Sunday, July 4, 2010

Endless blind passions

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Rome in "Roman holiday" post.
I absolutely love the blog Endless blind passions, not just because the writer is a very close friend of mine, but because I find the stories very intriguing and fascinating to read. Recently back from a trip to Italy and France he published three short Italian stories.

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Siena in "Medieval showers" post


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Venice in "Patina of decay" post.
Hope you'll enjoy reading his blog as I do.

Illustrations by Ben Ze Wang

Friday, July 2, 2010

An artist apartment

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When a photographer purchased this apartment of 500 square feet, in a humble Milanese building, it consisted of two-rooms badly distributed, in need of structural consolidation but with great potential: the terrace and the adjacent attic, so far unused. Thanks to the idea of including the attic space the apartment became a luminous open space with sloping ceilings, while creating a conservatory enhanced the terrace.

The architect Antonio Maria Becatti first created more natural light, enlarging the tiny bathroom window, facing south and with a wide view over the rooftops, and opening a new window in what later became the living area. The attic was then attached to the house with a glass corridor.

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The attic was equipped with two skylights, one positioned above the bed. The roof has been redone to improve thermal insulation, but the original beams have been reused. The furniture and objects were found in junk shops from around Europe, and their heterogeneity contrasts with the linearity of the custom furniture designed and constructed of birch plywood, a material that provides a clean surface.

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A frosted glass door leads to the conservatory, in the bathroom the tub is like a small swimming pool created with mosaic by Bisazza.

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In the kitchen the cabinet are made of birch plywood and appliances are in brushed steel, the work surface is timeless Carrara marble.

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At left an image of the new conservatory, which connects the living and sleeping areas and overlooks the terrace. At right, the pleasing atmosphere of the veranda with floor mosaics by Bisazza in ice-white hue.

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The view from the top allows easy identification of the former two-room apartment, where they are now the living area and kitchen in a sort of small open space, and the bathroom (a total of 500 square feet), the new glass corridor opening to the terrace and linking to the attic area which now houses the bedroom and walk-in closet.
A very clever use of the space.

Photography by Andrea Vierucci

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Brillante choice: Busnelli




Fiocco chair

"Fiocco" means bow in Italian and this chair brings the visual joy of a colorful curly ribbon on a gift for (or from?) someone dear to us.

Two metal ribbons run parallel creating large and sinuous lines and among them is a comfortable stretching fabric. Fiocco, produced by Busnelli, was designed in 1970 by Gianni Pareschi. Part of the MoMA collection and re-edited in 2007, this chair is able to fill any space with its vibrant colors, available also in pure black or white, while being extremely thin and when viewed from the side it shows only the contour, allowing to appreciate other elements of the room.

I can see this chair in a contemporary interior decor or creating a great contrast as
a focal point in a classic interior.

Saturday, June 26, 2010

Summer is here



Is summer here? It should be, officially, but still I am not so sure.
In any case better be ready to enjoy the sunshine and the garden, possibly reading a great book and drinking a healthy vegetables and fruits juice cocktail while resting on one of these irresistible pieces. I have seen them in an installation of Paola Lenti's latest collection, in Milan, during the Design Week, and later it was also presented during the ICCF in New York in May.



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Mix raspberry and strawberry juice with ice...sit down and relax.



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Have a fresh and refreshing drink with plenty of mint...




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or perhaps cucumber juice on ice...



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Sip a milk shake with a hint of vanilla while sitting comfortably on these stunning chairs...



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A superb selection of colors and textures for the outdoor furniture.



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Paola Lenti has chosen Palazzo delle Stelline to show her latest collection. It is a gorgeous building in the center of Milan, with a large cloister, since it was a monastery, and now home for international meetings, installations, educational workshops, cultural events. The building is just across the stunning church of Santa Maria delle Grazie, where The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci can be admired.
It was a special treat to see her beautiful outdoor furniture in such a wonderful context.



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It's a wrap...


Photography by Albarosa Simonetti

Friday, June 18, 2010

Rossana Orlandi

In Milan in a narrow and quiet street, away from the heavy traffic, there is a charming concept store created years ago by another smart lady, Rossana Orlandi. The first moment you see the gate you’ll know that something unusual is waiting for you inside.


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Entering the courtyard you are amazed by the variety of furniture, objects, artifacts, all surrounded by a lush vegetation. Is this in Milan you would ask? Yes it is indeed!

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A fairly new chair by Urquiola near a 1970 garden ornament.


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In one of the several rooms inside there is a collection of items rescued from old shops (Perrier is a contemporary piece perhaps?).



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A clever arrangement of old glass shades, now almost a sculpture.



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Turquoise on display.



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The Campana brothers once again, with their extravagant series of colorful vases.



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Espresso cups right from the 50’s.



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An array of objects and again a salvaged set of boxes from an old store.



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Old ornate plates create a totemic object.


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The old window expands the space into a great natural garden.

An unusual place to enjoy while discovering eclectic pieces of interior decoration.


Photography by Albarosa Simonetti

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

One of my favorite blogs



To understand why there is the picture of this gorgeous pastry above… you must read the whole post!

A year ago I discovered by pure luck the most refined blog, written impeccably by Diane Dorrans Saeks, a best-selling author from San Francisco. She has published 20 books on Interior design, all of them an absolute must in your personal library if you are a professional or just passionate about design and style.
I am sure many of you are already familiar with some of her books like the following:


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In her blog The Style Saloniste she really keeps up with the title, in fact it is like being part of one of the famous salons of the past, where people were involved in deep conversations about highly cultured themes.
She writes about design, style, travel and I have virtually accompanied her to Venice, Provence, around Paris, through magic India and many more places, always with the feeling of being there with her, so vivid are the description of places and people.
Now I like to tell you about the pastry pictured at the beginning…from the book “Paris patisseries” as the one below.

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I am so glad to say that I received a great gift as a giveaway from her blog, a marvelous book on French patisserie which will enrich my large collection of books about food, recipes… yes… but also novels talking about the pleasure of the table, books on history of food, how recipes and the way of entertain has changed through centuries, and more.
Can you imagine my joy when Diane wrote to me that I won the book!
Thank you Diane from one of your many loyal readers
and thanks for the kind words in your last post.
You are an inspiration.
Images from The Style Saloniste blog

Friday, June 11, 2010

Martini anyone?



Roberta is a very smart Milanese lady, owner of “Roberta e basta” several stores, who many years ago started a business searching for furniture and accessories mainly from the 1920’s and 1930’s , at the time undervalued by architects and decorators. The day I took the pictures there was a “happening” at one of the showrooms in Brera district in Milan with the theme “Bar furniture from the Fifties”.
Needless to say Roberta (above) arrived dressed as a lady of that time and so did her beautiful daughter in law (below).

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and a few guests…

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I was told they had a great time just finding the dresses and accessories, I had a great time taking the pictures!

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Bar furniture was a piece that in Italy became popular in the Fifties in wealthy families homes. It was a status symbol also because at the time Italy was enchanted by the American lifestyle, coming to us after a terrible war time mostly through Hollywood movies, so we all wanted to act like Grace, Audrey or a more simple Doris…or Cary and Rock preparing a drink for guests behind a stylish counter and pouring it in the appropriate glass. How to prepare a perfect Martini was then a must!

Below are a few beautiful pieces you can find at “Roberta e basta” main store.

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Roberta has now six stores in Milan and with the help of her son she researches also more modern pieces of furniture, particularly from the 1950’s and 1970’s but with an eye to any beautiful modern or contemporary piece of furniture or accessories.

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A fun time taking pictures, chatting and sipping Prosecco accompanied by delicious tartine.

Photography by Albarosa Simonetti
 
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