Leanne Ford x il Buco Vita Prove the Best Tables Aren’t Perfect – They’re Full of Soul
Leanne brings a touch of rock ’n’ roll revelry to il Buco Vita’s old-world charm – along with the effortless ease every great dinner party needs
If you live in New York, you know il Buco – the Bond Street antique store-turned-eatery known for its Bistecca, Tagliatelle Alla Funghi, and ability to make dinner feel like an evening spent inside some chic curator’s actual Italian farmhouse. And if you’re into design, you definitely know Leanne Ford, the minimalist interior designer whose aesthetic philosophy rests on the idea that warmth and coziness do not, in fact, require much color at all.
Now, the two have found a common medium in il Buco Vita, the restaurant’s equally iconic home line, collaborating for the first time on a high-contrast table decor collection rendered in Leanne’s signature palette of black, cream, smoke, and chestnut.
Leanne Ford x il Buco Vita isn't summer-specific, but these durable ceramics are entirely apropos of alfresco season.
Longtime il Buco Vita devotees will recognize reinvented versions of the brand’s signature lines, including the now-black-rimmed Bevagna collection, Bellocchi casseroles, twisted Collepino candles, and smokier skews of the beloved Pienza glassware. But it’s the Montegranaro splatterware, rendered in a bold black-on-cream glaze, where the collaboration feels most playful. The painterly spots tap directly into the pair’s mutual appreciation for imperfection, giving Leanne’s typically restrained aesthetic a slightly more unruly edge.
Like seemingly everyone else downtown, Leanne had long been an il Buco regular herself. ‘I remember the first time I walked into il Buco on Bond Street. It was so warm, so cozy, so stunning, and so delicious. I was hooked. This collaboration has been a dream of mine ever since. Truly,’ recalls Leanne. ‘There’s something so intimate and transportive about it. I’ve always loved the way il Buco makes a table feel collected, not decorated. Effortless, a little imperfect, and full of soul.’
This splatter-painted lineup proves Leanne Ford knows exactly when to break her own rules.
‘That’s what guided everything we made together,’ she continues. ‘I wanted the pieces to feel quiet but strong. Grounded in our shared love of artistry and craftsmanship, with my signature touch of rock n’ roll edge. Everything was designed to mix, layer, and live out in the open. Nothing precious. They weren’t made to be tucked away behind a cabinet door.’
Because where’s the fun – or frankly, the dolce vita – in a table so polished no one feels comfortable touching it? The best hosts want guests to feel like it’s casa tua from the second they walk through the door, something il Buco has always understood instinctively well. Paired with Leanne’s high-design sensibility, this collection brings that same unbuttoned, unseasonably chic energy home.
So, sit back, relax, and indulge in the rarity that at these mostly-sub-$100 price points, you can finally afford Leanne.
At il Buco, the more, the merrier. If your hosting style follows suit, our guide to long-table styling will help you squeeze in as many personalities, pasta bowls, and last-minute plus-ones as possible.
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