Apr202015by Anna Laura | News
On one of my recent talent scouting trips around Italy, I met Maurizio Gallo. When I travel, I am searching for the finest ceramic artisans and boutiques. I met Maurizio in Sciacca, Sicily, which is known for its artistic ceramic production. Sciacca also boasts Sorelle Perconte, creators of Arcobaleno, an exclusive collection for DishesOnly. Maurizio is the Chief Barman of the Verdura Resort’s Granita Bar. While watching the sun set on the Italian sea from an exquisite outdoor terrace, Maurizio opened up about his job. Everyday he meets many people, including tourists from all over the world. “The Bartender is a psychologist.” Maurizio said. “Everybody confides in me. I listen carefully and prepare for each customer for the perfect cocktail, resulting in a relaxing and happy evening.” Here are his secrets for a trendy Aperitivo. Ready to impress your guests? 3 simple rules to throwing the perfect cocktail party 1. “To each his own”, to cite the book of the famous Sicilian author, Leonardo Sciascia. Try to match personalities with the right cocktail. Here are some examples: 007 Types. For very self-confident people serve Cocktail Martini or Negroni City Slickers. Entertaining an urban crowd in vacation mode? Serve long drinks like fruit cocktails or muddled mojitos. Sex and the City. Joyful and eclectic crowd? Serve up Cosmopolitans. One of Maurizio tricks: to hold up the straw on the glass, put some ice on it! 2. Choose the right glass. Once you have decided who is going to drink what, the next step is to choose the right glassware. The International Bartender Association (IBA) lists over 60 official cocktails with...
Apr162015by Anna Laura | News
As Mother’s day gets closer and closer, it is now time to choose a gift to show her your love. The dilemma often is: “Should I go for a useful present or for a showy one?”. Our answer is: you don’t have to choose! Let us suggest you several gift ideas for Mother’s day, each suitable for a particular “type” of mum. Styles, shapes and materials differ, but there is something in common in all of our gift ideas: each is useful and beautiful at the same time. We propose you dishware, tableware and kitchenware that your mum will love for both their functionality and beauty. The Classic Mum Let’s start with some gift ideas for the mum who loves the always fashionable classic style. This mum loves to wear pump shoes, medium or high-heeled, as long as they are refined and with a hint of retrò; she likes her sheath dresses (never too short!), tailleurs and elegant silk blouses. Pearls are her favorite, but she does not disdain other jewelry, especially in the evening. Her distinguished taste shows also at home: she is fond of ancient, precious furniture, and high-quality ceramics. In a classic mum’s home, stylish pieces are allowed, but there is no room for extravagance. We propose you a selection of dinner sets ideal for the classic woman which are elegant, refined but never excessive. Oro - Handmade ceramic dinner set with beaded edges More Details Rosone - The richness of the Sicilian Baroque shines in this ceramic dinner set More Details Regina - Handmade scalloped ceramic dinner set More Details Nuvola - Handmade milky white ceramic dinner set with undefined edges More Details Foglia - A 12-piece set in...
Mar232015by Anna Laura | News
Are you ready for the spring-cleaning marathon? Yes! Because every year, between March and April, no matter if you live in Rome or in Boston, there is a recurring event: clean up the whole house! And for this effort you absolutely need athletic preparation, strength, agility and power. Climbing up and down the ladder, scrubbing the floors, washing window screens, shampooing carpets and waxing parquets is a healthy exercise 😉 and makes you save the money at the gym. Turn up the volume of your favorite playlist and sing sing sing while getting the job done. Whether you have only a weekend or a whole week ahead, get organized. Before you begin, make a to-do list for every room. There are a lot of excellent tips and a printable checklist on line. Our favorite is the one of Martha Stewart, which is very detailed and extremely helpful. Don’t panic and consider the spring cleaning not as a physical and grueling task but as an opportunity to renovate and refresh your house. The Cathartic Effect of the Spring Cleaning In Italy we traditionally refer to the spring cleaning as the Passover Cleaning. The meaning of this ritual comes from the Hebraic obligation to eliminate every trace of yeast and dust from the house in order to celebrate the holiday – a real rite of purification of the body and the soul. Make our home clean, empty the drawers, let some fresh air in, was considered since a long time ago as a way to change our lives for the better. Moving forward to our day there are two passwords in...
Mar92015by Anna Laura | News
The shabby-chic style first became known in the US and in Europe in the 90’s, thanks to the effort of a few enthusiasts; nowadays, it is so fashionable that even large retailers propose it in a vast selection of furnishings, home accessories and even clothes. The style is rooted in the Mediterranean culture, as it is heavily influenced by the traditions of Provence, Tuscany and Greece. While it was originally applied to furniture, the shabby-chic design is now extremely popular in tableware as well, as we will see below. A shabby-chic object is usually painted using light colors, often white, and presents sign of wear and tear, or of age. These are either caused by time or, more often, are artificially produced with ad hoc techniques, like a pickled finish. One of the exciting traits of the shabby-chic vogue is that it leaves room to your fantasy: there are no strict rules! Here we collect some of the recurring features of the shabby-chic design: light colors, as white in all its shades, cream, pearl grey, dove grey, ivory, mauve and pastel colors in general; decorations with flowers, birds, hearts and other romantic or delicate fantasies; presence of embroideries, laces and crochet; wood is very common, but only when not too new, dark or polished; vintage and retro themes are ubiquitous, such as bird cages, leather bags, Victorian style cups, old watering cans used as flower vases, oil lamps, straw baskets and wire mannequins; shabby-chic mixes very well with many different styles: country-chic, Provençal, vintage, Gustavian, Tuscan, and so on. The Shabby-Chic Eating Experience While any room in your home...
Mar52015by Anna Laura | News
Days are finally getting longer, temperatures are shyly, yet steadily, increasing and we begin to “feel and see” the sweetest and fragrant season of the year: Spring. Spring makes everybody feel a little sweeter, arising “pastel feelings” and cheering us up. Just like bears coming out from hibernation, we are much more willing to spend time with friends. And even the home table cannot wait longer to cheer up the guests with warmth, freshness and joy. After eight months of the orange and grayish colors of autumn and winter, there is an explosion of more than a thousand flowers– colors – perfumes. In Spring fantasy plays with the mise en place, inspired by the wealth and generosity of nature. In theory there is no limit to your imagination; you could even accept a “Marie Antoinette style” mise en place, with snow-white tablecloths and triumphs of flowers and fruits provided en plein air, which means in a bucolic choreography with lots of sheep and soft grassplots. Everything is a tribute to nature that can be express in every of its nuances and colors on the table, in the choices of the tablecloth, napkins, glasses, cutlery; in short, every element of the table is invited to recall the chosen color. In spring flowers are the “guest stars” on the table. They can never be missing, either as a centerpiece that echoes the nuances of the other elements on the table, or as fresh arrangements to spread with nonchalance on an imaginary grass. In short there is an endless array of different ways to dress up the table but only one mood...
Feb32015by Anna Laura | News
Choosing the best dinner set or kitchenware to include in your wedding registry can be a daunting task. Let us help you with useful advices that will make your friends and relatives eager to contribute to your happiness! 1) Think Long Term Your wedding registry represents a once-in-a-lifetime occasion to treat yourself and your partner. Thanks to your wedding registry you will finally have that elegant and exclusive dinner set you have been dreaming about for so long! When you choose a dinner set for your wedding registry, bear in mind that it is meant to last in time. A quality dinner set will not only amaze your guests but also last much longer than cheaper ones. Imagine passing on to your children your beautiful wedding dinner set that they loved so much when they were kids! 2) Materials & Sizes The most common materials you can choose for your dishes are ceramic, glass and porcelain. Ceramic, being strong and durable, is ideal for your everyday needs; indeed it is the most popular material in dinnerware. Smooth ceramics are also suitable for fancy dinner sets. Porcelain is a bit more expensive than regular ceramic but given the glaze treatment it is more durable and precious. Its smooth look makes it perfect for elegant gatherings. Glass dishes are lightweight and add freshness to your tablediscape. They may be transparent, colored or opaque and come in a variety of patterns and decorations, either painted, printed or hand blown. Dinnerware usually comes in 6-piece, 8-piece, 12-piece or 24-piece sets. A typical place setting consists of 2 or 3 dishes per person: a dinner plate, a soup & pasta bowl and a side plate. Serving bowls, platters, side bowls,...
