When San Luis Obispo’s Fortini Home, Garden & Design opened in 2004, it was somewhat misunderstood.
“Because of the name, we were kind of stereotyped in the beginning with having just Italian things,” said Marisa Fortini, who owns the store jointly with husband Ryan Fortini, who handles landscape design, and Ryan’s mother Anne Fortini, who heads up the interior design staff.
Since then, the store has developed its own distinct style that the Fortinis like to call “California contemporary with a nod to the old country.”
Marisa, who is the buyer for the store, defines this as clean lines and Old World craftsmanship, combined with natural elements such as rough-hewn wood furniture crafted from salvaged materials, vases filled with moss-covered branches, textural baskets, and woven seagrass rugs. You’ll still find Italian pieces, but it’s only one element in an amalgam of styles that encompasses modern, Asian and transitional.
Another element that has evolved at Fortini is its price points. “When we opened, we were definitely high-end. We offered pieces where the craftsmanship and materials meant they were going to be an investment,” said Marisa. “But we’ve now tried to bring in furniture lines for people who want good quality for mid-price points.”
They’ve recently added a line of mid-priced upholstered furniture, including eco-friendly pieces by Lee Industries made from sustainably harvested wood and recycled fiber and soy-based fillings.
As the holidays approach, Fortini will be concentrating on gifts for less than $50. Gift items are a growing category for Fortini. They recently added a children’s area that offers coloring books, melamine dishes, books and puzzles.
The core of the Fortini look is still distinctive items that you’re not likely to find elsewhere. Many of their furniture pieces and accents are imported. But, according to Anne Fortini, the family is selective about the imports they carry.
“Where a piece comes from should be true to fact — it should look like the country where it originated,” she said.
Currently in the showroom, there are hurricane lanterns woven from vines in the Philippines that have a glass candleholder insert — picture a trio of them suspended from a tree branch above a garden seating area. There are Guatemalan “santos,” or saint statues, that are hand-carved and hand-painted. Indian temple bells offer a nice alternative to wind chimes, offering up their sweet songs in a garden or entryway.
You’ll also find a lot more color at Fortini these days. In contrast to the soft earth tones of years past, the store now sizzles with burnt oranges, vibrant turquoises, reds, fuchsias and mauves.
Marisa acknowledges that the new color palette at Fortini is her own personal style coming through — not surprising for a store that is a fusion of three very bold and creative personalities.
“We buy things we like,” said Marisa. “We mesh it all together to make it cohesive. And it works.”
Fortini Home, Garden & Design is at 3021 S. Higuera in San Luis Obispo, phone 542-0500.
SanLuisObispo.com is happy to provide a forum for reader interaction, discussion, feedback and reaction to our stories. However, we reserve the right to delete inappropriate comments or ban users who can't play nice. See our full terms of service here.
Here are some rules of the road:
You should also know that The Tribune does not screen comments before they are posted. You are more likely to see inappropriate comments before our staff does, so we ask that you click the "report abuse" button to submit those comments for moderator review. You also may notify us via email at webmaster@thetribunenews.com. Note the headline on which the comment is made and tell us the profile name of the user who made the comment. Remember, comment moderation is subjective. You may find some material objectionable that we won't and vice versa.
If you submit a comment, the username of your account will appear along with it. Users cannot remove their own comments once they have submitted them, but you may ask our staff to retract one of your comments by sending an email to webmaster@thetribunenews.com. Again, make sure you note the headline on which the comment is made and tell us your profile name.
Be the first to know what's going on in San Luis Obispo County. Just tell us how you want to find out — we'll take care of the rest.
Sign up for breaking news alerts from SanLuisObispo.com and get the latest news sent to your cell phone via text message.
By signing up for alerts from this site, you are signing up for a program that may include up to 5 SMS text alert(s) per alert category per day. There is no service fee charged per month but your carrier's standard text messaging and other charges may apply. You may stop this subscription service at any time by sending the text message "STOP" to 72737. You must be at least thirteen (13) years of age to use our alert services. If you are between 13 and 17 years old, you agree that you have received parental permission both to complete the registration process and to receive SMS content on your cell phone. For help, send the text message "HELP" to 72737. This service will work with ATT, Verizon, Sprint, Nextel, Alltell, US Cellular, Cincinnati Bell, Boost, Virgin Mobile USA, Celluar South, Telos, Centennial, East Kentucky Network, Cellcom, Immix and Rural Celluar.
E-mail »
Twitter »
Facebook »
iTribune »
Subscribe »
RSS »
About comments
Reader comments on SanLuisObispo.com are the opinions of the writer, not The Tribune. If you see an objectionable comment, click the "report abuse" button below it. We will delete comments containing inappropriate links, obscenities, hate speech, and personal attacks. Flagrant or repeat violators will be banned. See more about comments here.