Atelier Terre

In Florence, Arianne Palla and Philip Kron Morelli perpetuate a rare art inherited from the Medici: commesso fiorentino, a technique of hard stone marquetry that combines meticulous craftsmanship with perfect illusion.

At Atelier Terre, they reinterpret this heritage with a contemporary eye, allowing the design to emerge from the material rather than imposing itself on it. Each piece is born from an intimate dialogue with the stone. Natural nuances guide the line, veins become compositions, textures dictate the rhythm. Thanks to manual cutting with emery wire, the joints disappear and the patterns seem to be painted by nature itself.

The duo works with over 150 varieties of stone — Sicilian jasper, Volterra chalcedony, imperial porphyry — which they sometimes collect personally. Their creations span a variety of fields, from jewellery and decoration to complex sculptural objects, where lightness is born of density.

Committed to a bespoke approach, they accompany each order from design to manufacture, with a demand for excellence inherited from their training in conservation and restoration. •

photos : © Nicolò Panzeri • Bougainvillier © Lucy Plato Clark • © Nicolò Panzeri