by

Custom Made Show-Stopping Ceramic Floor

Sometimes, the most show-stopping design element in a room is beneath your feet.

Our Client was looking for a custom-made floor for his study. He was building to home to go and spend time in after his retirement, surrounded by his most prized possessions.

His Italian dream floor would have to be hand-painted in golden and green hues, with the most intricate elements of the pattern set along the perimeter of the room, leaving the centerstage to a large antique desk. His source of inspiration was Rosa Azul, a Sicilian tile panel hand-painted by Ghenos.

Italian tile panel or side tabletop Rosa Azul hand-painted by Ghenos in Messina, Sicily

We discussed the project with Ghenos and presented the Client with a preliminary sketch.

Custom made flooring base on the Italian hand-painted panel Rosa Azul from Sicily- sketch
Custom made flooring base on the Italian hand-painted panel Rosa Azul from Sicily - sketch detail

The Client absolutely fell in love with the design and the artisan set to work. here is a glimpse at the unfired tiles.

Italian hand-painted ceramic flooring before the final firing - 1
Italian hand-painted ceramic flooring before the final firing - 2

The production took 3 full months, but the wait was worth it!
Enjoy a few details of the final flooring.

Italian hand-painted ceramic flooring after the final firing - 1
Italian hand-painted ceramic flooring after the final firing - 2
by

How to Decorate with Handmade Italian Wall Plates

Wall plates are back big time!
A popular staple on the Italian dining and living room walls in the 50s and 60s, they disappeared for a few decades, only to return in curated compositions of deftly mixed colors and textures.

Geometric Wall Plate by D&G Design handmade in Deruta, Italy
Geometric Wall Plate by D&G Design handmade in Deruta, Italy

Decorating with wall plates is exciting in so many ways.
And, if you love Italian ceramics, there are so many colorful, artisan-made wall plates to choose from.

The first step is creating a collection of Italian wall plates for your display.

If you start from scratch, you should define a theme before you start searching. It can be a color scheme, a particular style or a period in time if you decide to go vintage.

Geometric Wall Plate by Francesca Niccacci handmade in Deruta, Italy
Geometric Wall Plate by Francesca Niccacci handmade in Deruta, Italy

Once the treasure hunt is finished – is it ever? – the fun of figuring out how and where to display your collection begins. You can really go wild!

Any room in the house will do, starting from the bathroom. A display of wall plates will add a charming, eclectic touch to the bathroom wall, where traditional artworks struggle to stand up to humidity or steam.
Using creative combinations of colors and sizes, you will be able to add character and dimension to odd walls, too vertical, too narrow or just too dark for conventional art pieces.

No display rule should limit your creativity: you can place your wall plates in line, use decorative wrought iron supports, wooden racks, or just cluster them together in a fun hodgepodge.

Geometric Wall Plate by ND Dolfi handmade in Montelupo Fiorentino, Italy
Geometric Wall Plate by ND Dolfi handmade in Montelupo Fiorentino, Italy
by

A quick guide to handmade Italian Dinnerware

Italian dinnerware set - Raffaellesco by Fima (Deruta)Choosing a dinnerware set is no easy matter. Hundreds of different brands, designs, materials to choose from… and such a large amount of money involved in the purchase that a mistake would be much regretted.

Well, I cannot help you to make your choice. However, if you decide to stand out from the crowd and go for something really different and unique such as handmade Italian dinnerware, you’ll find some good pieces of information here.

What is Italian Dinnerware usually made of?
Italian dinnerware sets are usually made of ceramic, a word derived from the Greek word keramos, meaning “clay”. Commonly used, ceramic is a most general term, which can be applied both to porcelain and pottery.
Continue reading →

by

Buongiorno Ceramica!

The organizers of Buongiorno Ceramica have taken the festival of traditional Italian pottery online.

The festival will be free and broadcast on the Association’s Youtube channel from 16 to 17 May due to lockdown restrictions.

The AiCC, Italian Ceramic Cities Association, includes 46 cities with a “tradition in artistic pottery making”. The artisans of each city will contribute videos and pictures showing us the secret life of Italian craftsmanship. The material will form an ideal tour of our centers of excellence.

The workshops have just reopened after two months of lockdown. It is the best time ever to celebrate the creativity, talents, and inspiration of our craftsmen and artists!

Re-opening the workshops of Italian potters
by

Italian ceramics from the British Museum

I went back to the British Museum just a few days before it closed due to the epidemics.

It was not as busy as it used to be before the virus changed the limits of personal space. This was not unpleasant, though.

I could take it slowly and enjoy my favorite pieces of Italian pottery, time-traveling back to the Renaissance.

The collection of Italian ceramics hosted by the British Museum is of the utmost importance: most of the pieces date back to the golden age of Italian majolica, the 16th and 17th century, and they come from different regions, offering a rare perspective on the differences in pictorial styles, shapes, and glazes.

I did not take pictures, but I’m copying below a blog post from 2015, with some highlights from the collection.

…. November 2015

A few pictures from my last visit to the British Museum, where a significant collection of Italian ceramics is hosted.

The display is quite unattractive and, in my opinion, not very well organized, but the quality of the pieces is really good and definitely worth a visit.

I took some pictures with my phone – not good quality, but enough to whet your appetite.

Two plates or bowls made in Deruta by Nicola di Pietro Francioli in 1515-1530 2015-10-28 16.19.11-1

Continue reading →

by

What are the most popular Italian dinnerware patterns?

What are the most popular Italian dinnerware patterns?

Ask the question to a hundred Italians and you’ll get a hundred different answers. We have so many regional designs, all deservedly popular thanks to their beauty and their century-old heritage.

However, I do wish to try and answer this question, without claiming that this is an exhaustive list of all the best Italian dinnerware patterns, of course. It’s just a brief guide to help you choose.

1 – Classic Italian dinnerware patterns

Three designs stand out here: Raffaellesco, Ricco Deruta and Arabesco.

They all originated in Deruta between the 15th and the 17th century. Their classic beauty makes them versatile dinnerware sets, whose exquisite elegance and subtle refinement are never commonplace. Here is a short description.

Continue reading →

by

The three-legged symbol of Sicily: Trinacria

Trinacria - three legged symbol of SicilyThe Trinacria, also known as Triskelion, is the familiar three-legged symbol of Sicily, Italy’s unique little nugget.

If you visit the island you will be sure to see a Trinacris, symbol of Sicily, everywhere and if you wish to take one of them home you’ll have a large choice, from sophisticated ceramic Trinacria plaques to inexpensive fridge magnets. Of course, we do hope that you’ll go for one of the stunning Sicilian pottery pieces that are handmade for you by local artisans.

Anyway, regardless of your choice, you may want to impress your travel companions and learn something about the origins of the Trinacria or Triskelion and some fascinating stories surrounding the birth of Sicily and its three-legged symbol.

Allow me the pleasure to start from what I like best: the stories.
Continue reading →

by

The difference between Pottery, Ceramics and Majolica, with special regard to Italian Ceramics

Italian ceramics, or I should say Italian pottery, have been in my life for quite a long time: I collect them, I read about them, I sell them.Sicilian Head Planter Vase by Ceramiche Sofia, a most skilled pottery maker from Caltagirone

In Italian, when I say ceramica, everybody understands what I mean. On the contrary, when I talk with one of my American Customers, I’m always uncertain: should I say Italian Pottery, Italian Ceramics or Italian Majolica?

In order to do away with any doubt, I did some research. I did learn quite a lot on the subject and I would love to share my findings with you.

Let’s start with technicalities.

Here is a short review of the definition of the words Ceramics, Pottery and Majolica.

Once we know exactly what we are talking about, we will define what they really mean to people.

Continue reading →

by

Handmade Italian Ceramics: how to spot a fake

Learn how to tell if the Italian pottery you are considering purchasing is authentic.

Raffaellesco is one of the most faked Italian pottery designsBefore you close the deal of your life and pay an incredibly low price for what looks like a stunning piece of Deruta pottery, you may want to take a few minutes and learn how to spot fake Italian ceramics.

Lots of nice looking ceramic pieces are machine stamped and sold as original handmade Italian ceramics. Possibly from reputable regions, like Deruta.

Spotting fake Italian ceramics is possible and quite easy. Follow these simple steps.

Continue reading →

by

Celebrating the 10th anniversary of thatsArte.com

A story of friendship, pottery, and good food
It all began on a perfect Summer day in the Umbrian countryside, with us, Manuela and Tiziana,  having a cup of coffee under a shady patio and chatting away about our latest discoveries in pottery.
Manuela’s husband was drowsing nearby, half-listening to our blah-blah. When we started complaining about missing our jobs and the kids getting older he said: “Why don’t you gals turn your passion for pottery into a business, showcasing the work of the artisans you love and reaching out to people who care about the value of Italian craftsmanship?” Yes, indeed. Why not?

Going to the heart and soul of Italian pottery
The best part? Travelling to meet the artisans, learn about their techniques, the local traditions and get to appreciate more and more the distinctive beauty of regional pottery: Caltagirone, Deruta, Mantova, Grottaglie…  Local delicacies were definitely part of the experience, together with lots of fun.

 

Wait! Aren’t we are missing a big chunk of Italian heritage crafts?
The more we traveled across the country, the more we felt that other Italian traditionally handmade products deserved to be brought to the attention of the world.
One day, driving through the Tuscan Appennini, we decided to stop for lunch in Scarperia, a stunning Medieval village, tiny and beautifully preserved, known for its traditional art of knife making. The place called for much more than a good “bistecca alla fiorentina”! We waited for the craftsmen to re-open their studios after the lunch break and experienced the transformation of steel and horn into beautiful kitchen knives. We decided on the spot to open our website to new crafts. After the knives of Scarperia, we picked the table linens of Pardi and, more recently, the pewter from Brescia.
Proud of a very special relationship …
The single thing we are most proud of, ten years down the line, is the special relationship we have established with the artisans and each of our Customers. We manage every project, order or inquiry personally, providing detailed information on our products, advice on bespoke projects, plans, sketches and what not…  We know this is the special bit about thatsArte.com, our Customers love it and we love it too, because it is exactly what we were hoping to achieve, ten years ago, when it all began…
Our plans for the future: more of the same and better
We’ll keep on designing wow backsplashes, answering your emails, talking our families into joining our scouting trips with the promise of great food and wine. There are so many amazing products out there, waiting for us to discover and bring them to your attention.  Bear with us, then!
Manuela and Tiziana

SaveSave