“Meridiane” means “sundials” in Italian. It is also the name of the new collection of home accessories from LATOxLATO, the design studio founded by Virginia Valentini and Francesco Breganze de Capnist. This 100% Italian-made design celebrates the art and architecture of the Bel Paese through accessories, furnishings, and design objects. The Meridiane collection is inspired by the sundials that decorate the façades of numerous Italian palaces and villas. The sundial is a truly ancient instrument, measuring the passage of time by way of the shadow cast by a tall central pin (the gnomon) on a painted horizontal or vertical surface.Now Virginia Valentini’s and Francesco Breganze de Capnist’s catalog of tributes to classical and Renaissance Italian architecture has an impressive new entry in “Meridiane.” The metaphysical echoes of their earlier collections of vases and candelabras here return decisively in the decoration of these new pieces, becoming their defining characteristic. Here the shadows are not projected but are an indelible design on the white ceramic surface of the objects. Along with the volumes and geometric lines borrowed from architectural forms, they further emphasize the unique and precious character of each piece.
