FORNASETTI PROFUMI PER LA CASA
La Storia di Fornasetti Piero Fornasetti was a
Milanese painter, sculptor, interior decorator, engraver of books and a creator
of more than 11,000 products. In terms of decorative output, Fornasetti’s
production of objects and furniture is one of the most prolific of the 20th century. Fornasetti is celebrated
as being one of the most original creative talents of the last century. During
his long career he perfected his art and made use of a rich visual vocabulary
that is instantly recognisable and constantly engages. Fornasetti designed a
magical dream world, saturated in rich of imagery and filled with whimsical
humour. Fornasetti’s son,
Barnaba, has continued the Fornasetti tradition for the past twenty years by
maintaining in-house production, reviving as well as reinterpreting his father’s
designs and paying meticulous attention to detail that was the hallmark of his
work. At the helm of the company and its creative heart, Barnaba is the
custodian of a rich legacy. The Fornasetti Atelier in
Milan is an outpost of careful and accomplished craft production. Here skilled
craftsmen and women use the same rigorous hand-crafted techniques that were
deployed in the very first Fornasetti designs. Colour is applied by hand and
the original paper patterns are still meticulously followed. Maintaining the
quality of this craftsmanship is an important aspect of the Fornasetti legacy. The overall majority of
the furniture and objects produced within 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. Fornasetti Collaborazioni The language of Fornasetti, established by Piero and
perpetuated by his son Barnaba, encompasses many types of products and
applications. The variety of specific skills and particular production
techniques required to realise these many designs has led to the licensing of
some Fornasetti products. Companies who specialise in particular mediums are
entrusted to produce under the Fornasetti mark. Among these are rugs and wallpapers, fabrics and curtains,
ceramic tiles, jeweller and now home fragrance. The result is a network of
sympathetic craft and industrial applications, undertaken by respected
specialists. Fornasetti Profumi per la Casa
With the latest of these ‘Collaborazioni’
Barnaba Fornasetti has turned his attention towards the notion of home
fragrance in combination with decorative objects. The first collection of
Fornasetti Profumi per La Casa, celebrates the Fornasetti ceramic heritage in
combination with both well-known and less familiar decorative images. Together
they make up a desirable group of iconic objects and decorative pieces that are
at once collectable and covetous. Fornasetti has taken a
new step in home fragrance, one that transcends the obvious and transforms it
into the truly magical. Architectural details, butterflies, facial expressions,
suns, owls and monkeys all vie with one another to capture the imagination and
open the realm of dreams. The collection encompasses
various home scenting devices from the ubiquitous scented candle and boxed
incense sticks through to room sprays and ceramic globe diffusers for incense,
perfumed oil or scented rocks. Each object has a clearly defined purpose and
can be re-used, given an alternative use, or added to a Fornasetti collection. Fornasetti Profumi per La
Casa will be a constantly evolving range of decorative objects and limited
editions. Subsequent collections will explore other avenues within the
Fornasetti world, fragrances and ways of experiencing scent.
The
Fornasetti fragrance was perhaps the biggest challenge to face the creative
team, steeped as it is in the visual world but with a lesser notion of the
language of scent. Part of the mastery of Fornasetti is to side-step problems
like this by engaging the expertise it lacks to capture its dreams. What, if
anything, could embody the essence of Fornasetti? To help realise this dream,
whilst extending the Fornasetti legacy into the new arena Barnaba called upon the
artistry of world-renowned master-perfumer Olivier Polge. Olivier is one of the
leading stars of International Flavours and Fragrances (IFF) and creator of
classic new fragrances such as Flower Bomb by Victor & Rolf, Dior Homme,
Balenciaga Paris and many others. In a sense
Barnaba and Olivier are both carrying on artistic traditions and legacies
inherited from their fathers. Oliver, son of legendary perfumer Jacques Polge,
was born into a family that was in its everyday activity surrounded by the
artistic, musical as well as the olfactory. Olivier is a long-time collector
and admirer of Fornasetti and was thrilled to undertake the creation of the
Fornasetti scent. Olivier and
Barnaba travelled on a journey together in close collaboration, to discover the
essence of Fornasetti. Numerous meetings were conducted, visits paid, archives
consulted to determine what individual scents should come together. The resulting
scent ‘Otto’ (the eighth variation) is a sophisticated and unique scent that
transcends time, season, gender and borders. Olivier made use of ingredients
that are of personal significance to Barnaba - Mediterranean herbs that were
found in and around the family home, woods often utilised in interiors designs
or pieces of furniture created by Fornasetti. Other more ethereal ingredients -
such as incense - conjure a latent spirituality or sense of dreamscape that is
often present in Fornasetti graphic poetry.
