Il Buco Vita is about the patient search for the colors, materials and objects that make the Il Buco restaurants so inviting. The items in our showroom come directly from the workshops, houses and farms of Italy. All of the items in the collection are exclusive and have never been sold in the U.S. The line includes antique pieces, whose warm old patina will adorn the corners of your home, and unique handmade objects, worked by artisans with love and dedication to tradition.
Our Story: In 1994, Donna Lennard opened a rustic antique store on a desolate strip of cobblestoned Bond Street in NYC's NoHo with then partner, Alberto Avalle of Umbria. Shoppers would often join them for their midday "pranzo" prepared in their tiny back kitchen. Within 6 months they transformed the rustic antique store into a charming enoteca, which ultimately became one of NYC’s most beloved downtown restaurants, il Buco. The restaurant was filled with beautiful and rustic antique tables and chairs, hutches, cabinets, art, objects and more left from the antique store days and became a staple of the NYC foodie scene.
Over the years through many trips back and forth to Umbria, friendships were cemented with cousins Lorenzo and Antonello Radi, also dear friends of Alberto, who dreamed of one day launching a collection of artisan Italian goods with Donna.
18 years later on another cobblestoned block a stone's throw away on Great Jones Street they helped Donna in the design and décor for her next restaurant, il Buco Alimentari & Vineria, which quickly became an acclaimed NY Times 3 star restaurant as well.
Now 2 years after the opening of the Vineria, the story comes full circle as Lennard’s taste in food and design are brought together again. The years of dreaming came to fruition as Donna, Lorenzo & Antonello teamed up to launch il Buco Vita, a home décor line made up of both handcrafted artisan objects and the beautiful antique pieces that inspired them.
