Our Love of Everything Italian

Italy, Venice, Milan, Florence… what is our infatuation with this mysterious country that epitomizes romance and love? Italy is poetry in its truest form. From the sun-kissed countryside, painted in burnished colors of red, gold, and copper to the rich decadent food to the unsurpassed luxurious and trendsetting designs… Italy has truly captured the hearts of the world and become the center of creative design.

Italian culture seems to have always been a part of the romantic scene, portrayed through many of the works of the great bard himself, William Shakespeare. It was obvious that Shakespeare was in love with Italy although it is debated as to whether he had ever been there. Most people believe that he never made it to Italy, but that the country was so romanticized during that time that he still was able to cherish it.

However, the sovereignty of Italy in the world of design did not happen overnight. And the great wars did much to tarnish the reputation of this fountain of inspiration. Italy’s alliance with the Axis countries during World War I was highly criticized, and even though Italy eventually declared their alliance with the Allies, the damage was already done. Italy’s economy plummeted into ruin, which left the country defenseless to the fascism regime of Mussolini, which virtually suppressed the open and romantic Italian culture.

The government took the reins of this once unbridled country and crushed freethinking revolutionist with its stern and repressive hand. Mussolini wanted to remake the Italian people into what he deemed was the perfect culture, and he almost succeeded in destroying them. After World War II, when Mussolini was executed and Italy was summarily freed from his reign, the country was free to pick up the pieces and start anew.

However, the design industry’s demands for exports were already claimed by Paris. French design and fashion were all the rage in the United States and Canada. Italy had to redefine the world’s perception of fine design and handcrafted elegance in order to become a recognized leader in design. With the emergence of groundbreaking creativity expressed in ways the world had never seen. From high quality fashion to revolutionary furniture design, Italians stormed the design world with a wave of creative inspiration reflected in their designs.

Today that creativity has allowed Italy to become the beating heart of the design world. The living breathing life force that is the forerunner of creative thought and a pioneer in forward thinking, pushing the limits of design to new and dazzling places. We can see this in the success and prominence of such design shows as the Salon de Mobile Exhibition in Milan featuring the newest and most avant garde products of the industrial design industry.

Italy has long been an inspiration to the design team at the Iris Design Studio. The colors, the flavor, and the culture serve as a powerful muse for our lighting designs, and we revel in its emergence as the brightest star in the design world.

For more information about the Iris Design Studio and our exceptional lighting designs, you can visit our website at www.IrisDesignStudio.com.