More than 30 years ago, Ann Hepper started creating boxes by hand from the thousands of postcards received from friends and relatives scattered across the world, and box-making soon became her greatest passion. Today, to make her signature craft boxes, each of which is handmade, unique, and finished in great detail, Hepper uses linen, hemp, hand-painted papers, antique postcards, prints, photographs, and any other material that catches her eye. Indeed, her first thought when she finds something interesting is always, ‘Is it “boxable?”’
Originally from Ireland, she arrived in Italy at a young age and next October will celebrate 50 years in Italy. What brought her here was her great love for art and a desire to visit the places that had inspired the Renaissance. After a brief stay in the south, she moved to Florence to visit the museums and work as an au pair.
She soon fell in love with the city, learning how to restore ancient books and manuscripts and has been here ever since.
Today, she uses these techniques to repurpose old materials and turn them into beautifully crafted boxes for keepsakes, memories and anything else that her clients desire. A box can take up to three hours to create and careful attention to detail is absolutely necessary as even the slightest mistake in calculating a boxes’ dimensions means failure. She makes boxes according to a client’s personal style and request, and her creations are often used to keep secrets, stamps, CDs and DVDs, jewelry, love letters and more.
Hepper’s fame has grown steadily over the years, thanks in part to her participation in the annual Artigianato e Palazzo Fair, now in its 19th year and to be held this May 16 to 19, 2013 in the Corsini Garden in Florence. For Hepper, the fair is always a great occasion to see old friends and customers. Her success has made her one of the ‘stars’ of the event!
