Framondi

Italian restorer, cabinetmaker, and designer Francesca Mondini was born in Milan in 1971. She discovered her love for woodworking early and began gathering work experience, collaborating with local workshops, and attending specialist courses in wood processing in and around Milan from 1994 onwards. Between 2000 and 2004, Mondini worked at her own woodwork laboratory in Milan before moving on to join an antique furniture restorer studio, where she continued to work until 2016. In 2015, Mondini launched her own studio, Framondi, in Milan.

Framondi pieces—ranging from jewelry and cigar boxes to side tables and cabinets—are each unique, one-of-a-kind, completely handmade creations. Framondi has developed an instantly recognizable aesthetic characterized by Mondini’s masterful skills and incredibly complex, hypnotic inlays in woods of varying natural hues. It’s at times hard to believe that the intricate, swirling surfaces of pieces like the Atomo Dining Table (2017) or the Pantarei Cabinet (2017) are handcrafted in natural woods. The sheer detail and precision of the Kaleidos Cabinet (2017) establishes Mondini at the pinnacle of contemporary woodwork and joinery. Indeed, her mastery has been recognized by the Cologni Foundation for the Métiers d’Art who named her in their exclusive list of Italian master artisans.

Framondi utilizes a palette of different types of woods from around the world, often focusing on recycled timbers in a nod to sustainability, and all Framondi pieces are protected with natural, non-toxic finishes. In 2017, Framondi relocated to Legnano, just outside of Milan, where Mondini continues to live and work.