The Artisans

Architect and artisan Riccardo Monte specializes in timber charring, a technique that consists in firing the bottom of wooden posts inspired by the ancient Japanese technique Shou Sugi ban used for timber preservation. Embracing the visual and tactile qualities of the technique, he creates bold, monolithic furniture distinguished by a singular texture. After working in London as an architect, he returned to his mountainside home in Ornavasso, Italy in 2016 and spent six months in a remote mountain cabin to get closer to nature and embrace a simple life.

Visual artist and novelist Gabriele Picco was born in Brescia in 1974. His drawings, paintings, and sculptures have been hosted in museums and private galleries worldwide, namely Eutopia in Shanghai and the Biennial Art exhibitions in Tirana, Prague, and Milan. Most notably, seventeen of his drawings have been included in the New York MoMA. In 2021, he participated in the “Imagination is a magic carpet” exhibition for the Turin ATP finals.

A visual artist, designer, and artisan from Rome, Cristiana Vignatelli Bruni has exhibited her works in renowned art galleries and museums in Italy, the Netherlands, and South Korea. Based in the idyllic Roman countryside, her work is interdisciplinary and is rooted in an unconventional definition of luxury, wherein art is present in everyday life in playful ways. Vignatelli Bruni creatively experiments with shapes and colors that do not conform to mainstream beauty standards to awaken our senses, brighten our relationships, and turn a simple gesture into something special.

Born in Rome in 1984 and raised between Argentina and Italy, Ilaria Facci is a contemporary artist and photographer whose stunning works explore a difficult existence, scarred by a retinoblastoma diagnosis when she was only two years of age. In 2014, her series of photographs ‘Autoscatti Sbagliati’ (wrong self-portraits) were showcased in renowned magazines, notably Inside Art and Vanity Fair. She published a book of poetry and photographs titled "Blu" in 2018, with a foreword by Italian art critic and curator Vittorio Sgarbi, who later curated other books and exhibitions for her.

Founded in Milan during the 1940s by the artist Piero Fornasetti, the Fornasetti brand is today an internationally recognized name in the furniture sector, specializing in the creation of hand-decorated furniture and home accessories. All creations are characterized by an imaginative, ironic and sophisticated visual language, in a balance of art and design. From porcelain to furniture to accessories, everything is handmade in the Milan atelier. The decorations and the manual production techniques make each object unique.

An extraordinary mix of design, fine art and photography, Profilo creates personalized gift ideas. Founded in 2015 by designer Andrew Vianello, Profilo captures the profile of your loved ones by stopping time and creating an object that immortalizes a memory or bond. The sculptures are skillfully handcrafted by Italian artisans using a variety of metal wires, including precious ones, to recreate human and animal silhouettes, as well as cars, boats, motorcycles, and various subjects. Profilo is based in Venice, Milan, and Paris and can be found in pop-up stores in other cities.

Founded in 2008 by Andrea and Luca Ponsi, Studio Ponsi is a Florentine workshop that blends elements of architecture and interior design to explore the relationship between form and feeling. Linear and clean in aesthetic, its unique pieces are crafted with particular attention to texture, the sensory aspect of material, and the principles of proportion and harmony.

Paolo Anselmo is an illustrious ceramist from Albisola, Liguria. After many years running a gallery where he exhibited his first personal collection, he moved to Biot, France in 1998 where he showcases his oeuvres on the French coast and his Biot gallery. His style can be characterized as primordial and archetypical, bringing to life mythological and hybrid shapes that combine irony with sensuality and a dreamlike appearance.

Villa Como is a home luxury brand specializing in fine yarn blankets and decorative pillows, drawing inspiration from the colors of the Lario and the villas overlooking it. Founded by a group of Como entrepreneurs in fashion and design, it seeks to promote and support local craftsmanship and artisans. Production is entrusted to local historic weaving mills, which have established a reputation for sophisticated and innovative workmanship. Top-quality yarns and traditional dyeing methods are used to bring their piece to life.

A needle weaving in and out to craft singular wefts is what artist Giuseppina Maurizi considers her wand. Currently based in Milan, she was born and raised in Viterbo, where she attended the Art High School and the Academy of Fine Arts. After working as a costume and scenic designer for theatres and advertising agencies for over twenty years, in 2018 she turned her focus to sewing and embroidery. The fierce revival of ancient techniques and memories intertwine with delicate gestures, in a masterful celebration of care and sacrifice.

Born in 1980, artist Nicola Felice Torcoli was born and raised in Lumezzane, a small town in the Brescian hills where he nurtured his passion for painting. After high school, he moved to Milan to attend the Brera Academy of Fine Arts, where he graduated in 2005. While focused on painting, photography and installations often emerged in his artistic research, reflecting the impact of the modern shift between analog and digital media in his work. In 2010, he began experimenting and working with the Defrag technique, which he aptly named after the defragmentation of canvases.

“Uncalculated curves are our nature." Born in 1992, Isato Prugger grew up immersed in Italian, Japanese, and Ladin cultural backgrounds. Trained in Industrial Design, he has been a part of Nèo Design Italiano since 2019, a selection of young professionals operating in the new Italian design scene. He exhibited the FLAI portable lamp with Diomede Light at the Salone del Mobile - Euroluce 2019, one of the youngest designers to participate. Isato currently works as an independent creative in Milan, exploring his artistic vision through novel projects and collaborations.

Born in Empoli in 1955 and now based in Castelfiorentino, Antonio D’Ambrosio has been capturing fragments of space and time through his photographs since 1978. In 1982, he joined the “Giglio Rosso '' photography club in Castelfiorentino, which he presided over between 1984 and 2007. He collaborates with both private and public institutions on catalogs, books, and documents celebrating local architectural-environmental heritage. French critic J.C. Lemagny selected some of his photos and registered them in the prints and photography sections at the National Library of France.

Bottega Veneziana is a renowned, century-old Venetian glasswork whose minute, precious designs are a testament to their commitment to tradition and quality. Working alongside architects and interior designers, an exceptionally skilled, trustworthy team of master artisans create striking lighting fixtures and objects of decor for private and contract interiors. The entire production process is carried out in-house, ensuring high quality and exclusivity.

Painter Alessandro Florio, who was born in Taormina, Sicily, first got in touch with the artistic environment through the world of tattoos, which he is very passionate about. The connection between painting and tattooing lies in his necessity for expression, the most intimate one, that allows him to describe how he feels. The switch from his activity as a tattoo artist to a painter came while he was visiting the Louvre in Paris, and by seeing the works of the Old Masters, he felt the necessity of working on bigger subjects and not just small ones like those that are typical in tattoos. In his works, there are elements that recall both his Sicilian roots, and are also influenced by Oriental art and the respect for nature.

Painter and visual artist Samantha Torrisi lives and works on the foothills of Sicily’s Etna volcano. After graduating from Catania’s Academy of Fine Arts, she directed her research into multi-media art, resulting in a series of original paintings inspired by cinema, video clips, and personal footage. Environmental issues and transformative human nature are recurring themes in her pieces. She has showcased her art at the Riso - Contemporary Art Museum of Sicily, The Project Gallery Athens, and the Italian Cultural Institute of Paris, to name a few.

A century-old family-run business working with first-rate iron since 1920, Lispi combines traditional methods of craftsmanship with innovative research methods. Established by Ulderico Lispi, the incomparable know-how of Lispi’s artisans has been passed down for generations and is now in the hands of Claudio and Emanuele Lispi, ensuring impeccable pieces that will withstand the test of time.

A small artisanal workshop located in the center of Sicily, Artema Galli is a testament to the island’s rich traditions. Passion and innovation merge in the artisans’ interpretation of cultural heritage, crafting unique pieces entirely by hand, most notably the signature, contemporary-style Moor’s heads. Artisans follow traditional crafting methods to bring to life timeless yet somehow magical creations.

Based in Pisa, Alberto & Mario Ghezzani is a third-generation family-run interior design firm offering sleek and modern luxury furniture collections for high-end commercial and residential interiors. A combination of traditional crafting techniques and innovative technologies, enlivened with sustainable finishes, varnishes, and dainty decorations, results in pieces that are singular in both design and character.

Imbued with the sweet wooden scent of a traditional carpenter’s shop, Giorgetti is a century-old workshop founded in 1898 based in the Italian province of Brianza. Skillful artisans pair their manual techniques with novel technology to create singular interior design pieces, collaborating with renowned and passionate designers the likes of Adam D. Tihany and Ludovica and Roberto Palomba. Giorgetti uses a range of prized wood essences, chiefly maple, ebony, beechwood, and walnut, underscoring the brand’s commitment to quality.