Drawing inspiration and imagery from our upcoming Collection II: Into the Woods, artist Nichole Bjornstad Smith created a series of three paintings in our signature collection colorways.  

 

Trompe l'oeil, French for "deceive the eye," was especially popular in Renaissance Italy. Artists employed the technique as a cost-saving measure to imitate the appearance of marble, wood, and decorative plaster architectural details in churches. Masters like Mantegna and Correggio painted ceilings to look like they were open to the sky & heavens, complete with airborne angels, saints, and joyful putti. Alessandra was surrounded by trompe l'oeil while growing up in Rome, and today likes to sneak a hint of it into every room she designs.

Alessandra sets tables with the same spirit as she designs rooms - and her life! Always fun and never too formal, she loves to mix old and new, different cultures and multiple textures while playing with color.

Decorating a room is a little like making a pasta sauce—you have to balance the design just as you would balance the flavors.

Red is exuberant. Some scientists think it’s the first color we "see" in the womb, but the fun doesn’t stop there! Everyone looks wonderful in a red room. Your skin glows. An instant lift! Chinese red, Pompeian red, American-flag red…so many cultures have embraced it, and they can't all be wrong! Alessandra has rarely done a home without a touch of red. It sparks up a room and gives it life. But if you’re wary of color, pick out just one element, like the lampshades or the pillows, to introduce a pop.

Prompted by the idea of creative exploration during a time of limited physical and social connection, Casa Branca engaged three Los Angeles based photographers to shoot collection fabrics and dishware using an unconventional approach to traditional product photography.

Giant grids with colorful circles make formal living rooms more comfortable - and a little more fun! Katie Brickman Powell paints bold shapes in bright colors on whitewashed wood boards. She opts for wood over canvas because of its hardiness, imperfections, knots, the way it ages, and the beautiful grain lines that peek through the paint.

Cestino is based off of the Nantucket basketweave. We have adapted the design for new applications and a subtle visual pun. Equally at home with contemporary art, floral prints, and striking white leather, it can be organic or graphic, depending on its use.