It’s always our goal to help clients, friends and followers create a warm and inviting home atmosphere, where the details tell a story. And one of the benefits of working in our industry is exposure to unique, handcrafted products — products with a story — that are not readily available elsewhere. With Collected, we are so excited to finally have a forum to bring some of our favorites to you. Here are a few that also happen to be perfect for gifting this holiday season.
Vietri
Lee Gravely had dreamed of a trip to the Amalfi Coast ever since she clipped a photo from a feature in National Geographic magazine in the early 1970s. In 1983, with her two daughters, Frances and Susan, Lee finally got her opportunity. One of their first stops was the San Pietro Hotel in Positano, where they dined on the hotel’s colorful, handcrafted dinnerware. Completely taken by the natural patterns and evident craftsmanship, they spent the next day meeting the artisans and touring the factory in the town of Vietri sul Mare. Vietri dinnerware was born soon after, and has been a mainstay in handcrafted, artisan dinnerware ever since.
Vietri takes the same care today in their product line as those Italian artisans of 40 years ago. Their clays and glazes are still made from the soil of the Italian countryside. And the message behind them is simple: Slow down. Linger. Enjoy each other’s company over a meal.
Estelle Colored Glass
Stephanie Summerson Hall spent summers in South Carolina antiquing, cooking and learning about life with her grandmother, Estelle. Estelle was passionate about fine antiques, and was especially proud of her colored glass collection, which she added to every year. These experiences with her grandmother were transformative, and were the backbone of Hall’s inspiration to launch Estelle Colored Glass in 2019. The collection is comprised of original commissioned pieces, whose colors are custom-formulated by Hall and then hand-blown by glass artisans in Poland. They are reminiscent of heirloom, vintage pieces, but with the refinement of modern glassware.
Match Pewter
When David Reiss visited Florence in the early 1990’s while in the employ of a department store carrying pewter goods, he met the artisans of a family-owned pewter workshop that had been working with the material for generations. The pewter from this workshop was far more popular with the clientele of the store than any of the other pewter pieces offered. Though Reiss eventually left the store, the memory of those artisans remained with him, and he ultimately decided to pursue a business solely based on the pewter wares of Italian craftsman. Match Pewter was born in 1995.
All Match designs are rooted in classic European forms from the 14th through 19th centuries, and many are cast from molds made of original antiques. They remain handcrafted by Italian artisans, and are highly sought-after. Look for their distinctive markings: M95 — M, for Match, 95 for the year the company was founded and the percentage of pewter content of each Match piece.
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