The Exquisite
From South Africa to Paris, and now Venice where she currently resides, Romi Loch Davis has spent her lifetime chasing beauty in its most transcendent forms.
Photography by Paola De Calo
Romi Loch Davis credits her parents for instilling in her “the absolute need for beauty as part of a moral order,” but in the ever-debatable battle of nature versus nurture, we’d argue that Davis’ personal quest and reverence for all things sublime has even deeper, more innate roots—something she was born with. After living in Paris for 25 years, where her Left Bank boutique was a go-to destination for savvy, worldly types seeking coats and jackets fashioned from Indian sarees, and interior decor made with sumptuous, one-of-a-kind fabrics, Davis traded the Seine for the canals of Venice. There, she works with local glass artisans and finery of the highest quality to craft handbags and clutches using traditional, time-honored techniques. Her home, which she refers to as “La Serenissima” (the most serene), is a visual feast for the eyes, and a sanctuary for the soul.
Paris that had given me so much, that I had so venerated... I think it was a growing feeling of sterility, the sheer folly of my envisaging a second immigration around the age of 50. A voice inside guided me, and the word regret has never entered my heart or mind.
Venice is a source of utter wondrousness. I am amazed by her majestic palaces built on wooden pilings in water, her fragility, her fighting spirit, and the miracle of her mere existence. Rainer Maria Rilke wrote that Venice is a matter of faith.
The art and architecture biennales, and the almost zero-kilometer element of food produced by the islands and lagoon…Venice is a sublime fusion of the ancient and the contemporary. I feel lucky to live here. Like any place, Venice has its problems, but its beauty dissolves them. The mass tourism comes in waves, but it doesn't impact me so much anymore. It's become a bit of white noise.
I receive signs all the time that I'm meant to be here. In several lifetimes, one could never penetrate the depth and abundance of her works of art, her museums, her stones, her lilting "Veneziano" dialect, the vastness of her lagoon, the artisans. And I LOVE artisans.
My Venice Home
I rented for a while until I found the one. I saw a lot of places, and I finally found mine— the ultimate one-bedroom with soaring ceilings on the coveted Piano Nobile floor. The building, a former palace from 1490, is divided into numerous flats. The space needed to be renovated, a long, drawn-out process involving the historical authorities
My home is filled with objects accumulated over the years from travels and flea markets (the candlesticks, for example). I am drawn to sacred objects imbued with prayer and hope. The beautiful metal leaf mobile was made by my friend Gabor Ulvesk; I finally had the soaring ceiling to hang it. Transporting it from Paris is a whole other story.
The burnished gold walls are the same color I had in my Paris apartment. When there’s sunlight, it illuminates every corner, and when it's dark and cold, it cocoons. I had bought many tins of the paint from the Paris hardware store BHV and stored them; I needed this color in my life, and knew I would use it somewhere in the future.
My Collection
Creating my braided handbag collection, and contributing to the revival of an ancient craft has been a labor of love, and a great joy.
The fabric soutache of the handbags and handhelds (from tiny clutches to travel tote bags) is woven in a small atelier in France by couturières called "piqueuses."
The collection is a fusion of history and modernity. I offer over a hundred colors (divided by hues) and metallic threads so that one can bespoke design and decorate the handbag of one's dreams.
I feel so passionately about these creations, although I have never been a handbag woman myself, and even less inspired to possess an 'It” bag.
My Re-Edition of Antique French Glass in Murano
Many years ago in Paris, I stumbled upon an antique goblet at a flea market. It turned out to be a champagne glass that was fashionable in France in the 19th century, called a champenoise or coupe champenoise, which somehow had gotten lost in time. My obsession with it led me to create a modern version with a glass master in Murano that maintains the island’s tradition of producing exceptionally lightweight glass. It is neither a flute nor a coupe, but a fusion of both—an antique glass that is stunningly modern—and indeed, a perfect glass for champagne and all sparkling wines. Like my handbags, each glass is encased in a handmade keepsake box.
I believe I am at the most privileged time of my life. As anyone my age knows, life has sometimes crushed and wounded us, and we have emerged in a 'kintsugi-ed' form, pieced together with golden scars. I intend to produce various symbolic kintsugi creations—a handbag is already in the making. This is a time to count one's blessings, to heal, to give abundantly to the deserving, to walk with a lighter gait, and to protect oneself from the cruel.
My thankfulness to my parents is boundless. They first introduced me to Venice and impressed upon me the absolute need for beauty as part of a moral order.
Romi's Venice
Romi's Venice
A truly transportive experience: The deep spirituality and atmosphere of the Venetian Ghetto (the oldest ghetto in the world), the breathtaking beauty of the hidden synagogues, the exquisite Judaica in the Jewish Museum and the bakeries and restaurants.
Palazzo Ducale a Venezia in Piazza San Marco reflected on the water.
AMONG MY MOST BELOVED MUSEUMS:
Gallerie Accademia, Ca’ Pesaro, and the Museum Fortuny.
Procuratie in Piazza San Marco
RESTAURANTS:
Though the legendary spots and grand hotel restaurants are splendid, I prefer the simpler osterie and trattorie.
Osteria Frasca - Good honest food. It’s tiny inside—a dream in the winter—with tables outside in the summer.
The Locanda Cipriani - Located in Torcello, it holds magic like no other for me. It’s blissful, bucolic, and yet sophisticated.
ON CHURCHES:
I am moved by every church in Venice, from Basilica di San Marco (St Marks) to Santi Giovanni e Paolo and the Frari to the smallest parish church. Santa Maria Dei Miracoli, San Francesco Della Vigna, and San Giovanni Evangelista are among my most treasured, but also the "Scuola Dalmata" of St. George and St. Tryphone, for the little-known Carpaccio paintings therein.
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