Fornasetti

The Fornasetti Atelier in Milan is an outpost of careful and accomplished craft production since the 1940s. Here skilled craftsmen and women use the same rigorous handcrafted techniques as were employed on the very first Fornasetti products. Colour is applied by hand and the original paper patterns are still followed. Maintaining the quality of these methods of making is an important aspect of the Fornasetti legacy. The majority of the furniture and objects produced in the Atelier are true “re-editions” of the original designs created by Piero Fornasetti. Objects referred to as “re-inventions” are designs created by Barnaba Fornasetti using the decorative elements and imagery found in the immense Fornasetti archive and are evolutions of the exclusive production of his father. Every object produced at the Fornasetti Atelier in Milan is wholly handcrafted using exclusive artisanal techniques. Such particular methods of production render these unique pieces and elevate them to the status of true art. Two objects within the same theme will never be absolutely identical. All of the most valuable furniture and porcelain are produced in limited, annual editions. Today everything is still rigorously executed by hand in the Atelier; colour is applied to the surfaces by a painter who copies the original hand painted paper models. Only the printing technique has changed (for reasons of necessity) from lithography to serigraphy – an evolution that began during Piero’s lifetime. Decoration is transferred onto specially prepared lacquered surfaces before a further two layers of transparent lacquer are applied – a perfectly finished object is the end result. Every piece of furniture or each accessory bears the Fornasetti trademark and an object number, its production edition number, and the year of production. In the case of painted material, each object is signed by the painter who has completed the hand colouring.