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The memories are bittersweet and there are many stories that
involve her and her husband’s hunt for the perfect items to comple- ment their new home.
A large dining room opens to the left of the foyer with a Baroque marble pedestal table that can comfortably seat twelve guests. The masterpiece was hand-carved by an artisan in Rome and it took nine months to receive. Painted Venetian plaster decorates the walls and the ooring draws the eyes with harlequin-cut marble re ned with bronze borders.
A doorway leads to the great room with stunning antique furniture and paintings. Walls and furniture are upholstered in green and gold silk Brocatelle fabric imported from renowned Luigi Bevilacqua weaving workshop in Venice.
All fabrics throughout the house are imports from Venice’s most exclusive manufactur- ers Fortuny, Rubelli, and Bevilaqua. Many of the lamps in the house were hand-made by two artisan sisters in Venice, who since have closed their boutique shop and retired, Kar- en explains. The memories are bittersweet and there are many stories that involve her and her husband’s hunt for the perfect items to complement their new home.
During one of their trips, they set o to the island of Murano to nd one of the world-re- nown artisan-made chandeliers. When the chandeliers on display in the glassmaker's showroom were not quite what the couple had been looking for, a local antique dealer invit- ed them to his Palazzo on the Grand Canal. After much negotiation they bought one of the family's antique chandeliers–now the cen- ter piece in the great room.
THE DURDEN RESIDENCE
WATERFRONT LIVING
www.PanamaCityLiving.com • May - June 2018 • 45