We had the good fortune of connecting with Sheila McGahan Monardo and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Sheila McGahan, what inspires you?
I’m inspired by things that are true and lasting, and that ask for creative participation. If things are to be in my house, I want to be able to discern where they came from, how they were made, will they retain their form and function, and will they uplift and capture my eye and heart.

I’m inspired by a home, a laboratory for its inhabitants to tell their story, to experiment, to place things that recall and resonate, to comfort and create energy for paths forward.

Color (lots), texture, and shape elicit emotions and interaction – love all.

In college I wove on giant old looms, and then had a small floor loom that followed me from Chicago, to New York, to Atlanta. I was not a great technical weaver, but the elements cited previously (color, texture, shape) made it a gratifying and instructional medium.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My first job was working in the editorial department as an indexer for Encyclopaedia Britannica, when it was still printed in micro and macro volumes. It was a two year continuum of my literature and writing undergraduate studies, reading all day, with attention to the smallest details and expansive themes, clarifying connections, satisfying and creating curiosities. It was great training for everything since, which included a graduate degree in advertising from Medill at Northwestern, subsequent years at ad agencies in Chicago, New York, and Atlanta, then decades focussing on strategic communication with a company my family was involved in – combining the emotional investment of family contributions and local geographies partnered with a company with global reach. Next, now, the creation of Busatti Villa, reaching towards Italy, a place and attitude that I wanted more of in our daily family life.

What I learned along the way was that understanding and creating stories is gratifying and important, that connecting with people is a fuel that moves thoughts and things forward, and that diligent work and attentiveness to what moves you are foundational.

In advertising, it’s easy to tell and sell a brand if its essence is true. Busatti is so clearly that. I first found Busatti after purchasing six woven and beautifully finished taupe & ivory wild olive placemats in Florence; we used them every evening for three years and they were as good as their beginning. This was a great story, the intersection of beauty and functionality and heritage – this value was a story worth embracing, and I reached out to them.

What I also most appreciate about Busatti is the creativity that it asks for from its users; it is a product that relies on an emotional connection and assumes integration into the daily life of a home. It’s not out of reach to add layers from Busatti to a home and transform it into something more unexpected, joyful, true to each person. Busatti is at the very center of our shop+showroom, but we also feature other brands that display the same qualities of artisan skill – things of beauty that show the human hand and echoes of the natural world- Anke Drechsel, Flamingo Estate, Ceramiche Bucci.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Atlanta History Center – inside and out – it tells the story of our city so well, in so many ways – the grandeur of The Swan House as a private home, the 1996 Olympics, the neighborhood histories, and especially walking the grounds – so much of what Atlanta is about is what grows around us 12 months of the year. The Atlanta Botanical Gardens for this same reason plus fabulous views of the city skyline, Piedmont Park, and garden sculptures-and a great restaurant in the middle of it all. Our Italian colleagues love to eat “real” American food when here for trade shows- and for them that means George’s in Virginia Highlands, Taqueria del Sol, Fat Matt’s Rib Shack, H&F burgers, and I often bring a breakfast treat to the show for them from The Buttery or Star Provisions (the latter is also Always! on our go-to list with all visitors; a great place to sit and visit and eat well and see the sky through big windows). We did the custom server aprons for Storico Fresco when first opened (the black and ivory stripe), and a meal there always met with the Italians’ approval.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Family. Especially my dad. I worked, in a marketing capacity, with him for over 20 years and it was a joy to expand our family relationship into another dimension. He was an encourager of dreams and provided foundational support to the creation of Busatti Villa. Because of the deep satisfaction I found in a family work relationship, I wanted to continue that emotional aspect in a path forward. Busatti is an 8th generation family company, weaving and finishing goods upon demand in their small village on the border of Tuscany and Umbria. They are committed to honoring their family’s long legacy, working together, bringing forth their place and their past while always creating anew; they are a pleasure and privilege to work with.

My co-partner in Busatti Villa is my geographically far away sister, Anne, who supplies a clear vision for Busatti Villa and ongoing creative and emotional support; we had always hoped to find a way to work together, and finally have.

And, my husband, Paul, who is really central to this story. Paul is first generation of an Italian family whose name is inscribed on the Vatican Gallery of Maps (Calabria); he was with me when I first met with Busatti, and he so easily fell into conversation with Stefano and Michelangelo – it was as if he was conversing with his Italian cousins; I knew at that moment that we had found something special.

Website: www.busattivilla.com

Instagram: @busattivilla & @busattivillacalifornia

Other: Pinterest: Busatti Villa

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutAtlanta is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.