by Elisabetta Bagliani Rest yourself on the petals of a rose, dream away on the opening corolla of a daisy, or wrap yourself in the perfume of a floral bouquet. Italian interior design is whispering a gentle message to decorators this year-- Say it with flowers!

As Art Nouveau blooms Seeing as how the garden of Eden with its has long been denied mankind myriad delights, we have consoled ourselves with colorful flowers, adorning our homes with bits of nature taken from forest and garden. The use of floral arrangements in interior decorating stems from the romantic floral visions depicted in early frescoes, mosaics, tapestries and majolica. At the turn of this century into the 1920's, the Art Nouveau movement brought with it an overbearing propensity of floral and naturalistic motifs, heavily influenced by oriental art, which inspired art and all manner of decorating accessories including glass work, wallpaper, fabrics and furniture.It is interesting to note that in Italy, Art Nouveau is popularly referred to as "Liberty", a term also inspired by the characteristic textile fabrics and articles sold by the famous Mssrs. Liberty of London during that period. During our excursion through the petals, stamens and pistils, we'll be taking a closer look at floral motifs in decorating. Funny flowers The flowers by Masanori Umeda belong to the "humorous" category. The Japanese designer is devoted the floral fantasies responsible for the realization, petal by petal, of works like Edra. And the "Rose Chair" (1), which proffers restful repose on rose petals. "Getsuen" (2) is a comfy easy chair in the form of a bell flower whose petal embrace ensures sweet dreams. "Soshun" (3) on the other hand, opens it's petals, transforming it into a stool - bar or table height to go with the table "Anthurium" (4) whose petals fold down to serve as legs, while its pistil stays erect and proud in the center. Sunflowers and Dried Flowers The chair "Sunflowers" (5) and the table "She loves me, she loves me not" (6) by Loft are really fun pieces, the vertical lines of the "Turkish Delight" (7) stool by Inter Nos are most elegant, while the flower stand "Flower" (8) by Monica Colombo for Mastrangelo is a sunburst of color. Its plastic top of translucent white plastic is very nearly not there, the "Florian" (9) table by Baleri is a tribute to the famous Venetian cafŽ. "Eco-Chair's" (10) flowers are not the source of its inspiration, but are a part of the chair itself: the chair's back is made of a transparent interspace which can be filled on the spur of the moment with dried or fresh flowers, turning it into a floral wonder. Soap dish and Floral doormat Not to overlook even small delights, watch for: the soap dish "Blossom" (11) from the House Driade collection, the ceramic radiator humidifiers "Floridea" (12) and the covered candy dish "Flowered Box" (13) by Alessandro Mendini for Acquachiara as well as the photo frames from Alessi's Twergi collection (14), the flower bed doormats by Taffetą (15) and the "Laghestel" vase made by Salviati (16). Suppliers: Edra spa (tel. 0587-616660, fax 0587-617500) Loft (tel. 051-6198330) Inter Nos (tel. 02-8900632) Mastrangelo (tel. 0362-340499) Baleri (tel. 02-760023954) Saporiti (tel. 02-865839) House di Driade (tel. 02-818650) Acquachiara (tel. 02-921801) Alessi Taffetą (tel. 0432-652009) Salviati (tel. 041-52070750)

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