Introducing Moonlight – A Luxurious New Modern Pendant Light from Aldo Bernardi

Introducing Aldo Bernardi’s New Modern Moonlight Pendant with Luxurious Shades Finished in Precious Metals

MOON3.GF  Moonlight pendant with gold leaf interior finish. 

Aldo Bernardi is known for his rich and rustic living finishes. He is broadening his personal style by bringing a modern, new look to his design repertoire using steel instead of his traditional brass and copper for his Moonlight series of pendants. Moonlight is the first fixture from Aldo Bernardi’s modern body of work to be introduced in 2013.

Three Shade Reflector Options

The Moonlight features a hemispherical aged steel shade coated with a semi-opaque shellac to slow the natural aging process of the finish.  The shade reflector is available finished in silver, gold, or bronze leaf.

Three Shade Sizes

Moonlight is available in three shade diameter sizes  19 1/2″, 28 1/4″ and 35 1/2″.  The overall height of the pendant needs to be specifed at the time the order is placed.

Energy Efficient

Moonlight pendants support energy efficient light bulbs like LED, Fluorescent and Incandescent bulbs with an E26 medium base. As is true with all of Aldo Bernardi’s lighting, each piece is crafted using handmade processes.

As seen in Architectural Digest! 

The Moonlight pendant, MOON2.SF, the medium-sized pendant from the series with a silver leaf shade was featured in Architectural Digest, March 2013, on pg. 52 under Discoveries and online in March’s Most Wanted Home Furnishings and Accessories. 

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The Opere Collection: La Traviata

by Morgan Sheets

The backside of a La Traviata record.
Photo copyright – hansthijs

In the new Aldo Bernardi Opere collection of  “Le Magie dell’ Elefante”, each light fixture or family of light fixtures is named after an opera composed by either Verdi or Puccini. Today, I am going to highlight one of the most beloved opera’s, La Traviata.

La Traviata was written by Giuseppe Verdi and set to an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave.  Translated, the title literally means The Fallen Woman or Woman Who Goes Astray.  It is based on the French play, La dame aux Camelias, adapted from the novel by Alexandre Dumas.

The Camelia flower.
Photo copyright – Renata_Pancich

This three act opera was first performed on March 6, 1853 at the La Fenice opera house in Venice.  Initially, due to an unpopular casting choice for the singer playing Violetta the opera was not well received.   The displeased audience led Verdi to wonder whether it was his poor writing or the ill cast Violetta that was to blame.  Thus, the opera went into revisions and emerged a few years later to much acclaim.  Today, it is one of the most popular and second most performed operas worldwide (according to Operabase).

The main character of the story is Violetta, a famed courtesan from Paris who lives a life of leisure, and though she is courted by a Baron she maintains her independence and freedom and has never fallen “victim” to love.  This all changes as Alfredo, a friend of a local count, professes his love and devotion to Violetta as well as his concern for her fragile state of health.  Initially, she turns him away because she is unwilling to give up her current lifestyle and fears that fate will only thwart her love and happiness.  However, she soon changes her mind as Alfredo’s advances seep into her heart and she decides that the prospect of a sincere and true love is worth giving everything away for and risking the pain and devastation of another dissapointment in her life. For those who have not seen this opera I do not want to give away too much.  Just know that it is a story of love found, lost, and regained.

An ode to Violetta
(note: that was not the original concept for this photo, simply this usage)
Photo copyright – Morgan Sheets/J.Escalante

I had the pleasure of seeing this opera performed last Friday by the Indianapolis Opera at Clowes Hall.   Since we’ve released this line of lighting I’ve been very intrigued by the opera’s themselves and finding a connection between the light fixtures and the opera’s which they were named after.   I’m still a bit unclear about these connections and if they truly exist but in my musings I have noticed a few resemblances.  For one thing,  the shades of the Aldo Bernardi La Traviata series of lights seems to mimic the petal of the Camelia flower.  Also, the gently sloping curve of the shade is reminiscent of the style of the dress highlighted in the opera which accentuates and gently exaggerates the curve of a woman’s hips.  In my eyes, Aldo Bernardi is similar to Verdi as well.  Although his lighting has been widely successful in Europe and has received accolades, I don’t think his genius has truly been recognized yet.  I see this timeless and classic yet forever modern family of La Traviata sconces  as withstanding the test of  time just the same as the opera that it has taken its name from.

LAR 178 – La Traviata – Aldo Bernardi sconce

LAR 179 – La Traviata – Aldo Bernardi sconce

LAR 180 – La Traviata – Aldo Bernardi sconce

LAR 181 – La Traviata – Aldo Bernardi sconce

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In the Press : New Aldo Bernardi Collection Le Magie ‘dell Elefante

by Morgan Sheets

We quietly released the new Aldo Bernardi collection Le Magie ‘dell Elefante this spring and it has been very well received.   Thank goodness for the warm and sunny welcome because this gray and gloomy Spring weather was dampening our spirits.

The new Le Magie ‘dell Elefante collection is a casual take on Aldo Bernardi’s classic collection with the same farmhouse modern meets rustic chic feel.  The line is a great solution for the current demand of sophisticated yet relaxed comfort in the luxury market.

Like all Aldo Bernardi lighting, Le Magie dell’ Elefante  is designed and manufactured in a small village located northwest of Venice, Italy, in an area renowned for its traditional artisan cottage industries. Le Magie offers everything expected of Aldo Bernardi products: top quality, designs that blend the past with the present need for practicality, versatility, and handcrafted manufacturing but it comes at a more economical price point, which allows for stretching today’s tight budgets. All pieces have been adapted for use in the North American market.

Le Magie dell’ Elefante consists of three collections: Alba (daybreak), Punti di Luce (bright spots) and Opere (opera’s). Mythically, the elephant has been a symbol of wisdom, strength, reliability and longevity and this new casual lighting line by Bernardi reflects these merits with its durability and steadfastness.

This collection is NOT on our website yet, but you can give us a call and we’ll happily send you a catalogue.  Visit our site for contact info – www.carolollier.com.

I could go on and on about how fabulous this new line is but I’ll let the press and blog love speak for itself. 🙂

Happy Spring!  Oh, and you can join us on Facebook and Twitter now too!

January 2011 – Contract Design

March 2011 – Pond Trade Magazine

March 2011 –  Kitchen and Bath Business Magazine

April 2011 – Blissful B Blog – I heart Mondays

May 2011 – Elle Decor

April 2011 – Just Luxe Blog

“Light is not so much something that reveals as it is itself the revelation”. – James Turrell

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The Modern Traditionalist – Aldo Bernardi keeps traditions alive

by Aak Lengkeek

 

What does it mean to be a modern traditionalist?

We would define traditions as the specific manners that people who are regionally, ethnically, professionally or organizationally connected, use consistently to meet their needs or cope with demands in their environment. Traditions develop in the ways people grow and prepare their food, dress, socialize, dance, build their houses, develop skills etc. etc.

Traditions often have a local or temporal flavor because they are developed at a certain time or under certain local conditions, like the availability of specific resources, knowledge and technology. Typical of traditions is that they are shared by a number of people who are connected through blood ties, boundaries, the area they live in, the values and ideologies they endorse. We speak of family traditions, local traditions, national traditions. Traditions are the habits of a group or collective and as such express and reflect common characteristics, traits, perceptions,and skills and often have a normative side:”this is how it should be done”.

They give the people who share them a sense of control, security, familiarity, belongingness and even a sense of identity. People recognize themselves and set themselves apart from others by their traditions.This is probably the reason why people tend to hang on to traditions when conditions (times, boundaries, resources, values, technology) change. Even as the conditions that gave rise to certain traditions cease to exist, traditions often continue and start to lead a life of their own: we call them “timeless”, or “classic” or identify them as a particular style: the French Cuisine; a  Louis XV piece of furniture; a “Victorian” house; “la methode campenoise” for making sparkling wine, and with exposure they often acquire international or mondial appreciation or recognition. Traditions tend to elicit a feel of familiarity and even nostalgia.

The concept of “quality” is closely related to the concept of tradition, because traditions often have been handed down the generations, have been tried and been proven to work and be effective. Tradional products tend to have durabilty; have been designed and manufactured in times where people took the time for refinement and attention to detail.

In the case of architecture and interiors we consider any dwelling that represents a certain time, region, method or distinct style a traditional home.

A good example of how traditions can keep enriching our lives without returning to the times in which they were developed, is the tradition-based design of  Aldo Bernardi’s Italian lighting: the designs are based on local resources (metal and white ceramic) and cottage industries as well as on the fuel (gas) used for lighting in a past era in Northern Italy. This gives the fixtures a distinct “look” that elicits associations with everything connected with traditions: familiarity, durability, quality, attention to detail . Within that general “look” or “feel”, created by materials and components used in gas fueled lamps or in the first electrial lamps, the manufacturer has made room for technological innovations and innovations in design that make his collections both “timeless” and versatile. While clearly distinct, they tend to adapt to the environment in which they are used.

For your own judgment: please visit our website @www.carolollier.com

 

Travel Diary #1 – La Prima Giorno

By Carol Faenzi

Siamo Arrivati (We have arrived)
26 Febbraio – Venerdi

The Autostrada A1 – Milano per Venezia

Grey fog, drizzle and brief interludes of clearing skies surround our silver Micra rental car, every square inch of real estate within filled with body and “bagali”….sleepy and hungry, we miss the first AutoGrill, the excellent fast food nation of Italia, but look for the next big “A”, slowing our speed on to the ramp as a sign, and only one, announces its location.

(Italians give you either one sign or one thousand to direct you to places as we experience many other times this day.)

The foamy cappuccino opens our eyes and senses. The speed at which it is served and the comfort it offers satisfies completely and one has to wonder why Delta aka Alitalia cannot make coffee stronger than bland dishwater. The three panini we order in wax paper is a blend of melted ingredients that says, “si, this is fast food, but is so Italian and so very good” – prosciuitto di parma, rucola, mozzarella di bufala. We again wonder why can’t the USA manage to make anything close to this along the interstate system? Viva l’AutoGrill!

We make our way back on to the autostrada and industry is all around us with a grandissimo “I”. There is no way to number how many factories we pass emblazoned proudly with the Italian giants of industry – great and mostly monstrous monuments to the north’s industrial legacy. “This is the Italy that is hard at work!” it reminds us.

This goes on for many kilometri and we begin to wonder when we will see Bella Italia. Glimpses poke through the landscape, ancient ruins of things long forgotten or looked after but beautiful reminders of life before BMWs and Audis could cruise at 200 kmph and before huge semis from all over Europe charged through the countryside. These shambles stand witness like ancestors to a distant past. We look at them and our hearts go out to them past the glass and steel facades of modern business, blurring them in our vision.

As we drive past Brescia, I see the expansive vineyards of Franciacorta. My plane companion from Atlanta to Milano, Mauro, is the international sales manager for Franciacorta. (He fell in love with and married the owner’s daughter, assuring also his livelihood, a not unusual thing to happen in Italy to keep the business in the family and I briefly fantasized that I will fall in love with the hotel owner’s son and live happily in Italy for the rest of my life.)

Bella Italia begins to emerge and the incredible curvature of the town of Soave is distant against hills yet unmistakeable. The walls of Soave look to me like a slice of honeydew melon turned downwards.

We fly by Verona prompting brief thoughts of Romeo, Juliet and grand opera. I would love to see Aida performed in the grand arena, elephants and all. As they say here, la prossima volta, next time.

We come next to Vicenza and Palladio whispers to us…I answer, yes, Andrea, we will see you at your villa this weekend.

The sighs now come deeply and frequently as we make turns through Bassano del Grappa. It is a stunning place and we find ourselves on roundabouts one after the other, again at the mercy of the Italian signage system. We search in vain for “Asolo”, the next town of any size and where Paderna del Grappa will be found in between.

We fly through the streets, impatient Italians in Fiats bearing down on us, but Carol in sure command of our vessel and her instincts on where to turn give us wonderful encounters with terraced villas. We find the place where someone in charge of signage thought, “oh, we should probably include Asolo in this bunch of signs to help those poor lost people who are trying to drive and read maps at the same time.” Grazie!

It is still grey and drizzling, but we are enamored with what is on land at the moment, not the sky. Every curve in the road is lined with le belle case, grande e piccole (beautiful houses, great and small), i negozi (shops) full of ceramics, pastries and furniture, i ristoranti , menus and tables spilling out on to sidewalks, cafes ready to serve espresso on a moment’s desire, the Italian moda di vita and we are ready to plunge in.

We pass the Aldo Bernardi commune, the red shutters standing out from the mostly brown and green that adorn other places. We arrive at our albergo, San Giacomo suddenly, and on a dime. Paderna del Grappa does not show up on a map, so we are here, now.

We check in and rest for a few hours, che divina to sleep for a while. My room is 110 and fortunately the window opens up looking on to the mountains. The patches of fog that move over and around the snowy top are like veils and as the sky clears, the clouds become puffy and seem to both absorb and reflect light I take a series of photos as the sky changes and sleep in between.

We sit outside the hotel bar as it is mild in the chill of the night. We open our first bottle of prosecco, wine that is part of the local agriculture, as we recall moments of our day’s journey. The chill of the wine and its bubbles match the coldness of the air, and the result is warmth and pleasure.

It is seven, late enough to go to the nearby pizzeria. The sky is now clear and we walk the short distance under an almost full moon. It seems Carol and Aak have enjoyed this place before and it is comforting to see the same people working there as the last time. It seems there are 100 types of pizza on the menu. Carol and I crave ricotta and ask for it to be added to the Compagna – pomodori, bufala di mozzarella e basilico. Aak orders the Quattro Stagione and the four seasons arrive in the form of prosciutto crudo, funghi, artichokes (carciofi) and black olives. We share the large but thin slices of heaven until the plates are clean, enjoyed with a bottle of local cabernet. We started the meal with an insalata di rucola, their tiny sprouts very strong and sweet and we ate a huge bowl of it, agreeing that it has to be the best leaf on earth. Tutto buonissimo.

A second wave of fatigue comes over us in our sated condition and we walk back to San Giacomo. The stars are bright now and we discuss Italian movies. The moon reminds us of Moonstruck.

Guarda la luna!