Meet Margherita, textile designer and co-founder of La Serra MK Textile Atelier.  The studio, an old green house in the historic Palazzo Pandolfini, is flooded with sunlight and overlooks the garden—an absolute dream.  Margherita and La Serra’s co-founder Karl Jorns produce one-of-a-kind soft furnishings for the home. They design all of their unique products in the studio with the highest quality fabric and pigments, using a variety of techniques from screen printing, to hand painting and block printing. The use of color, material and form are key elements to each piece. Each product is thought through from concept to end to reflect their unique design personalities, their surroundings in Florence, and their experiences abroad. News coming soon about her Studio Visit on April 10.

I asked Margherita to answer a few questions about her work and the upcoming Pop Up event she’ll be hosting in May.

How did your training in art and your work experience in fashion bring you open your own textile design studio? Is this something that you’ve always wanted to do?

I trained as a sculptor but I was always interested in colour, design, fashion and I wanted to combine all these elements together. Its been a gradual step and after many years working in different creative fields, it all come together very naturally.  I have always wanted to make something happen and work for myself using my creative talents but never knew it was going to be in textiles. I would like in the future to combine my textiles with fine art.

I know you work with clients both here in Florence and abroad. How do you build and maintain those contacts?

I use a lot social media and our FB page its very helpful to meet new clients, as well as LinkedIn. I met recently a very talented illustrator. We are talking about collaborating. I also meet new clients through our studio events and my travels to London. To build and maintain them it’s hard work just emailing, keeping the FB page updated and creating events such as the Pop Up Store, or our seasonal events such as the Christmas Event. We are also looking into doing an Easter one.

Your studio is incredible, the kind I know I dream about having. Can you tell us a little about the history of the space, and how you hope to use it in the future?

Thanks for the lovely compliment. Yes it’s a wonderful space and it feels like my baby. It all started in 2009 when I came to Florence, I had just met my business partner through an old job of mine working in a vintage store. He was looking into setting up a studio and I wanted to make something happen. Looking out into the garden we saw this space and it hadn’t been in use for many years and was completely abandoned so we thought, “Hey, let’s get this space cleaned up!” The few months it took us to make it up and develop it into a studio were the best months, knowing we were building a creative space to work in. It’s been changed and updated in the last few years. We keep on styling it and changing things around. We are currently renting work spaces too. At the moment we are sharing with a bag designer, an architect, and a tights designer. We are hoping in the future to produce more wonderful work and to create more exciting events to promote our work and that of others. I want to see the space as a dynamic hub for designers to work, showcase and collaborate.

Can you tell us a little more about the Pop Up event?

We would like to promote our work and give the possibility of young designers to showcase their work in our space and to create a link and dialogue between designers living and working in Florence. That’s how Pop Up Florence came about. We are working with other two designers to make this event happen. It will take place over three days, with an Opening Event and a Closing one. It’s by invitation only and we want it to be a social event for selling and work-related networking.  Each designer has his or her own stand. We feel this is a great opportunity to gather a selection of young exciting designers together under one roof.

Anything else we should know about you and your work?

Our products are all personally thought through from the initial concept to the final piece. We aim to produce exclusive, unique pieces as well bespoke products.  From our range of designs we create special hand made home wares.

For more information about Margherita and La Serra MK Textile Atelier, click here, or like the Facebook page to stay up-to-date on the latest news.  

Margherita also rents out work space in her studio.  If you’re interested, get in touch with her at margherita.mktextileatelier@gmail.com. 

Enzo Formisano

This week we are excited to introduce you to Enzo and Offic Lab, Officina Laboratorio Ceramica (via Nardo di Cione 6, near Piazza Beccaria).

Here is what Enzo has to say about about his work, his beautiful work space, and life in Florence….

I’m Italian born on the sunny side (Naples), and I moved to Florence 14 years ago. Now I’m a ceramist, specializing in Italian Renaissance painted pottery that we call majolica. I have my own atelier where I do my artwork, and I also give classes to a very uneven population ranging from foreign teenagers to lovely Italian grandmothers, including some international artists.

The project that I’m trying to realize, with the essential help of my partner Chris, is not to create a traditional school, but an open studio where everyone can express his own creativity with our technical assistance.

We like to think that our core business is not pottery but relationships, a cultural melting pot for people from all over the world that you can meet in Florence.

We take beautifully designed plates and jars and sculptures out of the kiln, but I received the best compliment when an Israeli art teacher told me: “this is not a place for painting, this is a place for healing”.

The web is a main resource for us, and the blog and the Facebook page are the only advertising we do, believing in a kind of serendipity that keeps creative people in touch.

The Creative People in Florence group is fueling our fantasy as we are imaging and hoping to plan jam sessions with other artists, playing music while others are working clay, taking photographs, and any other creative ideas you suggest to set up at the Offic Lab studio.

To learn more about Offic Lab, see more photos of Enzo and his students’ work, get info about working in the studio, and find out about upcoming events, check out their Facebook page and blog.  Also, look out for news about the upcoming Studio Visit on March 6!

Jessica Russo Scherr

Jessica Russo Scherr (formerly Perry) is an American artist who has actively exhibited work internationally. Her artwork is about personal experiences and the relationship between people, environment and objects. It is a physical model for stages, emotions, and dilemmas in life, documenting progress and resistance. She uses nature, architecture, the human body, a portrait or a representation of herself, to give form to psychological states or emotional experiences. These images often focus on duality, protection, personal evolution, development, healing and growth and how it relates to different stages of life, memory and reflection. These stages are depicted in social and spiritual situations. She uses a variety of media to translate these concepts, including painting, drawing, photography, digital illustration and collage.  Jessica earned her BFA from Hartford Art School, University of Hartford, her Post BA teaching certification from Montclair State University and she attended the MFA program at William Paterson for 2 years and earned a 4.0 for her Masters of Arts in Art Education from Boston University. During 2007-2008.  Jessica was granted the Fulbright Award for Bratislava, Slovak Republic. This award afforded her the opportunity to teach in the oldest art school in Europe. She currently teaches art in Florence, Italy.

She is currently working on a series of commissions with a real estate development company in Panama. This is a series of works for an equestrian mountaintop development. The company is called The Alps of panama. http://panamaalps.com/

View her work at www.bluelavaart.com or on Facebook:  Jessica at Bluelavaart. Order Prints at http://www.saatchionline.com/bluelava

Stay tuned for information about the upcoming Studio Visit with Jessica on February 22.