Blog Collections

A Collector's Guide to Vintage Murano Glass

The Colors of Murano: What Each Hue Meant in 20th-Century Italian Glass

Amber, cobalt, lattimo, ruby red. The colors Murano glassmakers chose weren't decorative accidents. Each hue tracked closely with a specific decade, a design movement, and the materials available at the...

Murano Glass Techniques Explained: Sommerso, Pulegoso, Fazzoletto & More

A plain breakdown of the Murano glass techniques you'll actually run into while shopping, sommerso, pulegoso, fazzoletto, scavo, and murrine or zanfirico cane work. What each one looks like, when...

The Beginner's Guide to Murano Glass

For seven centuries, the island of Murano has produced glass of unmatched refinement. It has also produced more imitations than almost any other decorative art. This guide is for collectors...

Italian Design of the 20th Century 101

Hall in liberty italian style, with staircase

Italian Liberty Style (1900–1925)

Liberty is Italy's version of Art Nouveau, and it arrived with its own character. Darker wood, denser ornament, and a softness that the French and Belgian versions never quite had....

Living room in art deco style with sofa and two arm chairs

Italian Art Deco (1920–1940)

Italian Art Deco arrived later than the French version and came out warmer. Walnut and rosewood replaced lacquer and chrome. Milanese craftsmen brought a domestic quality to the geometry and...

Living room in mid-century modern design with wall of book cases, armchair with coffee table

Italian Mid-Century Modern (1945–1965)

Italian mid-century modern is the most adaptable vintage style there is. It works in old rooms and new ones, next to contemporary art and Persian rugs, in apartments and houses....

Living room in italian modern syle with sofa, arm chair and glass wall

Italian Modern (1950–1970)

By the late 1950s Italy had become the center of international design, and this period shows why. Fiberglass, injection-molded plastic, and chrome replaced wood and brass. Joe Colombo, the Castiglioni...

Living room with spage age interior desing

Italian Space Age (1960–1975)

The Space Age in Italian design lasted about fifteen years and produced some of the most visually distinctive objects of the 20th century. Round forms, ABS plastic, white and orange....

Memphis style living room with colorfull furniture and chimney

Italian Postmodern / Memphis (1975–1990)

Memphis was a deliberate attack on good taste, and it came from Milan. Ettore Sottsass gathered a group of designers in 1980 and within a year they had changed what...