Mar 28, 2016
Fall 2011 Collections - Bringing Nature Home
As everyone focuses on nature, sustainability, and the environment, the three Italian companies represented by Arbiter
have found beautiful and creative ways to portray this in their new collections.
Reuniting with design team Carlo Ninchi and Vittorio Locatelli, Egizia (Poggibonsi, Tuscany, Italy) continues the natural
theme that started with the water side of their Aquaria collection to nature on land with their Aria edition. Images of
alliums, peonies, poppies, and chamomile are hand-screen printed on hand-blown glass or crystal in silver and color.
These are twice fired at 580 degrees Celsius to permanently decorate the pieces. Natural elegance for the table or home.
For over 50 years Riccardo Marzi of Florence Italy has been capturing nature in acrylic
resin. Their new line, Livingstone, brings the look of a stream bed to serving pieces.
Some are partners with natural bamboo bowls to enhance their organic feel.
Legnomagia of Perugia in Umbria has been producing whimsical
housewares for years using sustainably harvested European
hardwoods and finishing them with non-toxic colors and finished with
beeswax and natural oils. With a touch of whimsy they take the
message of protecting the environment to heard in the imagery and with
notations etched in their newest collection called, “Sensible Living.”
Just as nature is a uniting theme, so is the celebration of the home. Each company presents the
celebration of nature, the natural world, and home to their lines which will be exhibited at the New
York International Gift Fair this August 2011.
AQUARIA – Capturing Nature on Glass. Designed by Carlo Ninchi and Vittorio Locatelli
Carlo Ninchi and Vittorio Locatelli were asked by Egizia to step beyond the elegant,
geometric and abstract concepts that were their hallmark to interpret the figurative
themes in nature, from a designer’s perspective.
The first part of the project was devoted to the world of water -- “AQUA”; the second
part, debuting in August 2011 takes its inspiration from the world of air -- “ARIA”.
The two designers embraced nature in its purest form. Inspiration grew from flowers
that color the gardens, meadows that sway in a soft breeze, and flowering trees that
seem simple from far away, yet intricately complicated up close. ARIA is a world of
organic design that creates a fresh, elegant, and sophisticated décor.
Traditional floral decoration is updated with a contemporary perspective on vases and
glassware that capture the movement of nature. Vases are made of transparent,
mouth-blown double-thickness glass; glasses and dessert bowls are made of lead-free
crystal. Thick enamel colors transmit a velvety quality that is almost tangible simply
by observing. These colors are then embellished with sands of crystal and Egizia’s
signature application of pure silver (980/1000), making each piece precious and
unique. The collection highlights the silk-screen technique, hand applied, that has
become Egizia’s trademark for more than sixty years.
Impeccable quality and accuracy and expert design combine to
create timeless fragments of living nature indelibly fixed to each
stunning piece of the AQUARIA collection.
Perché No “Why Not” Gourmet Collection—Celebrating, Naturally Designed by Simonetta Doni
The themes and rituals of celebration are communicated with wit and joy in this expanding collection
aptly named Perché No, or “Why Not” With the belief that celebrations are centered at the table with
wine, water, good food, and seasonings each piece communicates this message. Simonetta Doni, the
designer is well established in the field of wine and wine labels, and seemed the natural candidate to
artfully collaborate with Egizia in elevating the value of the table through the application of pure
silver to everyday items such as salt and pepper shakers, oil and vinegar dispensers, wine and
water bottles, pitchers and glasses.
All of the decoration is hand screen printed using pure silver (980/1000), fired at
over 500 degrees Celsius, permanently fusing the message to the glass. Here the
message is the bottle, not inside of it.
The newest additions to the collection include liqueur bottles and glasses, cocktail
glasses, and glass storage canisters for
everything from pasta, to coffee.
What better way to spread the message of
good cheer, of home, good food and good
friends, than with stylish reminders that
even simple joys and ingredients can be
priceless
Sensible Living – celebrating nature with whimsy.
Legnomagia presents its new collection “Sensible Living” which fuses natural design with eco-style and a joyful utility.
Bats, tortoises, dolphins, and elephants are used to communicate messages of conservation, environmental awareness,
and kindness to animals. What they want to communicate is: “Do your best to create a better quality of life on our
wonderful planet.” From the cutting board sets to egg cups to the smallest key-chain, each product is an eco-reminder
with messages such as “save the earth, save water, help bats, be friendly to animals, free Tuna…” printed on the
designed product. This collection, made by Legnomagia reminds us daily of the importance of living sensibly.
Legnomagia utilizes sustainable practices in their production and material. European hardwoods such as Beech, Maple,
and Walnut, are finished with aromatic natural oils and beeswax. They are then combined with many natural materials
such as cork, metal, ceramics, glass, nylon, brass, wool.
Established in 1978 near Perugia, Italy, Legnomagia, which
means “magical wood”, designs and produces their own
collections, which combine creativity with technology with
hand-made sensibilities. Legnomagia’s kitchen and
decorative accessories present creative and whimsical
design intended to be used everyday.
The goal to find the balance between style and utility,
form and function, appears in the variety of items they
manufacture.
The Livingstone Collection –
Bringing Nature to the Table
Riccardo Marzi is pleased to present its Livingstone Collection. These products are a
wonderful extension of the popular riverstone pattern (round stones encased in resin) that
have been a best seller for a number of years at the MoMA store. First debuted in Milan with
organically formed vases and furniture pieces they are now offering an extended selection of tabletop items. Offset bowls,
sushi sets, and an appetizer tray, these pieces artfully produce the effect of a clear mountain stream bed for everyday and
decorative use in the home.
Riccardo Marzi, of Florence, Italy, has been capturing nature in resin for over 50 years. Inspired by fossil ambers, Riccardo
grew fond of the notion of utilizing the transparency of resin in order to make everyday objects that might preserve
indefinitely the beauties that Nature provides.
With a continuing appreciation for the value of fine craft, they have invested in design that offers
style, sophistication and a range from traditional to contemporary. The medium is versatile and offers
an interesting decorative accent to a table or room. Here form and function meet nature,
art, and artisanry.
The patterns and objects captured in the transparent resin have
a weight and depth to them that make them
timeless treasures that often evoke a memory of
a walk in the woods, a stroll on the beach, or the
peacefulness of a clear stream.