Il Buco Vita: Tableware to Bring the Il Buco Vibe Into Your Home
If you blink, you might miss it: Il Buco Vita is a tiny, tucked away, apartment-style store that sits above Il Buco on Bond Street, and is just the kind of secret gem we love to stumble upon. To reach the store, you ring the buzzer, and climb the stairs to the second floor, where you’ll find all manner of artisanal Italian products – plates and table linens, glassware and serveware – sourced from Tuscany, Umbria, and Puglia. The store represents a full-circle for Il Buco, which originated as a tiny antique store on Bond Street and transformed into a restaurant. Launched by founders Donna Lennard, Lorenzo Radi, and Antonello Radi, the store offers artisanal Italian housewares that are just as simple as they are chic. The products are steeped in tradition: there are antique ceramic basins, alongside natural beeswax candles that are produced in the Medieval fashion, cutting boards are made from recycled wood. The serveware comes in rich but mellow colors: We loved the Fall collection of black terra cotta glazed in purples and greens that can be mixed and matched. The collection is inviting, non-fussy, and warm; rustic-looking without being to rustic for the city; the perfect way to cozy up any kitchen table.
What else can you get at Il Buco Vita? The actual plates that the restaurants use (the Bevagna Collection) are a favorite among those who want to bring the Il Buco vibe into their own homes, Il Buco olive oils, custom table linens, holiday gift baskets, handblown glassware, and paintings by resident artist (and partner in Il Buco Alimentari) Antonello Radi.