L’ISOLA in English means THE ISLAND. The idea behind the name is twofold: one, because this showroom is intended to be ‘An Island in a Sea of Glass’, that is, different from any other glass shop in Venice, and two, because it is directly associated with the Carlo Moretti company which is situated on the Island of Murano, often referred to by locals as ‘The Island’.
Designed by Paolo Martinuzzi in 1979 this Carlo Scarpa style showroom is well known for its custom made iron and wood furnishings, unusually thick wooden floorboards and exposed cable lighting system. It looks much like a high class workshop where the raw materials used in its construction provide the ideal setting for the elegant and refined products it displays.
L’ISOLA is the Carlo Moretti showroom in Venice. Besides normal sales to visitors in the city it also handles international sales and shipments placed online, by fax, telephone and email.
The Carlo Moretti company was founded by Carlo and Giovanni Moretti on the island of Murano in 1958. It is a leading designer and manufacturer of contemporary glassware and has pieces displayed in twenty-three museums around the world.
Carlo Moretti was born on the island of Murano in 1934. Until his unexpected passing away on 30 May 2008 he lived in Venice in a beautiful top floor apartment near Rialto bridge overlooking the rooftops and canals of the surrounding neighbourhood. A fervent reader and a lover of art, travel and classical music, Carlo Moretti was engaged in the design and creation of the company’s pieces. His innate creativeness and refined taste, enriched by his vast knowledge of art and a life time of travels, are clearly reflected in the five decades of glass making for which he is so well known. Using innovative manufacturing techniques and exploiting the outstanding craftsmanship of his glass masters he magically put together one thousand years of tradition and fifty years of contemporary design earning for himself an important place in the long glass making history of the island.
Giovanni Moretti, Carlo’s younger brother, was also born on the Island of Murano, six years later in 1940. He too lives in Venice in another lovely top floor apartment boasting magnificent views of the city. Until Carlo’s death he was responsible for the administration, marketing and corporate image of the company. For a number of years he was President of the well known Consorzio Venezia Vetro during which time he promoted and created the famous Vetri Murano trade mark. He also established the Nuovo Museo del Vetro Contemporaneo (New Museum of Contemporary Glass) on Murano. Although Carlo was the designer Giovanni had always flanked him, providing many of the ideas on which his brother could elaborate in the creation of the pieces.
Since Carlo’s death, Giovanni has assumed complete control of the company. In the development of some of his own personal projects he is now exploring a creative expression which respects the continuity of the original style of the factory but at the same time introduces new aspects into the production thus guaranteeing the future of this famous half-century old family business.
Connoisseurs, collectors, high-end consumers and glass lovers generally have always appreciated the many prominent characteristics for which the Carlo Moretti company is renowned: avant-garde design, clean looks, well defined lines, brilliant crystal and intuitive choice of colours. Beautiful, decorative and prestigious, the Carlo Moretti name has always been synonymous with elegance, high quality and fine taste making the objects of this company conversation pieces in countless homes and on innumerable tables throughout the world.
Cento Vetri: Opere in Vetro dal 1951 al 1987 - Fondazione Scientifica Querini Stampalia in Venice, 1987
Carlo Moretti 1958 - 1988: Un Segno del Nostro Tempo - Museo della Scienza e della Tecnica Leonardo da Vinci in Milan, 1988
Carlo Moretti 1958 - 1992: Un Segno del Nostro Tempo - Casa dei Carraresi Cassamarca in Treviso, 1992
Abitare il Tempo in Verona, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994
Verre & Verres - Galerie Differences in Paris, 1995
Venezia Aperto Vetro - Ducal Palace in Venice, 1996, 1998, 2000
Vetri. Nel Mondo. Oggi - Istituto Veneto di Scienze, Lettere ed Arti in Venice, 2004/2005
Internationalen Handwerksmesse Gold Medal - Munich, Germany, 1966
Internationales Kunsthandwerk Award - Stuttgart, Germany, 1966
Macef Award - Milan , 1976
Arango International Design Competition: Glass that Works - Miami , USA , 1984
Compasso d'Oro Selection: 'Cavo Cono' glasses - 1987
Compasso d'Oro Selection: 'Ovale con piede ovale' glasses - 1989
Compasso d'Oro Selection: 'Soffio' glasses - 1991
ADI Universal Exhibition Selection: 'Ovale con piede ovale' glasses - Aichi, Japan, 2005