Category: News

There are 29 posts published under News.
26 Mar, 2015

Quality in every style – New Design Porte

Telling the origin of the inspiration that gives birth of New Design products means telling the story of Lorenzo Cortigiani, the company’s founder.

New Design PorteLorenzo, very young, began working alongside the most important furniture manufacturers in the Chianti. This first important work experience then accompanied him throughout his life, affecting his taste and leaving in him the desire to create not only internal doors that divides spaces of a house but real pieces of furniture that can transform the entire surrounding.

New Design Porte

From the world of furniture in fact derive a passion for details and rich finishes, attention to detail, interest in sinuous shapes and curves.

All most representative models of New Design have their strength in those details that come from the world of furniture, such as carving, rich finishings, precious touch such as the use of gold leaf and the use of noble essences.

New Design Porte

The initial step was to transfer the great Tuscan tradition of Arte Povera; a very simple but refined taste and high quality; suited to the typical rustic and welcoming atmosphere of Tuscany.

The discovery of new markets and an openness to a different clientele over the years led him to seek inspiration continues in all the most significant places that he had the opportunity to visit.

New Design Porte

After some years Lorenzo Cortigiani fulfilled his goal being able to support the traditional production of doors with the production of furniture of the highest level supported by those same craftsmen that taught him the love of wood.

But the goal of the New Design, over the years, has always remained the same: to get the highest possible level of quality in every style, in every finish and in every detail.

Discover more about New Design Porte

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24 Mar, 2015

Inspirations – Nuova CEV

“My greatest passion is to travel, discover, understand, meet, experience… the world. I have explored all the continents and have been particularly fascinated by Salar de Uyuni, a huge “dazzling” expanse of salt.

 

Salar de Uyuni

 

Salar de Uyuni

 

 

I experienced the same emotions when I stayed in the majestic Ice Hotel in Lapland. When I faced with the inimitable transparency of water I imagined and dreamed of creating something equally as splendid by obtaining it directly from blocks of ice… and magically everything turned into crystal with the same powerful brilliance.

 

Ice Hotel

 

Ice Hotel

 

For the first time in my life, I was in a hurry to get back home in order not to forget all those places and all those images that my eyes had captured so that I could try to recreate them… in crystal.”

 

Andrea Falashi – Nuova CEV.

Discover more about Nuova CEV

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22 Mar, 2015

Medieval chess set – Italfama

The K844 medieval chess set is an art work really unique for its imposing size, for the high quality of the materials used and the meticulous definition of the subjects.

set scacchi medioevale medieval chess set italfama

The King is high 32cm with a base of 11×11 cm, the table has a top of 126cm x 126cm and a height of 73cm, the stools have a top of 33cm x 33cm and a height of 50cm. The total weight is around 350kg.

set scacchi medioevale medieval chess set italfama

This artistic chess set is made entirely by hand by Florentine artisans who carry the tradition of carving process “lost wax” began in the fifteenth century and used by master Italian sculptors as Benvenuto Cellini and Lorenzo Ghiberti.

set scacchi medioevale medieval chess set italfama

Each piece is made of solid bronze, finished in every detail by skilled engravers, decorated with 24k gold and signed by the craftsman who ran it.

set scacchi medioevale medieval chess set italfama

The table has a bronze structure made completely by “lost wax” process and representative of the historical theme of the battle represented by medieval chess game.

set scacchi medioevale medieval chess set italfama

The table top is made of white Carrara marble and onyx inlaid together, on request can be made with precious stones such as malachite that our craftsmen work with skill.

set scacchi medioevale medieval chess set italfama
The production of the set is limited, numbered and accompanied by a certificate of authenticity which guarantees that this magnificent chess set is made entirely by hand in our company by Florentine artisans.

Discover more about Italfama

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19 Mar, 2015

Our territory – Pratomarmi

Our territory is a perfect mix of history, art and food.

We can start from the etruscan remains of the city, in Gonfienti area, to the medieval walls, with the visit of the Emperor Castle (Castello dell’imperatore).

castello dell'imperatore prato - pratomarmi

The tour continues in the historical centre enjoying the renowned Cantucci of Prato, to arrive to the statue of Francesco Datini. After, the Cathedral with paintings of Filippo Lippi and it’s pulpit, decoreted by Donatello.

cantuccini prato - pratomarmiCantucci of Prato

In the village Figline, on the northern  suburbs, there is the monument of the “29 Martyrs” slain by SS in retreat. Then on, until the Mausoleum of Curzio Malaparte and to the house of Paolo Rossi, a great citizen of Prato, as Roberto Benigni, Yuri Chechi, Francesco Nuti.

In the hills, on the South, we enjoy a glass of good wine Carmignano DOCG in front of the Medici Villa of Artimino, with the “hundred Chimneys” and with the view that goes from Pistoia to Florence. Below us Prato, the city of the “hundred smokestacks“.

Villa-Medicea-di-Artimino-pratomarmiThe Medici Villa of Artimino

Discover more about Pratomarmi

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le mani pensanti - samarreda
12 Mar, 2015

The thinkings hands – Samarreda

  le mani pensanti - samarreda

“In English, no distinction is made between art and craft. For this reason, the craftsmanship is art, mastery. The art of the musician, for example, as well as for the craftsman, is the ability to achieve what you set out to achieve it. It is an important issue … that becomes an art both manual and intellect. The recovery of craft, craftsmanship, lies in the return to the people an active role in the face of technology”.
Richard Sennet 

le mani pensanti - samarreda

These are our hands, who take care of our clients’ projects, which ingeniously achieve what they desire.

le mani pensanti - samarreda

Our thinking hands that realize every detail: they design, they think, they realize with body and soul. The quality and uniqueness of the product is the purpose of our work.

Discover more about Samarreda

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ISIDO linea G
5 Mar, 2015

Linea G – ISIDO, a special product from Zoom 110 collection

Linea G zoom 110 bagno

Firma ISIDO zoom 110 linea g

The new Linea G brand “Zoom 110” is a collection of luxurious products with a very strong personality which create innovative solutions, compositions and objects, sometimes extravagant, but in any case able to combine creativity with functionality and utility. At first glance they may seem having an end in themselves, but in reality they are able to match well in each bathroom but also in other rooms of your house.

ISIDO represents and best synthesizes the innate habit to research of aesthetic and functional details which distinguishes our company policy, aimed to satisfy attentive and exigent customers. A very high level concept with a specific purpose: valorize the accessory and turn it into a leading actor of the bathroom.

Linea G isido idea

ISIDO is a multifunctional system born from the pencil of Arch. Mr.Mainieri Raffaello. Everything started from a single sign, born from a creative furore, developed in lots of complements: wall mounted lamps, floor standing accessorized poles, table lamps, mirrors and a complete range of bathroom accessories and relative furniture.

“The sign was born from a casual glance of a common crack on a tile which has the honor of having lighted the creative fuse transforming that crack in a “breaking line”, the “Leitmotiv“ of ISIDO system”.

isido linea g raffaello mainieri

linea g isido raffaello mainieri
linea g raffaello mainieri

ISIDO system, and all its declinations, uses brass as base element, except for bigger details (such as lamps and accessorized poles), made of aluminium 15mm thickness, to go beyond weight limits. For all the sinuous manufacturing processes we use a waterjet cut. The accessorized poles have some threaded holes in their rear face to allow the favourite height setting of each accessory.

All the manufacturing processes are made thanks to our modern working centre machineries. The galvanic process we use for aluminium elements is much more exacting to let it become unalterable in time.

First of all the item is dipped into some sterilizing tubs, then is subjected to a coppering process with a high thickness, after that there is the nickel plating process with a 18 micron thickness and at last there is the polished chrome plating.

isido linea g zoom 110

Thanks to its doubtless personality, originality and complements completeness, ISIDO has been requested and utilized for important projects of international design studios
(Paris – Moscow – Singapore – Istanbul – Warsaw – New York).

 Discover more abotu Linea G

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SECONDA GENERAZIONE AURORA
1 Feb, 2015

Aurora – a family company

Your company is a family company, and you are very proud of it, isn’t it?
Many say that our company can be considered one of the few rare cases that still exist in the Italian industry of family businesses, now in the third generation. We speak then of grandfathers, fathers and sons. In fact, the story of AURORA overcomes 60 years.

So many years of work in craft industry, so many different experiences. When it all started exactly?
In 1947. Mr Calamassi, Mr. Grassini and Mr. Verdiani, grandfathers of the current members of the third generation recently joined in the company, created Aurora as a manufacturing of metal furnitures.

I FONDATORI VERDIANI GRASSINI CALAMASSI AURORA  Aurora first generation

The birth and the immediate development of the company occurred in Poggibonsi, a small farming town in the heart of Tuscany, more or less in the decade 1950-1960, period known in our region under the name of “economic miracle”. More than an economic miracle it was a real transformation of the town, which passed rapidly from an agricultural to an industrial center.

aurora cucine anni 50 - 60                                         aurora cucine anni 50 - 60 Two Aurora’s kitchens, 1950s – 1960s

From a little town in Tuscany came out many important experiences in creativity and production, and your company shone more than others.
It was a wonderful process that made Poggibonsi, destroyed and devastated by war, a center of growing activities, commerce and trade. It was during this industral “sunrise”( in fact, aurora means sunrise in English), that the company specialized in the manufacturing of modular kitchen cabinetry differentiating itself from the other companies for the creation of high quality and aesthetically superior products.

And then, what happened?
In the 80’s is the first generational change: the sons of the three partners joined the company. Those values ​of beauty, quality, attachment to the territory they belonged, were transmitted from father to son. The new generation, inspired by the youthful energy of those who assume a new responsibility, initiated the most flourishing period of the company, which will soon be recognized as a leader in the ceramic and sanitary Italian industry for the production of tiled Tuscan kitchens.

seconda generazione aurora cucine Aurora second generation

And then another generation came. Is it right?
Yes, between 2002 and 2008, the third generation joined the company.

Did they found an appropriate role in the company?
Yes, they did. Each son took strategic positions in the company, aware of the importance and value of their work that represents the final link in a chain built up over time on sacrifice, affection and cooperation. A strong chain, which does not break for more than 60 years

TERZA GENERAZIONE AURORA cucine Aurora third generation

Discover more about Aurora Cucine

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1 Feb, 2015

Tuscany Handycraft Experience – our future together

From La Casa del Terzo Millennio project, the efforts of 12 brave companies and CNA Prato comes Tuscany Handicraft Experience:
a new and modern concept of products and handicraft.
A storehouse of ideas, comments, contributions and discussions, able to stimulate creativity and innovation capacity.

“Craftsmanship is innovation in progress.
Elegance is a virtue.
Every object has a past, and tells about a person, a tradition.
Build your future on our past.
From our hands, beauty in your homes.
We never changed our attention to quality, we changed the language we use to communicate.
The benefits to technology with the soundness of experience.
Our creativity, our success.
A new and innovative way of exporting our art around the world.
Our hands recount the beauty of our land.
Tuscany, our single source of inspiration.
Our future together.”

The beauty of our creations is designed based on our values, realized with our very own hands and exported thanks to our tenacity. Art, culture and architecture of our tradition guide us. This is our Tuscany. This is our mission.

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castel del monte 2
27 Nov, 2014

Sol le witt & Samarreda

The works of Sol le witt often propose modular geometries that identify a rigorous spatiality and transfigure objects.
Klein blue is a colour with absolute dimension and incredible depth. Castel del Monte is a medieval architecture with a rigorous form. In this case, form is nothing other than the expression of a concept or rather of a general idea of ​​the world that for Frederick of Swabia was reconnected to the Pythagorean-esoteric tradition.

At Samarreda we are inspired by the search for a rigorous form in a piece of furniture that matches the “Taste of the object at origin, where it is generated”.
For us, the reference is to objects of art and historical periods which have themes with the things of heaven and earth as part of the simplification and that have originated from ingenious artistic minds.
What we seek is “the incredibly beautiful and essential” to achieve that search for a rigour, one perhaps that our society needs.

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