Piero Fornasetti was an Italian versatile and eclectic artist, characterised by an unstoppable creative flair that made him one of the most prolific figures of the 20th century, and difficult to ascribe to a specific movement.
Heavily influenced by Greek and Roman architecture, he created more than 11,000 items in his time. His work often included use of black and white, the sun and time, hands and self portraits. Fornasetti is famous for his use of Lina Cavalieris face and is the trademark of the brand.
Lina Cavalieri is an operatic soprano. Fornasetti saw her as the perfect archetype – classically beautiful like a Greek statue or the Mona Lisa, she is renowned for her beauty across the globe.
So why are we talking about Piero Fornasetti? Well, some of his works have been used in the Cole & Son collections, Fornasetti and Fornasetti Senza Tempo which we will take a look at but before that lets take some inspiration from the Fornasetti show room. Lets look closely at the colours, designs, wallpaper back drops and how we can use these ideas.
The Marino buffet is a whimsical fusion of Fornasetti's marine world and the elegance of the green Malachite.
The use of this vibrant green with silver and black work great together. This wallpaper is called Malachite and works fantastic as a backdrop to furniture.
Here are some more examples of the use of Malachite.
The intricate curves and ripples of semi-precious stones and fossils appear throughout Fornasetti’s work, with the hypnotic curves becoming synonymous with the Fornasetti canon.
The iconic Malachite is presented in unique luminous mineral shades with airy Parchment and subtle Gold, and Royal Blue and Silver, as well as the arresting Emerald and Black, and White and Black for a captivating interior option.
These wallpapers are available to purchase online at the Drew Decor Store click the links to find out more.
The first Fornasetti wallpaper was lithographed by Piero Fornasetti for his family home in 1949. It features multiple views of Jerusalem with suns, moons and hot air balloons.
Cole & Son have re vamped this design so you can have this on your walls too. Lets see how this design has changed.
You can see the design is very similar and not a lot has been changed. The design is called Mediterranea and is a sprawling cityscape of roofs, domes, and windows. Each detailed element of the scene is brought to life through radiant Metallic highlights and bold line work, with striking ground hues of Parchment and Charcoal, alongside the unembellished White and Black.
If you want Fornasettis staircase style click here to buy from the Drew Decor Store..
I do like this set. From the convex mirror to the roman inspired chair. This is the Fornasetti suite at the Mandarin Oriental in Milan. The back drop to this, the wallpaper, is the much-loved Chiavi Segrete which combines two influential Fornasetti motifs: mystical, dense leaves concealing golden, antique keys. This fanciful design has a magical quality, drawing the eye through and around the leaves to discover each of the ‘secret keys’ hidden within. Muted tones comprise the subtle Stone and Gold, whilst Leaf Green creates soft, true-to-life tones of spring undergrowth, with a seasonal twist in Autumnal Leaves’ deep rouge red and bronze hues and the wintery Slate Blue and Grey.
If you want Fornasettis hotel suite style click here to buy from the Drew Decor Store..
Another Image from the Fornasetti suite at the Mandarin Oriental. This time you can see the classic cloud design on the ceiling used frequently by Fornasetti in his designs. Again we see the green used along side the greys and slvers.
The cloud wallcovering - Nuvolette, is one of the most enduring Fornasetti designs. The sky was long a recurring vision for Fornasetti and these ‘little clouds’ are delicately detailed etchings depicting tempestuous, rolling skies. Presented in understated colourways of Black and White, Soot and Snow, Stone, and Midnight creating endless movement across this enchanting design.
The wallcovering on the pillar is a reflected depiction of Baroque Rome. Riflesso is an atmospheric reflected depiction of Baroque Rome as seen through Fornasetti’s surrealistic eye circa 1955. The right side is a mirror image of the left, with the scene reflected below in the water. Available in Black and White with icy silvered highlights.
Get the Fornasetti Suite look here curtesy of the Drew Decor Store.
We can take inspiration from these next images. Look how they have cut around the leaves on the wallpaper to create a natural finish rather than end it on the corner.
A nice idea. Notice the clouds wallpaper on the ceiling. Wallpapering ceilings is becoming very popular with plain painted walls. Clouds work well and also geometric patterns.
Lets see how the clouds look on the walls. It leaves you with an atmospheric feeling making it the perfect backdrop for artwork and furniture.
Get the cloud look with the Drew Decor Store.
The final wallcovering we will look at is the mischievous monkeys. Three designs in one really, we have the monkeys strutting about, the arches and pillers of St Marks Square in Venice and the clouds in the background.
One of three architectural designs featuring the Procuratie facades of St Mark’s Square Venice, this intaglio study creates a classical structure to an interior through its detailed line work and simple palette of Black and White.
Get mischievous with the Drew Decor Store.
There are two collections of wallpaper by Fornassetti by Cole & Son all available online or in store at the family run Drew Decor Store.
I hope you liked this blog. We are passionate about all things interior and design. We have been decorating the homes in Sheffield for a great number of years now.
The wallpaper and paint store in sheffield is owned and run by Suzanne Drew and is there to help, guide and advice you on all things wallpaper, paint and fabric where you can order online or for the full experience view in store.
If you are looking for a decorating team in Sheffield to install your wallpaper give us a call today!
