What's New In 2012 from BN International

Donatella Balloni is an Italian product designer and CMF specialist currently working at Martin-Hudson & Gibson interior designers of Sandycove, offering her expertise in colour, materials and finishes as well as her outstanding sketching and painting skills.

            Having grown up under the Tuscan sun, surrounded by artistic family members, Donatella quickly learned to appreciate the depth and beauty behind the colours and textures surrounding her.

Having come from a long line of artists, Donatella has always had a passion for creativity. From a very young age she remembers being in awe of the colours and textures of her natural surroundings- she recalls as a child curiously attaching leaves of every colour to her clothes to create different impressions.

            Donatella’s grandfather, Giovanni Bertilorenzi, was a respected affresco artist and sculptor who devoted his life to creating works of art in residences, chapels and other grand buildings. Aside from several artists and sculptors, Donatella grew up with poets, musicians and masons.

            Donatella studied for 5 years at art school and later went on to study for 5 years at the University of Milan where she worked on material selection, sketching and on various prototypes. From there, Donatella went on to work for a well known Italian organisation working with a team of designers and engineers on selecting colours, materials and finishes for high-end fitness products.

Thanks to her qualifications and her experience in CMF, Donatella now specialises in chromatic solutions and material selection (such as wood, textile, glass, etc) for a wide range of products. Donatella’s plans are to mix the Tuscan and Irish colours in a domestic setting, combining colour combinations inspired by the two countries she calls home.

Donatella has been designing some beautiful furniture for our clients:

            Balloni is currently working on a very exciting project run by Martin-Hudson & Gibson titled "Cácaí Mellish", for which she had beautifully hand drawn and painted a selection of deliciously appealing cakes inspired by the Mrs. Mellish Fancy Desserts (Arc). The original prints can be seen here.

Some of Donatella's cake drawings:

See Donatella’s blog here.

If you have any interior design needs and require a consultation or a quotation in Italian, please call us today on 00 353 1 284 3486 and ask for Donatella Balloni.

Ciara Eloise Nolan.