Ideal presents by small Roman designers you probably didn’t know yet
When I shop for presents for friends, I always try to put in a little bit of extra effort to find something personal and unexpected that they will love. That’s why I love going to small boutiques and lifestyle markets where you can buy directly from the maker: it’s so much more personal than shopping at a chain store. These three designers all reside in Rome and offer original, handmade home accessories. Perfect presents for the holidays!
I regularly discover talented, young designers from Rome at lifestyle markets such as Wave Market and Mercato Monti. The three I’m going to introduce to you here all design and produce accessories for your home, which I love because I’m always thinking about my next little interior project to make my tiny piece of Rome a little bit more personal. They are all young or starting designers, meaning they sell mostly at lifestyle markets and online. That makes it a lot of fun to buy from them: not just because you support a local designer, but also because you’ll own something that has been produced in small numbers and is unique.
Flower still lifes by FLOREM
Marine Lucas, originally from France, makes beautiful flower compositions of dried and stabilized flowers. She gives them a special treatment that ‘freeze’ them in time, meaning they will remain the way they are and won’t wilt. Perfect if you don’t have a green thumb, like me, but would still like to add some flowers to your interior.
Florem doesn’t have a physical or an online shop yet, but you can contact Marine directly through Instagram to order one of her beautiful creations. You can also regularly find her at lifestyle markets such as Wave Market, so be sure to keep an eye on her Instagram if you want to meet her and her flower designs in real life.
Cups, plates and bowls by Leaf Ceramics
Leaf Ceramics
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Ceramicist Giulia Amorini makes all of her ceramic pieces by hand in her little laboratory in Rome. She works with white clay and porcelain and always incorporates nature and its elements into her work, often using photographs transferred from paper to the earthenware by using the technique of lithography.
Her pastel coloured, elegant designs are perfect in their imperfection: the cups and plates aren’t completely round, every bowl is slightly different, the colours not exactly the same on every piece, which makes them even more beautiful.
You can buy her designs by contacting her through her website or by visiting her laboratory in Via Cesare Baronio 62 (by appointment only).
Home accessories, textiles and bags by Casa Mangle
Casa Mangle
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Marisol Pastrana is originally from Mexico and has been living in Rome for the past few years. In order to have a piece of her beloved homeland and heritage with her in her new home, she started to bring pillows, bags, textiles, blankets and other accessories from Mexico with her. All produced by women in small local workshops and infused with symbols from Mexican culture, their bright colours and funky patterns really brighten up a kitchen or living room.
“I hope people will like the popping colours, because I noticed the style here in Rome is a little bit less outspoken than what I’m used to,” Marisol told me during Wave Market. I agree with her: let’s all be a bit more courageous when it comes to colour in the house!
You can buy her creations on her Etsy shop or keep an eye on her Instagram to know which lifestyle markets she’s present at so you can meet her in person.
All images © 2019 Liza Karsemeijer
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