Ginori 1735's Gio Ponti Collection Cements Its Legacy in Porcelain

Italian design is inescapable. It's stitched into our favorite bags, hammered into our shoes, woven into every material, and lead by the greatest. In many ways, Italian design is simply synonymous with good taste. You could trace that history back to the Renaissance and Ancient Rome—many do—but a lot of what we think of as Italian design these days flows from Italian Modernism. Gio Ponti (more on him later) is considered the father of the movement. Ponti had a hand in many things, but one of his greatest legacies was cast in porcelain with Ginori 1735—and the brand is carrying on that tradition with new collections.

By the way, 1735 is not a random number attached to the end of Ginori. I know it's hard for us Americans to think that far back in history. We weren't taught about much before 1776 during U.S. Glorification (aka History) class. But 1735 is in fact the founding year of Ginori, making it older than our little democracy.

In 2013, Ginori 1735 was purchased by Gucci and is now part of the Kering family. As of late, I would bet you haven't been able to escape its beautiful porcelain pieces popping up somewhere on your feed. (Even if you don't know that's what you're seeing.) The popular Oriente Italiano line can be spotted just about anywhere cool. Ginori 1735 also makes dinnerware for some of the world's best hotels and restaurants, like the Bulgari and Sant Ambreous.

Ginori 1736’s Labirinto tabletop collection.

Looking back, one of the brand's most significant eras was under the artistic direction of Gio Ponti from 1923 to 1933, who was early in his career at the time. Ponti would have a long run as an architect, industrial and furniture designer, and publisher, leaving a lasting stamp on the world. Under his tenure at Ginori 1735, Ponti translated artisan craft into new design languages. The Catene collection featured a simple chain design that was geometric, elegant, and hugely influential. The Labirinto collection (inspired, yes, by a classical labyrinth) brought together classic and contemporary ideas with straight lines that generate movement while never touching. And now, the Arte collection is a celebration of Ponti's vision and works with the company. It features two decorative discs and a bowl with symbols pulled from global iconography, in the same way Ponti often fused sacred and esoteric symbols into his work.

Ginori 1735 Gio Ponte Arte collection.

What does this all that mean? It means 100 years later, this is still what I want to fill my home with. The fact that I can't buy one of everything is killing me. Ponti and Ginori 1735 understand that beauty is timeless. Ponti wasn't just ahead of his time, he was tapped into something beyond time, something deeply human, and he cemented the way we live and breathe design today. To celebrate Ponti, Ginori 1735 released two new shades in the Catene and Labirinto lines and the three limited-edition objects in the Arte collection. All three debuts were presented at Milan's Salone del Mobile earlier this month and you can shop them right now. I might have to skip the $10,000 disk, but I envy you if that's what you're buying.