It costs how much?!!
A problem that Kia said she stumbles on quite often is clients being gobsmacked at the price of certain items that she pitches to them. Often they will have the reply ‘I’ve seen that for half the price in…. ‘ but what the clients are not aware of is the process which that item has undergone to justify such a high price tag. Lighting is often one of these products especially as Porta Romana have a dedication to perfection that justifies their price tag.
In progress application of gold leaf
At London Design Week 2015 at Chelsea Harbour there was a demonstration in Porta Romana as to the process, which was completed to produce one of their hand crafted mushroom mirrors.
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- The different finish process laid out was very impressive
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- From start to finish the design is always looked after
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- Final phases of the finishing process
Each mushroom mirror is individually cut in sections then given to a team of finishers to apply one of hundreds of different finishes.
This particular finish that they were demonstrating, had 6 stages to it and was applied front and back. Each piece would require drying time between each stage, which makes the processes even lengthier. The finishes were not just average varnishes either. The first stage is embossing. Second stage a base coat of special formula developed by Porta Romana themselves description. They then apply a gold foil and stages Four and Five are developing the colour depth. The final stage is shading the corners with acrylic and a soft brush, which is the finishing touch.
Some of the final details are truly a work of art
All the work that goes into these products by extremely skilled people is why they have such a high price tag. Many high-end products are priced highly for that same reason. A talented individual has put a great deal of time and attention into each item, the finishes are not bog standard, materials are from good sources and the detail is intricate. There are however a few exceptions where you are paying for the name, but they key is to spot the difference between the two so your money is going to the correct cause (which is why you hire an Interior Designer of course).
Sometimes it really is worth paying that bit more for something of quality and value as its going to look 100x better than something you might pick up in Ikea.
The Finished Mirror design
