Spotlight on a designer

Design is in Silvia Furmanovich's blood. Born in São Paulo, Brazil, Furmanovich grew up watching her father, goldsmith Salvador Longobardi, work around the clock in the atelier he built in their family home.

The Longobardi goldsmith legacy was passed down generation-to-generation—Furmanovich’s great-grandfather designed sacred adornments for the Vatican and the work of the Longobardi family was even the subject of a successful exhibition three years ago at the National Archaeological Museum of Naples, showcasing work that dated back to the Middle Ages.

I interviewed the designer about her career, her family's legacy, and her embrace of the craft of wood marquetry -- the ornate woodwork incorporated in her designs is sustainable by way of tree debris collected by artisans from the forest floor and riverbeds of the Amazon rainforest.

Check out my piece for Barron's here.

Courtesy Silvia Furmanovich