew Andrea, the company is renowned for producing top-quality textile accessories and home furnishing using cutting-edge technologies. Each scarf, poncho, or blanket is crafted only employing 100% cashmere, silk/cashmere blend, and more fine yarns. Boasting partnerships with international luxury brands, Archasmere values sustainability and human contribution.

The traditional Tuscan passion for ceramics goes back for generations in the Ceccarelli family. This genuine passion emerges through the raw material shaping it into expertly-modeled and prestigious ceramics. The Ceccarelli ceramists like to say that the result is the witness of their efforts. Indeed, the typical irregularities distinctive of manual labour, together with the complexity of the finishes, obtained in 10 different manufacturing steps, are at the core of their distinctive style.

Antonino Sciortino, versatile Sicilian artist, infuses a minimalist baroque style into his metalwork, amalgamating the ethereal inspiration of dance with the maritime influence of his hometown of Bagheria. As a child, he learnt the technique of ironworking at his brother's workshop, but his love for dance pushed him to pursue a career in television, in Rome, where he became a dancer. The call of manual art returned in 2003, when he moved to Milan where, supported by the “Compagnia del Giardino,” he opened his own workshop.

Tuscan artisan Bianco Bianchi has been making unique pieces using the refined scagliola technique since the 1960s. Well-known for his Medusa-head table made to order for the renowned Miami mansion of fashion designer Gianni Versace, Bianco Bianchi's marble works decorate the world's most beautiful homes. Bianco Bianchi's children, Alessandro and Elisabetta, now continue on the family tradition by translating century-old techniques into both classic and modern-inspired objects.

Carlo Puccini comes from a long line of artisans formed in the artistic atmosphere of Florentine woodcarving workshops. After training at the Wood Carving professional school, he went on to specialize in one of the most prestigious and famous art shops in the city and, at the same time, returned to his old school teaching restoration and carving. He believes his frames and the other numerous objects he produces should not only be beautiful but also be practical and able to answer the needs of the modern market.

The first of the Pinto family to start out the family business was Vincenzo Pinto – born in Vietri sul Mare in 1870. He rented an old ceramics factory of the beginning of the 19th century, and developed the workshop until the famous tiles began exporting in the 1920s. Many important designers, including Rossi (Founder of the Salerno School of Ceramics), Tot, Rivetti in the 60s, artist Carrano and architect Giò Ponti, collaborated through the years. Rosaura and Carlo Pinto are now at the lead of this historical workshop preserving ancient techniques and designs.

Bottega d’Arte Gatti Ceramica prides itself on its permanent search for innovative techniques and design, proved by a splendid collection. When Riccardo Gatti founded it in 1928, he was already a celebrated ceramist in Faenza, because of his skilled hand. But his talent was recognized also on a national level, as he exhibited in major establishments as the Milan Triennale, the Ceramics Museum in Faenza, and the Venice Biennale. Today, Ceramica Gatti continues to handcraft beautiful pieces on the wake of its founder and the centuries-long ceramic tradition of Faenza.

ColleVilca is the result of a merger of two historical crystal workshops occurred 50 years ago. The atelier is based at Colle di Val d'Elsa in Tuscany - between Florence, Siena and San Gimignano - where glass and crystal have been produced for over 800 years. Specializing in the art of working with lead crystal, with percentages up to an astonishing 24%, ColleVilca boasts a history of collaborations with important designers and architects. The selection of crystals sets for the table is of unique brilliance and quality making the art of drinking a truly luxury experience.

Based in Santo Spirito, Florence's famous craftsmanship neighborhood, since 1980 Daniele Nencioni recreates unique hand-carved wood objects from classic models. Nencioni collaborates with renowned architects and international interior designers as well as having its work displayed in museums around the world. Throughout the years, Nencioni has been commissioned works for the Brunei's Sultan, for the reconstruction of the Imperial castle in Moscow, and for the yacht of fashion designer Roberto Cavalli.

Three Murano brothers founded “Ercole Moretti & Fratelli” back in 1911. Their aim was to master the production of the two star products of the Venetian glass landscape: the “Rosetta” and the “Millefiori Mosaic”. In the 70s, the Moretti workshop started making murrine pendants that soon became a Murano classic alike the plates and bowls made using ancient Roman techniques. Today, new generations are leading the workshop focusing on collaborations with international designers with a modern look while safeguarding traditional techniques.

Dario Frare was born in Murano in 1977 and inherited his passion for drawing and glass blowing from his father Giuliano, an equally well-known glass master. Dario's great manual dexterity, enhanced by a restless inner strength, allowed him to become an important artist of Murano, in particular for his mastery of the "a lume" technique, which enables him to achieve miniature detail. Dario's ability to create detailed colored-glass forms made him one of the most prominent glass masters in Murano, and lead him to collaborate with international artists such as Aristide Najean.

The passion shared by three generations of Fratelli Levaggi is pure and simple: shaping wood with their own hands. Young creativity is channeled by the experience and knowledge of the elders, who guide the process from the cutting of the tree to the assembling and painting of individual components. They work with a variety of woods that are part of the time-honored Chiavari chair tradition and leave very few steps of the process up to modern machinery, favoring a human assessment and manual approach to ensure high quality and attention to detail.

Established after the end of WW II, Fratelli Lisi is a family-owned silversmith workshop in Florence. Lisi artistic silver pieces are defined in particular by their realistic quality as well as a flair for nature and wild life, although usually retaining also a functional value. Fratelli Lisi's handmade silverware is a repeated playful exercise of exceptional true-to-life detailing. This attitude derives from the origins of the workshop: in a time of need and mass production, the Lisi brothers were among the first to develop unique objects and techniques.

Galleria Romanelli is one of the oldest sculpture studios still active in the world, having been founded in 1860. Its incredible building is set in the Oltrarno, the artistic heart of Florence, and originally belonged to Lorenzo Bartolini, a great Italian sculptors of the 19th century. Sculptures made by several generations of the Romanelli family have, since long, been acknowledged worldwide. Today, the Gallery keeps catering for art lovers, collectors, and designers looking for unique artworks, thanks to a team of skilled sculptors lead by Raffaello Romanelli.

Founded in Florence in 1856, Giulio Giannini and Sons is one of the most ancient active bookbinding workshops in the world. The workshop is now run by 6th generation family members, in particular Maria, in a tiny shop near Palazzo Pitti, in the heart of the Oltrarno, Florence craftsmanship heaven. Giannini bookbinders use parchment decorated with gold leaf and hard covers in colored leather, taking inspiration from models that go back to the 14th century. Emblematic of an epoch, Giannini contributed to define the “Florentine Style” in the history of bookbinding.

Laura Fiaschi and Gabriele Pardi are the founders of Gum, a design studio with a broad disciplinary focus ranging from industrial and graphic design to art direction for companies and events. Gumdesign’s work always stems from a conceptual impulse generated by a concrete need. The ultimate goal is to give functional form to ideas. Collaborations includes the Biennale of Venice and Up Group. Gum is also the recipient of numerous awards, among which the Best Communicator Award 2014.

A true passion for the craft is behind the unique lines and aesthetic of the ceramics by I Borbone di Capodimonte. Capodimonte is a hill in the heart of Naples where, in 1739, King Charles II founded the Royal Ceramics Factory beside his palace. Today the workshop is lead by Antonio Fullin Mollica, who followed the footsteps of his father and grandfather. The uniqueness and perfection of Capodimonte's creations have also been proved by auctions at Sotheby's and Christie's.

A true master glassmaker, Eros Raffael was born on the island of Murano. At the age of fourteen, he was already learning the craft from the best masters on the island. Raffael works with various techniques, following every single step of the production process to create extraordinary oeuvres, rich in color and character. He has exhibited his pieces in some of the most important museums around the world.