Paola Florence Studio Tour

For the last year, Mara Zepeda of Neither Snow has lived in Florence, Italy. Not long into her stay she met Betty Soldi and Matteo Perduca, the proprietors of &Company, a design studio, curiosities shop and magical creative workshop in the Oltrarno district, where artisans’ shops line the streets. Mara and Betty were so taken by these beautiful nooks they offered to give Once Wed readers a glimpse inside a few of these artisanal studios, along with a corresponding DIY inspired by the artforms. Anne-Marie Bouchard joined them to capture the poetic beauty. I’ll let them take it away!

Hello from Florence! It seems this city needs no introduction. It is the birthplace of the Renaissance where all manner of arts, crafts, and trades have flourished for centuries and continue to do so. Every corner and cobblestone street presents an opportunity to discover a master bookbinder, wooden frame craftsman, or lithography shop. If you can believe it, the three studios we chose to visit are within a few blocks of each other. Let’s start with one of our favorites, Paola Sardone…

Just a few steps from the Pitti Palace is the studio and home of Florentine designer Paola Sardone. When we first stepped into the peaceful retreat she has created our jaws dropped onto the gorgeous herringbone floor. A collection of garden roses spill out of glass beakers on the table, light bulbs hang suspended from hot pink ribbon, and the backdrop to all of this is a muted fresco she discovered not long after buying the apartment. Paola combs through antiques markets for discarded, long-forgotten postwar flatware and brings each piece back to life with a coat of real silver. She’ll leave the tiniest glimpse of the object’s former life which creates a subtle two-tone contrast. Her collection, Secondo Tempo (“Second Chance”), is available for purchase at &Company, and inspired our project to bring old flatware to life.