Dragonfly Firenze, the hidden east in the heart of Oltrarno

Not made in Florence. Imagined in Florence. Where a Florentine eye for beauty meets the colours, patterns and ancient craftsmanship of India

There is more than one way for something to be Florentine. Sometimes it is made in a centuries-old workshop. Sometimes, however, being Florentine has less to do with where something is made and much more to do with the eye that imagined it: Welcome to Dragonfly Firenze.

Created by Florentine-born Alessandra Schiavi, Dragonfly is a textile, lifestyle and interior design brand born when a Florentine imagination travels East, all the way to Jaipur, and comes back transformed into a flower-covered quilt, a ten-metre tablecloth or a pair of pajamas scattered with tiny elephants.

From a wooden block to a piece of cloth

To understand Dragonfly, however, you need to look closely at the fabric. Hand block printing is wonderfully physical. Long lengths of cotton are stretched over seemingly endless tables. Colours are mixed by hand. Carved wooden blocks are dipped into pigment and then pressed onto the cloth, one impression after another, with the rhythm and precision that only experience can produce. 

From carved wooden blocks to intricate floral patterns: the beauty of hand block printing lies in a craft passed down through generations

A tiny variation in pressure, a slight irregularity in colour, the almost imperceptible shift of one motif against the next: these are not flaws to be corrected. They are the fingerprints of the process. No two pieces are ever quite identical.

Some collections draw upon motifs from traditional wooden blocks preserved and used by artisan families over generations, others introduce patterns and illustrations created exclusively for Dragonfly Firenze. 

Cotton, in its most honest form

The same philosophy is particularly visible in Dragonfly’s small-production quilts. Made in pure cotton, some are filled with raw cotton flakes rather than synthetic padding. Every now and then, a minuscule fragment of the cotton plant — even a tiny dry twig — may find its way through the filling. Rather than disguising it, Dragonfly almost celebrates it. It is a charming reminder that cotton does not begin life folded neatly on a shop shelf. It grows in a field.

The quilts are produced in deliberately small quantities, combining colours and motifs with an approach that feels closer to collecting textiles than to conventional mass production. Because Dragonfly has a playful side too. Its hand-block-printed cotton becomes long and short pajamas, nightshirts and relaxed pieces for women, men and children — often allowing the same pattern to wander cheerfully through an entire family. And yes, grown men really do wear Dragonfly nightshirts or pajamas with happy pink rabbits.

Who said pink rabbits were just for children? Dragonfly brings a playful sense of humour to nightwear for the whole family

Little prints, big imaginations

And then there are the little ones. Some of Dragonfly’s most charming collections begin with the imagination of an illustrator and friend of the brand, whose whimsical drawings are transformed into original hand-block-printed patterns of matching baby quilts and children’s pyjamas. A little storytelling, a little craftsmanship — and a whole lot of imagination.

From little turtles to playful fish and floating bubbles: original motifs make their way onto cotton nightwear

A touch of Central Asia: the art of Suzani

Dragonfly’s love of textiles doesn’t stop at India’s borders. Its collection of Suzani brings another extraordinary decorative tradition into the picture. Originating in Central Asia, these richly embroidered textiles are traditionally celebrated for their exuberant colours and intricate floral motifs. Dragonfly offers a different interpretation: the same captivating patterns, reimagined in a more restrained, often monochromatic palette that feels effortlessly at home in contemporary Western interiors.

Traditional Suzani motifs take on a contemporary character through a restrained, monochromatic palette

Draped over a bed, thrown across a sofa or laid on a table, a Suzani becomes much more than a decorative textile, it is a piece of craftsmanship with a story to tell — and a wonderful example of how traditions from distant cultures can find an entirely new expression in a Florentine home.

The art of setting a table

The same fabrics naturally find their way into the home. Tablecloths, placemats and textile accessories turn the table into another playground for pattern and colour.

The Dragonfly table: hand-block-printed cotton, natural textures and unexpected touches of colour turn an everyday breakfast into something rather special

Bespoke tablecloths can be made to measure — even for exceptionally long tables, reaching up to ten metres — bringing the irregular beauty of hand printing to pieces conceived for a particular room, table or occasion.

Not made in Florence. Imagined in Florence

Perhaps the most interesting thing about Dragonfly Firenze is that its world cannot be defined by a single place, material or tradition, behind Dragonfly has always been broader: a fascination with the way art, craftsmanship and decorative traditions from different parts of the world can influence the way we live in — and experience — our homes. Not every interior needs a revolution. Sometimes a room simply needs to be looked at differently.

Sometimes a room simply needs to be looked at differently: pattern, colour, natural materials and textiles can transform a space without changing its soul

The making may happen in different places. The techniques may belong to different cultures. The inspiration may travel thousands of miles. But the eye that brings it all together is Florentine.

DRAGONFLY FIRENZE
Not made in Florence. Imagined in Florence.
You can find Dragonfly Firenze products at Haydee Interiors (wallpapers & home textiles)
Via Maggio 72R, Florence
ph. +39 3471637562 - Whatsapp business +39 0552286394
www.dragonflyfirenze.com
Instagram @dragonflyquilts