Andrea Forti & Eleonora Dal Farra

Alcarol

Furniture maker

©Elisa Calabrese

Encapsulating natural elements

Andrea and Eleonora launched Alcarol in 2012
They craft tables and other furniture from natural materials and resin
They often re-use 'bricole', the wooden poles typical of the Venice Lagoon

Both Eleonora Dal Farra and Andrea Forti graduated in Venice – she as a restorer, he as an architect. In common they have a deep love for the city and its lagoon, as well as both being creative souls with a very practical approach to art. As such, after they became a couple in life, they naturally became a creative duo, too. Together they launched Alcarol in 2012 and began to make tables, benches, stools and other complements with an experimental method patented by themselves. This consists in using transparent resin to preserve natural materials – in particular the historic Venetian wooden poles called 'bricole'. Eleonora and Andrea also craft to preserve logs and rocks from the Dolomiti area, exactly as they appear in their original habitat. The result is dramatic furniture pieces that are both functional for everyday use and evocative of a place and its genius loci, namely its spirit and essence.

Interview

©Elisa Calabrese

©Elisa Calabrese

What is the advantage of your method?: Andrea: Using resin allows us to obtain a smooth and even surface without altering the essence and beauty of a naturally jagged material. Coupling wood fragments salvaged from the sea with transparent resin is like immersing them again into salt water.
How would you explain your creative process?: Eleonora: Everything begins with the choice and study of materials. Shapes follow naturally and we do not spend much time planning them, as our designs are always very simple. On the other hand, experimenting with materials may take months.
Is sustainability important to you?: Eleonora: It is paramount. Not only do we love to use recycled materials, like the old Venetian 'bricole' wood poles or logs from the forest, but we also create high-quality objects that are made to last for a very long time. Durability is the other side of the coin of sustainability, and a crucial one.
What is the best part of your work as master artisans?: Andrea: There are many. The polishing phase is always exciting, when the resin goes from opaque to transparent and reveals the wood or rock underneath. But we also love it when customers send us pictures of our creations in their homes.

Andrea Forti & Eleonora Dal Farra are expert artisans: they began their career in 2009