THE VANILLA NOIR ORO STORY
Matteo Cibic designed the Vanilla Noir collection for Scarlet Splendour in 2014-15. The collection over the years comprises of over fifty beautiful pieces of furniture finished in resin inlay work painstakingly handcrafted in India. The forms of these pieces are delightfully unique – some are reminiscent of Art Deco style and some are playful with quirky shapes. But always soft edged and charming. The founders of Scarlet Splendour couldn't have enough of this chic Italian line develop by Cibic. So after much deliberation amongst them, it was decided that this collection should be produced in a more opulent and precious material — brass was the obvious choice.
Marquetry has long been a craft in India, be it of metal, semi-precious stones, bone, ivory or wood. Brass inlay work is a popular handicraft right from Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh in the north to Tamil Nadu in the south. This craft is used in the Vanilla Noir Oro collection as brass is meticulously crafted on wood to create strong graphic patterns. Paradoxically, the patterns remain subtle as well because there is no contrasting colour or material used in the inlay. The result has been an elegant, decadent collection, a fine contemporary take on a traditional craft.