Growing up in our magical and abundant garden, our imagination was full! The wave of purple wisteria over our roof reminded us of sweeties. Perhaps it was from this memory that sweets, gelato and confectionary have been a constant source of inspiration for my use of colour in my designs.
The beautiful pastel colours of sugared almonds at Italian weddings. The violeta sweets my parents brought back from their travels in Europe. The artfully displayed sorbets in a tiny cafe in our local town, made by a wonderful man from Sicily. Pistachio to deep chocolate. The pale creamy coloured halva arranged in neat piles, displayed in a glass counter at a Cypriot sweet shop. These came to life with the addition of delicately coloured candied fruits and nuts sprinkled on top. The brightly striped chocolate umbrellas sitting prettily on top of a beautiful art deco cabinet at our favourite Portuguese cafe. These firmly remain in my memories of childhood.
This magic was reignited when living in Portugal in recent years and when on holiday in Sicily. The beautifully and proudly displayed sweets, gelato and confectionary brought back all these sweet memories and the deep connection with the good life we call La Dolce Vita!
