BRING YOUR STYLE HOME SUMMER 2015

plus, the latest from...

“SHOPHOUSE”domino’s first-ever

BLOSSOMSbold, beautiful

lucy sykesthom filiciacharlotte moss

renos that don’t break the bank

the makeover issue!

Katie Lee catches some rays at her Hamptons hideaway  

cool summer styles

Pratesi’s Egyptian cotton is especially dyed to match the

company’s custom color chart.

photographs by BRITTANY AMBRIDGE text by CAROLINE BIGGS

pratesi’s luxurious linensdomino gets schooled in the fashioning of fine Italian bedding.

in studio

cream of the cropFor more than a century, Pratesi has served as the gold standard of elite linens. In 1906, Remigio Pratesi set up shop in the Tuscan town of Vinci, creating exquisitely handmade bedclothes by reclaiming time-honored traditions of tailoring and embroidery. Today, the company has a global reputation, with brick-and-mortar shops located throughout the world. From the beginning, Pratesi has been a family business. And now, three generations later, Remigio’s great-grandson Federico and his wife, Gaia, oversee the company’s creative headquarters outside Florence. There, a devoted staff of designers, weavers, and embroiderers crafts linens like haute couture—by hand, and with a level of care that’s not of this century. “Our in-house artists operate with the full support of our family,” says Gaia. “When I work with them, it’s very clear to me what our company’s greatest asset is.”

photographs by BRITTANY AMBRIDGE text by CAROLINE BIGGS

domino.com78 SUMMER 2015

decorating

Next, individual silk screens are created for each color represented in a design. When printing begins, every screen is meticulously registered by the millimeter (by Fabio, head of the printing department) to ensure consistency.

The process begins in Pratesi’s Creation Department, where the components of each pattern are hand-sketched and painted by designers such as Lucilla.

During the screen-printing process, colors are applied by hand, one at a time.

the process

Those illustrations are then artfully pieced together to create unique designs.

Then, in one of the most delicate phases of the production process, Rossana cuts each sheet, towel, and pillowcase by hand.

Once each color is printed and has dried, the fabric is carefully checked, yard by yard, for textural flaws or defects.

Gaia Pratesi gives us a guided tour!

Other pieces are scalloped by Ornella, who wears protective iron gloves while operating the cutting machine.

domino.com SUMMER 2015 81domino.com80 SUMMER 2015

decorating

Here, Donata (an artisanal tulle cutter) trims lace with a laser.

Finally, the finished designs are ironed by hand and readied for Pratesi’s discerning clientele.

Next, each piece is finished according to design specifications. In some cases, the fabric is meticulously embroidered.

Vivaio sham, pratesi.com

DOMINO.COM

domino.com82 SUMMER 2015