Posts by alberto_dev
Decorate your table with Murano glass
With the new Vetro da Amare’s collections you can decorate your table with the art and elegance that distinguish the Venetian tradition. Coloured tumblers, cutlery trays enriched with gold and platinum and colourful stabilised roses immediately give a touch of personality to every mise en place.
The tableware collection by VdA represents a novelty in the company’s furnishing accessories panorama, but it is animated by the same philosophy: the pursuit of uniqueness.
Murano glass centerpieces
Within the tableware collection, the Murano glass tumblers stand out, especially the Goti Acquavita. The Goti Acquavita, a clear tribute to the Venetian tradition of the goti de fornasa, are characterized by very bright colours and by the characteristic irregular shape, which identifies these products as handcrafted. These creations, enriched by an arrangement of preserved roses, luxury flowers, are particularly suitable as centerpieces during special events: a party, a wedding, a graduation party…The Goti Acquavita, enlighted by the wonderful colours of Murrine millefiori, can create a joyful atmosphere.
Cutlery trays with stabilised roses
Born from a very original idea, the VdA cutlery trays are the perfect accessories to decorate the table with style and elegance. Painstakingly crafted by skilled master glassmakers, these cutlery trays are hand-decorated by a talented artist with liquid gold and platinum and embellished even more with the addition of a small composition of stabilised roses, the company signature.
The cutlery trays can be customised on request both for the colour of stabilised roses and for the decoration: for instance, if chosen for a wedding dinner, the cutlery trays can be decorated with the initials of the newlyweds or with the wedding date.
Widmann and Pisani carafes and tumblers
Delicate, refined, sophisticated, the products of the Widmann and Pisani lines are artistic creations of ethereal beauty. These creations are handmade in Murano glass and then decorated with fusible enamels and gold leaf to reproduce Christmas or idyllic scenes. However, it is the addition of the small vegetal composition within each product that makes them truly special: carafes and tumblers of these collections can be used as centerpieces as well or they can be used as graceful luxury party favours to offer to our guests.
The ideas to decorate
The online sale of artificial flowers.
In our online shop, you will be able to find a complete collection of original artificial flower bouquets, designed, created, and packaged by our expert florists. Artificial flowers that seem real, enrich home or a work environment, making them pleasant with a touch of elegance and color. Without a doubt, fresh flowers are an admirable way to bring the beauty and harmony of nature into a room, but unfortunately, with their short duration and constant need for care, they become an accessory that not everyone can manage daily.
This is one of the reasons why many are increasingly turning to the purchase of quality artificial flowers. Since 1992, VDA Borella has been using artificial flowers that seem real, composing them according to the requests and needs of customers: All our bouquets of artificial flowers for sale online are prepared with quality artificial flowers that are also suitable for outdoor use, keeping their colors unaltered for a long time. Undoubtedly, taking care of artificial flowers at home is way easier than taking care of fresh flowers. Since the artificial flowers have a metal core inside them, they can be easily bent to the desired shape according to your needs and tastes without ruining them due to direct exposition to sunlight or heat sources.
How to buy artificial flowers with VDA Borella.
Artificial flower bouquet that looks real, realistic, and true to shape and color. Silk and plastic are the elements that compose the flowers together with the metal, always coated, used as a stem. On our site, we offer a wide selection of already-made and packaged compositions ready to meet your needs. Artificial flowers for the cemetery, composed and packaged to be exposed with the certainty of long life and the simplicity with which they can be placed. Ready-to-use artificial niche flowers: a bunch of almost real artificial flowers packaged and composed by our florists who look for the perfect size and shape to position them most easily and least laboriously.
How to clean artificial flowers.
Artificial flowers do not require extreme attention as far as care is concerned, but we must be careful not to neglect their cleaning. In fact, given their long duration over time, dust may settle on their surface, so it would be advisable to clean them periodically. It can be done simply by using a duvet to gently dust the petals out, or by using the cold air of a hairdryer at low speed. With these two simple methods, the dust will be removed, restoring the flowers to their original beauty.
How to furnish with artificial flowers.
Our artificial flower compositions are an excellent solution to decorate and beautify a room. They can make a professional studio or office appear cozier by recreating harmonious effects, with nearly no need for maintenance. In our online shop of artificial flowers, various bouquet solutions are presented in the shapes, colors, and accessories that accompany them, which make them an excellent gift idea. A centerpiece of artificial flowers to create a colorful atmosphere inside a home or surprise a friend by giving a bouquet of artificial flowers accompanied by our original Murano glass vase.
Artificial orchid plant from inside.
A beautiful artificial phalaenopsis orchid plant that looks real with white flowers and pink hues, accompanied by a ceramic vase, is a perfect piece of furniture for any room in the house. At the center of a table, on a piece of furniture, or a desk of a professional studio, it will be able to capture everyone’s attention thanks to its beauty, naturalness, and its elegant design. Flowers and leaves are produced with plastic materials, while the stems have a metal frame coated and tamed to recreate the veins of the leaves and flowers, faithfully reproducing the real ones.
The merit of these artificial orchid plants is undoubtedly the duration and the almost complete absence of maintenance. Unlike the real ones, they can be placed in any environment, even without natural light or humidity, as they do not need to be watered. Although of excellent quality, they require to be cleaned and dusted periodically to remove any dust deposits. The best method is to use a cold air hair dryer or use a soft sponge to blow flowers and leaves.
The twentieth century: the great glass masters.
The processing of Murano glass suffered a severe crisis during the nineteenth century due to both strong competition from Bohemian glass and the heavy taxation of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the new ruler of Venice. Fortunately, the crisis did not last long: with the beginning of the new century, the art of Murano glass will return to its former glory.
The period of the early twentieth century was crossed by the artistic movement of Art Nouveau, better known in Italy as the Art Nouveau style. The renewed interest in Murano glass was also linked to the spread of this new artistic style: in fact, Art Nouveau will soon influence every existing art form, including the production of Murano glass.
However, it will be the exhibition at the 1914 Biennale to revive artistic creations in glass: in fact, artists such as Vittorio Toso Borella, Vittorio Zecchin, Salviati, Carlo Moretti and Seguso, the latter already honored by Gabriele D. ‘Announcement in his masterpiece “Il Fuoco” (1900).
A new glass factory, established in 1921, first established the role of artistic director: it was the Venini glass factory, known at the time as Cappellin & Venini, which chose master Vittorio Zecchin as artistic director. Venini was the first company to introduce this innovation, but the others soon followed suit.
In addition to the famous glass mosaic plates of 1914, the works of the master Zecchin in the following years were characterized by the lightness and transparency of the material, a trait that will also mark the artistic creations of Venini, which in the 1920s were worked with colored glass and transparent and then, in the 1930s, it came to pulegoso glass, or characterized by the inclusion of air bubbles (the puleghe), signed by the artist Napoleone Martinuzzi, artistic director of the company since 1931.
As a sign of the great resumption of Murano glass processing were the numerous collaborations of the artists with the glass productions of the time, such as Umberto Bellotto, Carlo Scarpa or Guido Cadorin. The participation of glass artists in exhibitions and biennials is also increasing.
The fortunate rebirth did not go through periods of crisis with the Second World War. The reinterpretation of Murano glass, its reinterpretation in the light of the changing times, remained constant. In the 1950s and 1960s, the techniques of submerged glass, composed of overlapping layers, by Flavio Poli, or heavy glass by Giulio Radi, stood out. Venini will instead make a recovery of traditional techniques, such as filigree, murrina and incalmo.
Born in more recent times, VDA Borella is part of the Murano glass processing for its innovations: the glass masters work the glass following the ancient millenary wisdom, model the most varied forms to give life to truly unique furnishing accessories . It is the combination with floral art, with stabilized roses and lichens, luxury flowers and plants, that gives the magic of nature to a design faithful to the traditional Murano glass art.
The article of Habitissimo about VDA Borella’s furnishing.
Furnishing your home is an operation that is done over time, with care, that is often done by collecting travel souvenirs, other times by instinctively choosing paintings, lamps, furnishing accessories that inspire our imagination. Sometimes we choose objects because they remind us of a place, at other times because we admire the colours, at other times we are struck by the intrinsic preciousness of some creations and we cannot but think of how much we would like to make our refinement our own.
This is what happens when you come across a product made with magical materials, such as Murano glass. The ancient art of glassmaking sees Murano as a chosen place. By purchasing these artifacts you bring home a piece of history and tradition, certain that you have also made a valuable purchase. Walking in the Venetian lagoon, especially in Venice, you can meet along the picturesque streets, small shops that still work glass or simply sell products made of this material according to the traditional method. It is interesting, especially for some craftsmen, to see how glass is declined in unexpected ways and ways, creating unusual, creative and extremely original objects. The bright colour and the most disparate subjects are turned into glass with such mastery as to leave the observer in bliss.
This is what happens when you look at wonderful stabilised vegetal frames made with Murano glass frame, stand-out creations of a company born in the 90’s in the Riviera del Brenta. An innovative and peculiar production, which can only be found in the lagoon and which has its roots in the history of venetian craftsmanship. Vetro da Amare is founded by Massimo Borella, who was born as an expert in floral art and with Vetro da Amare has declined over time and in exclusive and original ways flora with glass, bringing them both to a very high artistic level.
You can’t define them as just furnishing accessories. They are artistic creations that interpret some subjects dear to the company and that can be customised according to the order of the customer: clowns, court shoes, mirrors, hearts, vases, goblets, tableware and, last but not least, vegetal frames. We speak in detail of the latter, because they represent a unique production of its kind and it is peculiar and distinctive of the company.
Vegetal frames are the result of Borella’s love for plants and flowers. His art has been perfected to the point of transforming the material to give it a shape never seen before, resulting, in some ways, vaguely inspired by vertical gardens. Hanging nature on the wall was the main idea of the vegetal frames, offering the market a way of interpreting a completely new furnishing accessory.
Here is how a vegetal frame is born: first of all, it is crafted, because, like most of Vetro da Amare’s creations, it is made solely to order. Which is good because it turns out to be an exclusive and unique creation, which can be packaged according to specific requests. There are numerous plant species from which you can choose and which, thanks to the “stabilisation” technique, will become the subject of your painting. The most chosen plants are lichens and mosses, in the flat moss and polemoss varieties, roses and hydrangeas in great demand, up to eucalyptus leaves or the pepper plant. And then cork, branches of birch and hazel, cinnamon, ferns and slices of orange to complete the decoration. Everything can be framed with Murano glass frames or made of wood.
But how is a plant stabilised? Whether it is a rose or an eucalyptus leaf, the stabilisation allows the beauty of the vegetable not to wither, not to fade, to always show vivid colours, for a long, long time. By replacing water, as the sap needed to keep the plant alive, with a mixture of glycerine, the rose will remain a vivid colour, shiny and alive over time, set into the picture, furnishing the house like few other furnishing accessories can do.
How to recognize the authentic Murano glass.
Murano glass is an artistic material of great value. As a result of the skilled work of professional master glassmakers, keepers of an ancient, artisanal tradition handed down from one generation to the next, Murano glass has become the symbol of history and art of Venice since ancient times, as we saw in the previous articles.
In Murano, in Venice and in the neighbouring areas there are various furnaces and manufacturing of Murano glass artistic creations. Although it has existed for centuries, glass processing has not changed: despite the technological progress, the processing of this precious material has remained purely artisanal, and it is precisely by the skilled hands of masters that the vitreous material transforms into a work of art, guided by the masters’ creative flair.
It happens more and more often around the world to come across shops selling glass items pretending to be authentic Murano glass products. Murano glass is an artwork, born of hard artisanal work: peddling fakes for these artistic creations is degrading as well as offensive both for the professionalism of the masters glassmakers and for the tradition and history of Venice.
Here some tips on how to recognize the authentic Murano glass.
Pay attention to the price
Murano glass is a luxury item: it is not affordable for all budgets. A handcrafted and artistic creation in Murano glass has a price coherent with the production work. In addition to glass, the masters also use other precious materials for decorations, such as gold leaf, silver leaf, or platinum, which, like glass, have a very specific cost. It is therefore not possible for an object in Murano glass to cost a few euros: in this case it is clearly a matter of low style imitations.
Irregularities and imprecisions
Every creation in authentic Murano glass is unique and unparalleled because it is rigorously hand-made. Therefore, it is impossible to find two perfectly equal hand-made objects: very often, a Murano glass work has an irregular shape, imperfections or bubbles inside.
Certificate of authenticity
To protect Murano glass, the Veneto region has established an official collective mark that certifies the origin of glass products. The trademark Vetro Artistico® is legally recognized with the law n.70 of December 23rd 1994, and, since 2001, managed by the Consorzio Promovetro. However, many producers, including VDA Borella, independently certify their own creations precisely to guarantee a vast selection of Murano glass works; moreover, many artists have never participated in the consortium described above and many of their works, made before its foundation, do not bear the official mark. VDA Borella, like other self-employed artisans, for each product always issues a certificate of authenticity and origin that certifies its geographical origin and the high standards of craftsmanship.
The artistic creations of VDA Borella combine Murano glass with another luxury item, i.e. stabilised roses and lichen. These natural elements, protected by stabilisation, present a manufacturing process that requires the same patience and dedication as glass: indeed, as well as the glass, for these flowers and for these plants the price cannot be low. To protect its luxury creations, VDA Borella has registered the design that sees the union of Murano glass with stabilised roses as well as stabilised lichen, moss and other stabilised vegetal.
Have you understood how to recognize the authentic Murano glass? Take a look at our artistic collections.
The mise en place: how to lay the table with art
Always looking for the most exclusive novelties, VDA Borella launches a new line of products for laying a sophisticated table. Products different from the previous ones, but made with the same philosophy: the research for uniqueness.
At the tables of a restaurant, we rarely pay much attention to the mise en place, yet, nothing is left to chance, especially in the most refined events. Setting the table for a ceremony is not an easy combination of cutlery and plates, but it is a real art that can define the style and elegance of an event.
The rules for laying a beautiful table come from France: since the time of King Louis XIV, there is indeed a definite table etiquette that we still consider a reference model today.
The tablecloth must be in the right shade, the dishes must be aligned about 3 or 5 centimeters from the edge, each guest should have around 80 centimeters of space available. What about the cutlery?
There are different ways to arrange cutlery: French style, with forks on the left and knives on the right, according to the order of use from the outside to the inside; Italian style, with knives on the left and forks on the right. Naturally, there is no more correct solution than the other: it involves different styles of conceiving the aesthetics of the cutlery.
The design of the VDA Borella’s cutlery rests is intended for the most sophisticated events: Setting the table on Christmas with a square cutlery rest and real stabilized red roses that house a knife or fork. Surprise friends at dinner by setting the table with a hand-decorated Murano glass accessory.
Or laying a table for an appetizer with an original Murano glass complement, supplemented by gold and platinum inserts and real stabilized roses with customizable color.
These are some solutions to lay the table with etiquette. Our products, with customizable colors for the roses, will give a touch of exclusivity and glow to events such as the table for Christmas, the table for refreshments, for baptisms, confirmations, graduations, or any other ceremony.
The real stabilized roses, which distinguish our table accessories, are set with skill and passion by our florists, satisfying the requests and desires of our customers with the choice of the color of the roses, making everything up in an exemplary packaging for exclusive and personal wedding favors.
The Phoenix: the reborning art
Among the most recent Murano glass mirrors of our collection, Fenice is for sure the most preacious creation.
Result of our skillful master artisans’ wise work, Fenice unites art of glass and a lovely lichens and stabilized moss arrangement, that turns this masterpiece into a truly innovative piece of furniture.
With this creation, we’ve chosen to honor an excellence of our city, the Phoenix, opera theatre and brilliant example of Venice’s beautiful architecture.
La Fenice Theatre is the principal opera theatre in Venice and one of the most beautiful theatres in Italy. Built between 1790 and 1792 on a project by the neoclassical architect Giannantonio Selva, the Theatre is situated in Sestriere of San Marco, in Campo San Fantin.
Its building raised many controversies, in particular about the huge expenses that surpassed a lot the amount expected in project site. Despite all, the theatre was inaugurated on the 16th of May 1792, during the Festa della Sensa, with the first show of “I giuochi d’argento” by Giovanni Paisiello.
Throughout the 19th century, La Fenice theatre distinguished itself for its prestige: it has been seat of various first representations of operas by the most famous Italian musicians, such as Gioachino Rossini, Vincenzo Bellini and Giuseppe Verdi.
In particular, the first of the Rigoletto in 1851 and the first of La Traviata in 1853 were premeried, this latter loudly whistled by the public. The theatre also hosted royal visitors like Napoleone Bonaparte in 1807, Austria and Hungary emperors Francesco Giuseppe and his wife Elisabetta in 1859, and the king of Italy Emanuele III, who met here in 1895 his future wife, the princess Elena di Montenegro.
The theatre continued also in the next century to be home to great successes of international artists like Igor Stravinskij, Sergej Prokofiev, Luigi Nono, Mauricio Kagel, Bruno Maderna.
During its existence, La Fenice theatre burned down two times in 1836 and in 1996, and then it resurrected from its ashes, omen nomen, both times. If the first burning almost entirely destroyed the theatre saving just the entrance and the outer walls, the second one was intentional and it committed firemen all night.
Thanks to artisans’ and conservators’ intervention, the beautiful stuccoes and gilding have been fixed and recretaed in an almost identical way to the original ones.
The new theatre’s renaissance was celebrated with an entire week of concerts, from the 14th to the 21st of December 2003, seven years after the tragic fire.
Gold creations: a tale of the most authentic art.
VDA Borella’s gold decorations are the result of a gifted artist who, with talent and devotion, embellishes Murano glass items, communicating emotions.
Gold decorations, jewel in the crown of VDA Borella, are entrusted to the skilled hands of a master decorator. The experience, talent and passion of this artisan contribute to the creation of breathtakingly dedications and decorations.
Each step of the creative magic is achieved with passion and the utmost attention: with deft, sinuous movements, the master writes on the chosen item the words of a dedication, that speak of love and gratitude.
For this specific step, the most suitable technique is the liquid 24 carat gold: transformed into a liquid state, the gold, bend to the master’s will, tell a precious story, like in the graceful Murano glass Hearts.
With meticulous and accurate movements, the artisan complete every detail of the decoration, with the same devotion dedicated to a masterpiece. For our creations, the master uses fusible enamels fired into the “muffola” furnace (“mufoea” in venetian dialect), once the creation is done, and 24 carat Gold leaf.
Vda Borella’s gold decorations require precise, refined and secrets techniques that only a skillful and expert artisan, holder of a centuries-old knowledge, can take full advantage, with a craftsmanship worthy of an authentic work of art.
VDA Borella’s decorative art represents only one of the various main strengths that make these creations unique: to know more about our strenghts, read the articles about stabilised roses and Murano glass production.
When safety embraces elegance: the elegant tailor-made packaging by VDA Borella
An artwork demands an appropriate package: beautiful and, above all, safe and strong. However, when it comes to shipping, it is not easy to find the perfect solution that guarantees both of these features.
Because of the exceptional fragility of Murano glass and stabilised roses, VDA Borella studied the perfect solution to send your purchase in total security and elegance.
What are the advantages of our packages?
Safety
Our packages have been developed and tested in order to guarantee a safe shipment to your purchase.
Each box features twin protective layers: first, the product is encased in a custom-formed polystyrene shell, which holds the arrangement in place; secondly, this shell itself is placed in a triple-wall cardboard box and packed with more polystyrene.
This solution does not damage the roses.
The beauty
We decided to stand out from the crowd not just for the value and the originality of the products but for the details too. One of these is the look of our packaging.
A high quality item can’t be delivered covered by sheets of newspaper or in a polystyrene box. Our package resembles the fancy box of an engagement ring, entirely covered by velvet.
A pleasant memory
Once the purchase is received, the packaging is quickly forgetten. With our boxes, this won’t happen for sure.
As soon as you will receive your order, you will be amazed by the beauty of both the product and the box.
A tale of art and luxury: stabilised roses and the finest materials
Stabilised roses are real flowers that, thanks to stabilisation, preserve their beauty untouched for years, as if it were protected by an elixir of eternal youth. It is precisely stabilisation the reason why they are the most precious flowers everyone might wish for: a lover wants them as a gift, as a symbol of eternal love, while a professional uses them for his own artistic creations.
This particular type of roses, long-lasting thanks to stabilisation, guarantees to the creative genius of the skilled artists to craft delightful decorative works with the most varied materials. VDA Borella’s professionals, masters in floral art since thirty years, know all the secrets to glorify the splendour of these magic roses with the finest and luxurious materials: Murano glass and gold.
Murano glass
The combination of roses and Murano glass makes the essence of VDA Borella. It is a creative, original and traditional union at the same time, capable of bringing together two classical beauties into one, fancy and revolutionary creation. Murano glass, crown jewel of the venetian craftsmanship, is one of the most valuable glass varieties in the world.
Born by the painstaking work of highly qualified master glassmakers, dedicated to its manufacturing in the furnaces, the quality of this material is enhanced by the union with charming roses.
VDA Borella’s catalogue provides many examples of artistic creations made with the two elements, such as vases or mirrors.
Pure gold leaf
Among all VDA Borella’s beautiful artistic creations, Provenza frame stands out for its incredible beauty: emblem of VDA Borella’s luxury crafts, Provenza is made of refined Obeche wood and embellished with 23.3 carat gold leaf, crafted and mold by the skilled hands of a talented master frame-maker, in order to receive in it a painting or a mirror.
A work whose remarkable value is intensified with a delightful composition of stabilised roses that, together with pure gold leaf, transforms it into a masterpiece.
Precious flowers like stabilised roses need both noble elements to celebrate their beauty and some attentions in order to preserve the enchantment which keeps them young.
