{"id":337373,"date":"2019-12-06T14:00:19","date_gmt":"2019-12-06T19:00:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.1stdibs.com\/blogs\/the-study\/?p=337373"},"modified":"2021-12-15T06:28:51","modified_gmt":"2021-12-15T11:28:51","slug":"process-tabletop-objects","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.1stdibs.com\/blogs\/the-study\/process-tabletop-objects\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Makers of Tabletop Objects That Will Elevate Your Decor"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"1882<\/a>
1882 Ltd. Expressionist fine bone china teapot, mug and saucer<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

When it comes to holiday entertaining, the food does most of the talking. But the items adorning your table can also have a lot to say. And we don\u2019t mean idle conversation. Much as great cuisine can transport you, a well-crafted object can change the way you think about beauty \u2014 and even the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here, we highlight five established makers whose objects in ceramic, wood, brass, stone and glass deserve a seat of honor at your feast<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Wood<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Carl & Emanuela Magnusson for Bottega Ghianda Scatola wooden box with lid<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Romeo Sozzi is the proud descendent of a long line of craftsmen, so when the time came, he gladly took over his family\u2019s storied Valmadrera, Italy, business, Bottega Ghianda<\/a>, which specializes in the fine woodworking known as ebanisteria<\/em>. \u201cThanks to them,\u201d he says, referring to his father and grandfather, whom he grew up watching for hours in the woodshop, “I learned to know and love wood. I learned to distinguish the various wood essences.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Sozzi, working with wood is a spiritual process. \u201cWhen a centenarian tree is cut and seasoned, it must be done with skill and great respect so that the tree continues to live,\u201d he says. \u201cThe tree, even if it is cut, remains alive. I love its flexibility.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spark up your gatherings with a whimsical rotating bookcase<\/a> or a mysterious ebony box<\/a> whose opening is revealed only when you handle it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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Stone<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Atelier<\/a>
Atelier Barberini & Gunnell hand-carved plates<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe believe that marble and stone are noble materials, not only for their extraordinary beauty but also for the attention they require,\u201d says architect and designer Nina Gunnell, cofounder with her husband, Francesco Barberini, of Atelier Barberini & Gunnell<\/a>. \u201cThese materials don\u2019t allow for mistakes. They\u2019re a gift from the earth, meaning they’re limited.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And they can be quite unforgiving. Quartzite, for instance, shoots sparks when cut. But the beauty of the finished product, even those for everyday use, makes the painstaking process worth it. \u201cEvery single piece spends hours under the hands of an expert sculptor,\u201d Gunnell says proudly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Serve up a luminous stack of plates<\/a> hand-carved from pink onyx or a Marquina marble serving slab<\/a> inlaid with a blue frog.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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Brass<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Ghidini<\/a>
Ghidini 1961 Cestino 2 polished brass bowl <\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The design offshoot of Ghidini Giuseppe Bosco, Ghidini 1961<\/a> creates fine works of design out of hunks of raw metal. \u201cIt is always a thrill to see a new product when it comes out of our ovens,\u201d says Laura Lucchini, an executive who has been with the company for more than 20 years. Based in the northern Italian city of Brescia, a metalware industrial hub, Ghidini 1961 regularly taps creatives like architect Andrea Branzi to put their inimitable spin on the firm\u2019s products. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dazzle guests with Branzi\u2019s polished brass Cestino 2 bowl <\/a>or Elisa Giovanni\u2019s Axonometry copper cube tray<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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Ceramics<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"1882<\/a>
1882 Ltd.’s Stack vase with hand-painted burnished gold rim<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s safe to say industrial-crafted ceramics run in my veins,\u201d jokes designer Emily Johnson, the fifth-generation head of family-run ceramics firm 1882 Ltd.<\/a> Founded in Stoke-on-Trent, England, in the late 19th century as a producer of simple white wares, the company today creates artful, forward-looking ceramics for a worldwide audience, collaborating with such bold-face designers as Paul Smith<\/a> and Max Lamb<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Commune with Lamb\u2019s fine china<\/a>, slip-cast from hand-carved plaster molds, or photographer and home-furnishings designer Martyn Thompson<\/a>\u2019s expressionist take on a Susie Cooper teapot<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\t

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More 1882 Ltd.<\/div>\n\t\t\t
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