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Modern Icons: Piero Fornasetti
Prolific and irreverent, Fornasetti bequeathed a legacy of wit-saturated design for wallpaper, accessories and much more for the home
Houzz Contributor. Hi There! I currently live in a 1920s cottage in Atlanta that I'll describe as "collected."
I got into design via Landscape Architecture, which I studied at the University of Virginia. I've been writing about design online for quite a few years over at Hatch: The Design Public Blog.
Houzz Contributor. Hi There! I currently live in a 1920s cottage in Atlanta... More »
Piero Fornasetti (1913–1988) was a Milanese Renaissance man whose career included creating sculptures and ceramics, decorating the San Remo Castle, silk-screening scarves, working with Gio Ponti, founding the Bibliofili Gallery and creating decorative friezes and panels. Today his work is embraced worldwide, and his company continues with son Barnaba at the helm. The company relies heavily on its extensive archives, and its artisans continue to use the same techniques as always.
Fornasetti took classical aesthetics and added playful and irreverent twists. Here's a look at how designers around the world are using Fornasetti products today.
Fornasetti took classical aesthetics and added playful and irreverent twists. Here's a look at how designers around the world are using Fornasetti products today.
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In 1932, Piero Fornasetti was expelled from Brera Academy, where he was studying drawing, for insubordination. That spirit is obvious in this image (on a plate) of Lina Cavalieri sticking her tongue out. Cavalieri was an opera singer whom Piero spied in a 19th-century French magazine; he was so taken with her face that he used it in over 350 designs over the years.
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| Barnaba Fornasetti keeps a lot of the production in-house at the Fornasetti atelier and licenses certain works to other companies. This striking wallpaper is all based on Lina Cavalieri as well, and was produced by Cole and Son. |
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| I'm not sure why Cavalieri is so popular in the loo; do you have any theories to share? If you're not ready to commit to wallpapering a room in her image, try a framed picture or two. |
by MJ Lanphier
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This wallpaper is now a bit hard to find, but you can find it on the Internet by searching its name, Tema e Variazioni.
by Get Back JoJo
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The wallpaper comes in several colors, including this burgundy as well as a light green-gray.
by Shirley Meisels
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A series of plates adds to the distinctly modern Italian style of this room, which includes glamorous mosaic tile and a signature chevron Missoni print pillow.
Learn how to hang your own plate collection
Learn how to hang your own plate collection
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Faces adorn these shapely vases, and the black features stamped on the shapely white porcelain objects are striking.
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by frankovitchjm
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| These urns are relatively small pieces, yet they catch the eye from across the room. You may have to do some shopping around to find similar vases, as many are limited editions. As we go to post, a similar vase is available at Barney's New York. Be sure to check sites like Amazon, eBay and 1st Dibs when searching for Fornasetti treasures. |
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| If Cavalieri does not look familiar to you, Il Sole may. This is another wallpaper that was created by Cole and Son from Fornasetti's archives. Suns were another favorite motif of Fornasetti's. |
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| This wallpaper, Malachite, adds depth. It is available in several rich colors, from Cole and Son. |
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This pillow is not cheap, but its image will give you a big design bang for your buck.
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Finally, this porcelain plate of Cavalieri adorned in a ski mask that's topped by a pom-pom is simply a personal favorite, so I thought I'd wrap up the ideabook with it. There's a kind of modern street art sensibility to it. The good kind, not the Mr. Brainwash kind. (I finally got around to watching Exit Through the Gift Shop this weekend, and I cannot stop thinking about it).
To learn more, I recommend visiting the Fornasetti Atelier online; there are a lot of great photos (I especially loved seeing the Fornasetti house in Milan) and interesting facts on the site. They also have a gallery of many of the amazing licensed products, including rugs, jewelry, tile and home fragrance products.
Browse more modern icons
More Modern Icons:
Alexander Girard
Missoni Textiles
To learn more, I recommend visiting the Fornasetti Atelier online; there are a lot of great photos (I especially loved seeing the Fornasetti house in Milan) and interesting facts on the site. They also have a gallery of many of the amazing licensed products, including rugs, jewelry, tile and home fragrance products.
Browse more modern icons
More Modern Icons:
Alexander Girard
Missoni Textiles
Ideabook published on March 27, 2012.
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