NEWS | EVENTS

ARCLINEA BOSTON INTRODUCES ‘ART IN THE KITCHENS’ SERIES
Handstitched luxury handbag designer Meichi Peng to be featured beginning November 10

BOSTON [October 21, 2005] — Beginning on Thursday, November 10, Arclinea Boston—the first U.S. showroom for custom kitchens designed and coordinated by the Italian architect Antonio Citterio—debuts its ‘Art in the Kitchens’ series. Spotlighting a variety of artistic crafts, the criteria for selection in the series is dedication to exceptional craftsmanship and innovative design.

“Antonio Citterio’s long career has encompassed a variety of disciplines—his work distinguished by passionate creativity directed toward enriching our lives,” says Arclinea Boston owner Philip Guarino, “The artists featured in the ‘Art in the Kitchens’ series share Citterio’s passion, and we’re excited to celebrate their work.”

The first artist selected for the series is handbag designer Meichi Peng. “I know Meichi professionally, through her meticulous interior design work for ADD Inc.,” says Guarino. “It was no surprise that her handbags are so well crafted. She is the best kind of perfectionist: creative, talented, and focused on every detail. These one-of-a-kind bags are elegant, customized, and painstakingly built by hand.”

Born and raised in Taiwan, Peng first picked up a sewing needle as a young girl mending her grandfather’s shirts. She quickly became known as the family tailor. “Even though I was just mending clothes, sewing made me so happy,” she says. Peng came to the United States in 1993.“Someone had told me that the architecture in Boston was beautiful, and that was it. I made my decision and arrived alone several months later.”

She studied interior design at Wentworth Institute of Technology, and joined the architectural firm ADD Inc. in 1997. But in her off-hours, Peng indulges in her passion, designing and building elegant and distinctive handbags, an obsession since an unsuccessful shopping trip with her sister in 1995.

“We were looking for handbags that combined traditional technique with beautiful stitching and elegant, modern design. We couldn’t find anything. So I told my sister, I’ll make the bags for us. I don’t think she ever thought I would, but not long after, she had the first Meichi Peng design. Happily, she loved it!” Peng says.

Peng has since designed two distinctive handbag lines: the classic ‘Shapes’ series, and the adventurous ‘Colors’ collection. Up until now, they have been available only through word-of-mouth and at a handful of select boutiques. (They will soon be available at Peng’s website, www.meichipeng.com.)

Peng’s handmade bags are meticulously crafted, taking anywhere from twelve to twenty-four hours of work for the ‘Shapes’ series, and thirty-six to fifty hours of work for each bag in the ‘Colors’ collection. The calf leather exterior and suede interior lining are hand-constructed simultaneously, with straight-line stitches showing on the outside and crossed stitches on the inside. The same details carry through the handles as well.

Bags in the ‘Shapes’ series are available in a variety of colors, and in four basic shapes: square, circle, rectangle, and ellipse. Each shape is used as a bottom platform to create its form and has two base sizes, small and large. Each size then has three body lengths in vertical proportion. In addition, convertible shapes within each handbag—the open position, the front enclosure, and the side enclosure profile—add versatility, allowing variation in sculptural form.

The ‘Colors’ collection, emphasizing freshness and adventure, are all about colors, textures, craftsmanship, and details of construction. There are two series in this collection—the classic, elegant ‘solids’ and a bold line presenting dynamic two-color combinations. Each handbag in the lush ‘Colors’ collection is constructed with a main body of smooth calf leather and textured, pony-hair accented side pockets. White leather piping runs throughout.

The next artist to be featured in Arclinea Boston’s ‘Art in the Kitchens’series will be sculptor Juan Jose Barboza.

Arclinea Boston is the first flagship showroom in the United States for Arclinea—an industry leader in the manufacturing of luxury, contemporary kitchens, designed and coordinated by the acclaimed Italian architect Antonio Citterio. Arclinea kitchens are differentiated by their innovative design, creative technology and exquisite materials. The Boston showroom, located at 10 St. James Avenue in the Design District, showcases examples of the entire Arclinea Collection, and offers consumers a full-service, turnkey solution to their kitchen design process.

For further details, please contact Arclinea Boston by e-mail at info@arclineaboston.com or by phone at
(617) 357-9777.