La Vendemmia, 2016La Vendemmia, 2016 VENINI e VALLE DELL’ACATE Giovedì 6 Ottobre Via Monte Napoleone, 10 MILANO View AllBRERA DESIGN DAYS 2016Timeless Design Carl Hansen & Søn and Venini tell their story Showroom Carl Hansen & […] View AllPAOLO VENINI E LA SUA FORNACEExhibition PAOLO VENINI E LA SUA FORNACE a cura di Marino Barovier Fondazione GIORGIO CINI […] Mid-century Murano glass revival Helping You Source Inspired Lighting! * MORE INFO HERE > The best of the rest Our Message to you Back in 2003, our family run business launched the first Italian lighting collection to those who appreciate the finest quality lighting. The "Made in Italy" marque means so much to us because it encompasses the values that are important to you and to us: Excellence in design, innovation and quality of manufacture. Over the years, the market has become flooded with imitations, and we are often asked why we choose not to offer such low cost reproductions.

The only answer to that question is that we care dearly about our reputation as the "go to" company for Italian lighting, and we are unwilling to offer our valued customers pale replicas of the real thing. We have come to know our clientele well; you are the connoisseurs and we will only offer you the best. Thanks to our small and dedicated team of buyers, and a combined experience of over 4 decades in the industry, we are able to offer you the most comprehensive range of quality hand-crafted lighting direct from the Italian manufacturers. As you browse our website, you will see that we have searched out the eclectic, the elegant, and the distinctive. Many of the pieces on offer are completely unique to our company; more often than not, exclusive lighting is made by small workshops and glass blowing studios who never thought they could export their masterpieces until we contacted them. We invite you to search our user-friendly online catalogue, and discover for yourself our commitment to elegance and quality.

In the meantime we remain at your service, so please do not hesitate to contact us.We offer a selection of high quality mid 20th Century furniture and lighting, specialising in unique pieces that encapsulate the design flair of the 1950’s, 60’s and 70’s.wallacavage chandelier for sale With our combined experience of over 35 years in dealing with antiques, interiors and reclamation, our friendly and professional team is always available to offer help and advice when sourcing the most valuable items. buy tord boontje blossom chandelierWe stock a fantastic range of unique design pieces from some of the 20th century’s most gifted designers. chandelier rewire kitWhether you are looking to furnish an entire home from our range of Mid 20th Century original vintage seating, tables, chairs, storage, lighting and mirrors, or are simply looking for a signature piece to complement your existing furniture or design, we can help source the right item for you.

We carefully handpick all of our pieces, looking closely at 5 main attributes: rarity, aesthetics, desirability, authenticity and condition. Ensuring that every item strictly matches these criteria has made us one of the most respected specialists of this era in the UK. We know how important it is to source items that are beautiful, individual or historically important and understand that mid-century furniture and lighting adds a feel of warmth and character to your home. Every piece we stock meets these expectations and offers outstanding levels of craftsmanship, especially compared to today’s equivalents. This is why collectors increasingly seek after mid-century furniture and lighting. We source from a worldwide network of suppliers that have been chosen for their consistent high quality and authenticity. Our stock is constantly being updated and if you cannot find what you are looking for, we also offer a personal sourcing service, whether it’s a missing light fitting for a Murano light or a signature piece to fit a specific space.

We ship worldwide using specialist couriers and would be happy to supply quotes upon request. At Circa, sourcing from the best of 20th Century furniture and lighting design is what inspires us. Amongst the respected French design houses we supply are Maison Jansen, Maison Baguès and Maison Charles. We also source pieces from Italian designers that include Gio Ponti, Paolo Buffa, Aldo Tura, Osvaldo Borsani, Romeo Rega and Willy Rizzo. Our 20th Century lighting come from well-known designers and manufacturers such as Murano, Venini, Fontana Arte, Stilnovo, Sciolari and Mazzega. Why not sign up for our newsletter, by clicking the link at the top of this page, and be the first to hear as new items come into stock. We have a strict no-spam policy, so you can rest assured that you will only ever receive emails direct from us. Alternatively, let us know if you are interested in specific designers or periods and we will alert you when we find something that would suit you.

We look forward to hearing from you.A masterclass in space creation Wednesday 25 June 2014 07:00 BST Studio apartment and glamour are words not usually used in the same sentence, but in the case of Sofia-born architect Adriana Natcheva, think again, for her 550sq ft mews studio in Kensington oozes glamour from every meticulously used millimetre, and feels twice as big. “Tardis” and “Alice in Wonderland” readily spring to mind. But it wasn’t always like this, and the dramatic transformation is testament to a mixture of ingenuity and romantic imagination. My home: Adriana Natcheva However, when Natcheva bought the unpromising studio in 2010, location was about all it had going for it. With a single, ugly, north-facing window at the front and no windows at all at the south-facing back, the already-small space was made worse by being divided into a dingy studio room, with a dark, poky kitchen and bathroom behind. “A sort of granny flat,” she says, wincing.

Natcheva, 40, who was shortlisted this year for the Architects’ Journal woman architect of the year award, studied at Cambridge, after which she got turned down for a couple of dream jobs, being told she was “too ambitious, too driven”, she says. “So eventually, I thought, I’ll just do it by myself.” In 2000 in Kensington she co-founded Groves Natcheva Architects with Murray Groves, who has been her business partner ever since. While they have designed some achingly svelte private houses, the partnership also does small apartment blocks that combine affordability with sharp, urban style. They are currently designing nine apartments in Clapham. Natcheva had stayed in the mews, so when her future home came up for sale she pounced. Luckily for her, the mews, built in 1886, isn’t listed, so internal alterations are allowed — and she wasted no time in altering it. This was where her architect’s eye came into play. Natcheva swept away the partitions and put in windows at the back, bringing in glorious southern light.

“The movement of light,” she says, “reminds us of the passage of time.” At the front, she took out the hideous window and replaced it with a big full-height arched sash window, made in mahogany, with toughened glass. The new window, designed to look as if it has always been there, also has impressive floor-to-ceiling mahogany shutters. “That is where the money went,” Natcheva says, matter-of-factly. But what a difference it makes, adding a touch of Versailles. The floor went, too, replaced with sustainable ebony shipped all the way from Patagonia. “I ask people to wear high heels,” she says. “I want it patinated — but the wood is so hard!” Down either side of the big studio room, Natcheva put sliding, glossy black doors, behind which are, in various compartments, her wardrobe, and the kitchen. Very clever and very well fitted, sliding the big doors open is pure theatre. Slide away one panel and a little kitchen emerges, with a glinting, gold-veined Nero Portoro marble worktop and splashback, a bendy Foster tap from Italy, and slick but cheap-to-make MDF cupboards with Japanned handles.

Slide another and you are in the larder. Open the last, and the pièce de résistance emerges: a short passage that leads to a diminutive bathroom tiled in tiny black-and-white squares. With its immaculately black-grouted walls, ships’ lamps, and old-fashioned stand washbasin, this room is rather sexy-Edwardian. But, ever practical: “You can’t hear anything from the main room,” Natcheva says. In a studio, such a detail — along with being able to hide the kitchen — is very important, and adds to the sense of living somewhere bigger. Her last major trick was to slip a sleeping mezzanine above the studio, reached by a short flight of mahogany steps. Leather-floored, the bedroom holds just the bed and a few favourite books. “It is like Noah’s Ark, or a tree house. If I was marooned, this is where I should want to be.” But there is more. Above the sliding doors on one side, a library ladder runs along a track. All her books are shelved above, while off the tiny corridor, a utility room is tucked behind a jib door.

Every inch is made to work here. Natcheva furnished the main room so it would function like a theatre set, transforming instantly from banqueting hall to dressing room to candlelit boudoir, enlarging, again, that sense of being in a much bigger space, and one with endless possibilities. Venini glass chandeliers, one designed by Carlo Scarpa, bought on eBay for a song, add grace as well as wonderful light. A desk that Natcheva had bent from a sheet of mild steel, with a magnetised pop-on Bill Amberg blotter, is stunning — and comes to order. Her work is all about possibility: “I want to give a sense of the richness of life, and hint at something richer,” she says. “The flat can be cosy at night, or romantic — or packed with friends, dancing like crazy.” Window and shutters: by ER Shopfitters (01223 235782) Black-and-white bathroom tiles: from Capitol Ceramics (020 7243 4731) Ships’ lamps in bathroom: from davey.co.uk Lefroy Brooks pedestal washbasin: from lefroybrooks.co.uk