A bright and colourful treasure..

We really wanted to share an incredible find with you, the stunning Castello di Sammezzano located in Regello, near Florence. What made it an extra special discovery is that the castle is only open to the public a handful of times each year with no fixed dates. Unfortunately its future is a little uncertain and local organisations are trying to save the building from falling to ruin. We were extremely lucky to be in the right place at the right time and therefore got to explore its magic last year. Its colourful interiors were very much an inspiration for some of the coloured glassware in our own collection (its hard not to be inspired by this place!!) and the workmanship an indisputable reminder of the incredible beauty artisans have been able to create through time and continue doing so today.

This amazing building was originally bought by Edward Ximenes Cavalier Ferdinand of Aragon in 1605.  The Castle as we see it today, however, is thanks to Nicholas Panciatichi, heir of Ximenes who in the1800s decided to turn the villa into something really rather special! 

Panciatichi was a great admirer of Arab culture and architecture and despite never having travelled to the arab world for himself, he based his vision on tales and images brought to him by the many foreign visitors he had to stay at his home. In fact the outside structure of the villa recalls the Taj Mahal yet is entirely decorated using terracotta, while the inside halls, decorated with intricate white and coloured stucco, are inspired by the Alhambra in Granada.

The thing which amazed us most about this incredible location however was the fact that local artisans from all over the area, who had probably never read or seen pages from exotic arab books or gone further afield than the capital city of the region, were capable of undertaking the job of reproducing Arab design and architecture with incredible attention to detail using stucco and terracotta.  

If you're interested in finding out more about the history of this incredible building and its surrounding park or when it's open to visitors you can use this link http://www.sammezzano.org.  As unfortunately the website is in Italian some google translate action may be required! If we find out any upcoming opening days we'll post them on our facebook page. Do tell us what you think of this fascinating building and we hope you get the opportunity to visit. 

For the love of vintage..

What makes vintage so enticing? Pieces from bygone eras have always been sought after but now more than ever we see them featured across the pages of interiors magazines. In an age where so much of what we are surrounded by is massed produced we think it's only natural that people are being drawn towards hard to find, sometimes unique pieces, which give them the freedom to better reflect their personality and style.

In our own homes, we both have vintage treasures acquired over time which we feel speak about who we are and have therefore become essential elements in our decor.  From the very outset, therefore, we knew that vintage, upcyled and reloved pieces would have to be part of our online collection. 

G&M on one of our many treasure hunts! 

This Italian, Ico Parisi style console table was a great find as its gorgeous contours will blend beautifully into any decorative style yet still make a classic statement.

For a great splash of colour (one we at G&M love!), this lamp in turquoise resin with contrasting lamp shade was an irresistible must!

Our magazine rack equipt with metal ashtray is the perfect accessory for any living space.

A fabulously chic Italian, Richard Ginori espresso set!

Our cinema seats have been such a talking point and being both confortable and stylish means you need not compromise!

Incredibly practical and a great multi tasker, we love this upcycled metal crate with crafted wooden top.

Vintage yet very contemporary style, our Ico Parisi style glass top coffee table is right on track with this year's metallic trend.  

This is truly the perfect tea set in gorgeous green with gold detail. For us, it was love at first sight!

So whether it's a timeless design console table or an upcycled storage metal crate, through the "ageing" process, each piece aquires character, familiarity, a story and that loved look which pulls at your heartstrings and begs to be brought home!

A reminder warmer days are on their way...

With the change of season and the natural world reawakening in colour after a long winter, we can't help but get excited by the sight of the first daffodils, budding camelias or fruit trees in blossom.  We can never really get enough of inspiring pictures of their delicate colour, their detailed petals and overall beauty that let us know that despite the chill in the air, warmer days are on their way. We've therefore put together a selection of our favourite pics taken in our gardens so far this season alongside some of our collection at G&M to share that Spring feeling!

With delicate wild flowers and leaves in her hair, our Alpine Beauty would look stunning next to a vase full of fresh blooms and will undoubtedly add the ultimate decorative touch to any room by bringing the essence of Spring indoors. 

Vintage Mouth Blown Damigiana - Ginger & Mora

Because good food deserves good tableware...

If you read our first post on this blog, then you'll know one of our big loves is food. Everything about it really, from looking up recipes, sourcing fresh ingredients, the preparation and of course the eating of it! Without a doubt though, the best part of all is sharing delicious food around the table with friends and family. Nothing quite tops that, so it was with these occasions in mind that we decided to create our own tableware range as soon as we set up Ginger & Mora. We are so excited that it will be available on our virtual shelves just in time for Spring!

We have collaborated with such talented artisans in creating this range and have loved watching them at work. The time and skill that goes into creating each piece in the set is amazing and we feel it is only right to share with you some of the incredible work that goes on behind the scenes. 

With the Fiore tableware range, we have brought together quality, creativity and the uniqueness of a hand made product to make every meal a special moment. Each plate in the range has a different edge and when used together create a gorgeous mismatched effect. We love their elegance and style but were resolute not to create something that had to be "saved for best"..life's too short for all that! We are delighted to say therefore that the whole range is microwave and dishwasher safe!  

As part of the Fiore range we created this beautiful serving bowl perfect for dishing up tasty salads, pasta or anything else you fancy!

  Our Fiore tableware range, exclusively hand made and hand painted for G&M, will be available to order from April 10th.