Calabria through an artist's eye

click to go to the source
(click on the photograph to go to the source)


"Sono una fotografa per caso" - she is a photographer by accident, describes Anna Leporati Serrao (before aka pannaphotos) herself at flickr.

I am totally fascinated by her pictures - photos that sometimes look like paintings.

The above picture "gazing at the see" is taken by Anna near the piazza in Pizzo. I screen captured it... I hope this is okay with the artist (click on the photo to go back to the source).

In her photo set "SUD" at flickr you will find some more gems of Calabria's beauty and charme. I marked some of Anna's work as my favorites of flickr.

(source: Anna Leporati Serrao via flickr)

Iron Furniture

daybed in Aix-en-Provence, France via Shootfactory UK
Wrought iron furniture is furniture made by bending, shaping, and welding wrought iron. It has a long history, dating back to Roman times (source: wikipedia)

There is almost no French country home or Tuscan farm house without an iron bed.
I do like their romantic charm !


bed with baldacchina by Caporali
bed in Tuscan villa via Shootfactory UK
several wrought iron beds


Other popular iron wrought furniture and accessories are chairs, tables, shelves, lamps and coat racks. Here a small selection:






Wrought iron work is predestinated for outdoor use of course. I like iron chairs in gardens, so often seen in French parks with white or green finish. And not to forget the beautiful pergolas by Unopiu which offer us shade in hot summers:

iron chair with heart design




Photo source:
1) shootfactory (UK)
2), 3) Caporali (Italy)
4) shootfactory (UK)
5) unknown
6),7) Caporali
8), 9) unknown
10) Caporali
11), 12), 13) Unopiu


Address/links:
*
Caporali
Enzo Caporali, Santa Mama, 110 Arezzo Italia +39 0575 487033
*
Unopiu
*
shootfactory
*

mixed wrought iron works and some before and after pics


Even if I risk to bore you with my posts about wrought iron, I need to post one more time about that subject. I need to summarize for us what we have at our Italian home so far. There are a lot of different designs, but also patterns that are repeated. Above an older sketch of mine and below some pictures:

BEFORE : my favorite - in the appartment for guests.


AFTER : this rail needed to be higher for saftey reasons. The craftsman repeated the "S" style that we have allover the house. (I liked it right away when I saw this picture for the first time. But in comparison with the old before picture I realised the modification and would have prefered it more simple. - And the windows, inside white outside brown is another subject... Yeah, I am difficult, sorry. I should not complain with such a view!!!)


BEFORE : the facade and its windows and balconies with different wrought iron before the renovation


AFTER : the facade after renovation (with colored plaster) - the balcony rails are painted black and the windows got new iron grids which repeat elements of the arch over the main entrance and the "S" from two of the balconies.

Better details in the next pictures:





BEFORE and AFTER : renovation in progress, the old rail on the left was replaced by the rail on the right (already by the pre-owner)


The new rail is not only used for the balcony in the first floor (piano terra) but also for the garden floor (semiinterrato) where we will have the appartment for our guests (small left picture).



This is another tiny seaside balcony. I have no information about its renovation, wheather it is just painted black or if it was adjusted to the other balconies
by adding
some "S" like these ...
... to become
like this:




On the inside of the house we do have iron stairways railing, again with some "S" design






On the left is the craftman's drawing, the proposal for our garden doors. And we decided to do it that way and not as I have posted before.
No scrolls, no "S". Just classic and save.