With its latest project, Italian design firm Artemest has captured the poetry of Venice and its artisan past.
On Sept. 1, the firm, which was founded 10 years ago as an online ecosystem for Italian artisans and has since inched closer to becoming a full scale design house, opened the doors to its first Venetian curation, which will also feature the debut of design-forward duo Draga & Aurel.
Conceived by cofounder and creative director Ippolita Rostagno, Artemest took over the cultural space designed by Piero Lissoni and owned by Italian yacht-maker Sanlorenzo. The hub, which opened in 2025, is housed in a 1940s home formerly owned by the famed Toso glassmaking family. The current exhibition, titled “Ca’ Riflesso,” Venetian for “house of reflection,” will unfold as part of the art and design event series Homo Faber in Città.
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The project reimagines a traditional Venetian home as the residence of an imaginary collector. It is filled with furniture, lighting, decor and artworks, all with a particular focus on Venetian craftsmanship.
The exhibition, on display until Sept. 30, explores the interplay of light, materials and the human hand, Rostagno explained.
“’Ca’ Riflesso’ was born from the idea of a Venetian home that does not reveal itself all at once. It is a space made of reflections, pauses and objects that carry the trace of the human hand,” she said.
Notable brands on show include some of the city’s most historic names, among them glassmakers Venini, WonderGlass, NasonMoretti, Micheluzzi Glass as well as fabled fabrics firms Tessitura Bevilacqua and Rubelli.
Draga & Aurel, founded by Como-based Draga Obradovic and Aurel K. Basedow, showcase their Soffio lamps crafted in Murano furnaces. Each one embraces imperfections and irregularities induced by heat or gestures, creating a luminous landscape in which color, material and reflections move across the surface of the glass, continuously transforming the perception of the composition. The blown-glass spheres are enhanced by traditional material effects such as craquelé, pulegoso and cotisso.
Emerging names have also been included in the lineup. Among them, the sculptural creations of Simone Crestani, an Italian glass artist and designer best known for his hand-blown borosilicate glass pieces that mimic delicate botanical or natural forms.
The installation underscores Artemest’s broader strategy of turning Italian craftsmanship into immersive, story-driven interiors, building on the company’s platform of more than 50,000 handmade products from 1,000 artisans and manufacturers.
Artemest’s recent success lies in its ability to pivot away from being solely an e-commerce platform and embrace diversification across physical and service channels. During Milan Design Week and within its Artemest Appartmento exhibition in Milan’s Palazzo Donizetti, it debuted its first Artemest Collection designed by Christine and John Gachot of New York’s Gachot and was inspired by the couple’s own living room space.
Despite market challenges, Artemest doubled its revenues between 2023 and 2025, reaching $40 million in sales. Much of that growth was generated by the U.S. market. Artemest plans to tap into the U.S. luxury market’s demand for products that are not just functional but also unique, personalized and high-quality.
Sales doubled by creating multiple touchpoints with customers, expanding markets and forming strong relationships with artisans and designers. The company’s future outlook is based on sustaining this diversification, expanding its physical presence and continuing to balance high-touch service with scalable luxury sales.
“Ca’ Riflesso” is indicative of Artemest’s mission to preserve and elevate Italian craftsmanship, continuing to redefine luxury interiors for global audiences.