Combining age-old decorative glazing techniques with a playful touch, Milan’s Laboratorio Paravicini has been producing one-of-a-kind tableware since the 1990s. Mother and daughter team Costanza Paravicini and Benedetta Medici di Marignano painstakingly design their intricate motifs before hand-painting them on ceramics in a process known as Gran Fuoco sulla Terraglia Bianca (high temperature firing on white earthenware).
Popular across Italy in the 18th century, the time-consuming process has all but been swallowed up by technological advances, save for a handful of makers still practising the craft. With a background in painting watercolours, Costanza decided to create plates and tableware that were both decorative and functional, and so her studio was born – tucked away in a charming Milanese courtyard. Each plate can take up to ten hours to make and as well as launching new ranges at Milan’s Design Fair each year, the studio undertakes bespoke, made-to-measure commissions. Collections are arranged thematically from Circus, Jungle and Chinoiseries motifs, to our favourite range, the art deco-inspired Gymmetria.
Laboratorio Paravicini, Via Nerino, 8, 20123 Milano, Italy, paravicini.it.
