My Honest Review After Shopping at Artemest: Worth the Money for Italian Luxury Craftsmanship?
As someone who loves interior design and appreciates quality craftsmanship, I’d been hearing great things about Artemest. This company partners with Italian artisans to produce gorgeous, high-end home furnishings and decor.
Intrigued by the idea of owning a luxurious piece handmade using centuries-old techniques, I decided to purchase several items from Artemest to decorate my new apartment.
Over the past few months, I’ve experienced their full service first-hand, from browsing the site through receiving my deliveries. If you’re curious whether Artemest’s exquisite furnishings merit the lofty price tags, read my insight as an actual customer.
Overview: What Exactly is Artemest?
Artemest is an e-commerce platform selling handcrafted Italian furniture, lighting, and decor directly from small workshops across Italy. Every item stands as a limited-edition design featuring exceptional artistry and materials.
Image source: artemest.com
Their collection spotlights heritage techniques perfected by skilled makers over generations. You’ll find ornately carved credenzas, velvet sofas with hand-finished frames, sculptural glassware, and more.
Unless you travel to Italy visiting tiny towns and family bottegas, Artemest offers rare access to these luxury Italian wares that showcase meticulous craft. You can now order them at the click of a button.
Of course, the level of quality comes at a cost. Most products run $1,000 to $25,000+ in price. While not affordable, I discovered the masterful constructions and enduring materials justify investing in certain Artemest designs.
Now that you know the basics of their business model, let me share details and images from my experience ordering their products below.
Browsing the Collection: A Mix of Traditional Techniques and Modern Forms
Navigating to Artemest.com, you first encounter glowing photos of beautifully constructed furnishings. The visual impact immediately communicates superior quality.
Browsing through the collection, you’ll find a sophisticated mix of classical designs like credenzas and settees along with contemporary forms like acrylic pendant lights. Some products exude an ornate flourish while others embrace geometric simplicity.
The variety stems from Artemest’s vast network of 100+ Italian workshops. They handpick artisans across specialties, incorporating different regional aesthetics and talents into a singular vibrant design vision. You may discover a gilded bar cart from Sicily, a woven leather armchair from Tuscany, or an abstract bronze mirror from Venice.
Shoppers can filter pieces according to room, product type, style, craftsmanship, and price to hone in on desired items. Personally, I spent over an hour engrossed in browsing since every category revealed exceptional designs.
Do note the product selection fits in the boutique range, so don’t expect a limitless giant catalog. Artemest purposefully curates each collection as part of their commitment to quality. I grew to appreciate this restraint compared to overwhelming mega-retailers. The focused assortment spotlights the spectacular artistry.
Placing My Order: Seamless Online Experience Plus Personal Design Advice
Eventually I narrowed my wish list down to an ornate console, pink club chair, and ceramic table lamps. As I moved pieces to my cart, the mobile-responsive site flowed intuitively. Within a couple taps, I purchased without any hassle.
However, cursorily buying luxury wares sight-unseen didn’t sit right with me despite the easy process. I wanted deeper background on materials and fabrication. This insight helps ensure chosen furnishings align with personal needs beyond just visual appeal.
Thankfully Artemest encourages connecting directly with their design team before purchasing. I scheduled a video consultation with an advisor who proved extremely knowledgeable.
Over 45 minutes we discussed my aesthetic vision, how I planned to incorporate new items into existing spaces, and future design dreams as I continue decorating my flat. I also asked specific questions about materials and product dimensions on my wish list.
Rather than rushed, the conversation felt thoughtful and genuine. My rep offered fantastic ideas for arranging goods. We also swapped stories of favorite spots discovered while traveling in Italy!
Ultimately this session reinforced I’d selected quality pieces aligned with my taste and lifestyle from companies recognized for generations of peerless technique. They even threw in beautiful cashmere loungewear as a gift with purchase!
A snapshot from my design consultation
If you seek ultra-personalized guidance combined with fail proof style when investing thousands in artisan wares unseen beyond photos, I strongly advise booking an Artemest interior design session.
Unboxing the Products: Premium Quality & Craftsmanship Confirmed
Approximately six weeks later I returned home from work to find several gigantic boxes awaiting from Artemest. Given lengthy transit from artisan workshops across Italy, this delivery window met expectations.
As I cautiously unpacked my purchases, initial reactions surpassed hopes. The console and chairs especially wowed in terms of smooth sculptural profiles and expert polish. Decadent materials like maple burl wood, brushed velvet, and solid brass gleamed brilliantly.
Compared to mass-manufactured furnishings hastily stapled together, the meticulous joinery and hand finishing found here sits leagues ahead. Every creation clearly underwent slow, single-production build out showcasing extreme dedication from the makers.
I noticed elegant touches like octagonal inlaid wood pieces forming geometric patterns across table surfaces, tiny precise stitch detailing on chair backs, and cast brass decorative accents with the glow and weight of pure fine metals.
Premium packaging detail
Just the packaging alone conveyed luxury appeal through sleek crates with integrated moving mechanisms for heavy items. Inside I discovered smaller products carefully swathed in layers of tissue and foam. The overall unboxing experience aligned with opening a high-priced shipment from an esteemed retailer. Touches like product booklets sharing workshop history class things up too!
To confirm my impressions, I had a designer friend with 20+ years expertise visit to scrutinize items in person. He gushed over the quality too, pointing out aspects like flawless welds, exemplary seam finishes, and perfect symmetry on frames. All signs point towards exceptional artistry meriting higher prices compared to high street mass production pieces using cheaper materials and construction shortcuts.
6 Months In: Furnishings Elevating My Space as Promised!
I’m thrilled to report after half a year living with my Artemest wares, they continue wowing guests and elevating my home’s aesthetic as hoped! Beyond looking spectacular, their performance also proves outstanding thanks to enduring fabrication.
For example, my pink club chairs see daily use but brightness and structure show minimal fading or sagging. After accidentally knocking over the ceramic lamps, I panicked about cracks or shards. But they didn’t chip or scratch at all thanks to the thick enamel coating. This resilience confirms what the advisor mentioned about investing in quality equals long term use and enjoyment.
I haven’t experienced any significant product issues requiring exchanges or repairs either. That reliability offers peace of mind when buying expensive goods online unseen beyond photos.
My beautiful Artemest pieces elevating my space
On the rare occasion I’ve needed customer assistance, the support team responded promptly via email and phone. They helped me with questions regarding an accessory item for my console and rush reordering drapery samples.
Overall I rank my first Artemest transactions as five-star based on buying experience paired with enduring enjoyment of my purchases proving sound investments. The artistry level simply outshines mainstream retailers’ products in my opinion.
The Pros
- Exquisite quality and beauty
- Century-spanning heritage craftsmanship modernized
- Durable, resilient materials built to last for generations
- Ultra-personalized designer support
- Seamless digital buying experience
The Cons
- Smaller assortment of offerings compared to mass retailers
- Production times for made-to-order run 4 – 12 weeks
- Premium prices that can run $1000s per piece
For lovers of fine Italian craft eager to own remarkable furnishings as enduring heirlooms, I wholeheartedly recommend Artemest for a splurge-worthy experience. Based on their excellence meeting my high hopes so far, I’m already planning my next acquisitions for future redecorating phases!
