Minotti

Minotti is the epitome of ‘Made in Italy’.

Shortly after the Second World War, Alberto Minotti, who had a small scale artisanal workshop in Meda, a town North of Milan, decided it was time to start expanding his business. In 1948, Minotti was born, with character and intuition at the forefront of its contemporary furniture designs.

Minotti is 100 percent a family affair, having been passed down the generations since its inception. Central to the brand’s identity is the ‘Made in Italy’ concept, which today sees tradition and innovation come together in true Minotti style. Skilled artisans finish products that have been created by modern technology, a symbiotic relationship that balances research with emotion.

Over the years, the company has put its Minotti stamp of ‘innovation in the spirit of continuity’ on every collection, keeping its DNA at the heart of why it does what it does. Elegance meets a ‘70s aesthetic in some of its most recent designs, like the Goodman and Horizonte sofas, thanks to Creative Director Rodolfo Dordoni, whose understanding of architecture and design has propelled the brand to dizzying heights since his appointment in 1997.

With the ever-changing landscape of technology shifting the design world, Minotti is ready to face the challenges of the digital-heavy third millennium, keeping Italian excellence at its core.

Porro

In 1925, in the small village of Montesolaro in Lombardy, brothers Stefano and Giulio Porro opened their first workshop.

Design clearly ran in the blood of the Porro brothers, who originally dedicated their craft to the production of old-style pieces of furniture for the newborn Milanese bourgeoisie. It won the appreciation of local customers and was a success till its takeover from the second generation of the family, which marked the turning point to a more modern ‘50s style.

The way Porro interprets wood and uses fine woodworking techniques of the past is what makes it stand out. A true patrimony of the Italian brand, the wood selection is renewed yearly, personally selected by the Porro family. Design visions and tailoring details go hand in hand, redefining traditions such as carving, wood bending, and inlays. In fact, Porro has some award-worthy projects, such as the long-standing Ferro Table from 1994, and the Gentle Chair and Mikado sideboard, which both won at the Elle Decor Interntational Design Awards.

Partnering with architect Giulio Moscatelli (who designed the Porro workshop next to the family house) was not the first time the brand joined forces with some of the most influential designers of the period. With artist Bruno Munari, the Cubovo food trolly was born in 1962, while names like Gam Fratesi and Werer Aisslinger were also added to the list of collaborators that have given the brand its global identity.

Martinelli Luce

Just shy of 70 years ago, in a small city called Lucca in Tuscany, Elio Martinelli started work on what was to become one of the most influential and innovative Italian design companies of today.

During the height of the economic boom in the 1950s, Martinelli took to his basement (which he called his ‘laboratory’) to elevate the mundane, simple objects that existed around him. With a strong affinity for lights, he channeled his creative energy into bringing lamps to life. How many tools does one need to make a decorative lamp? Not many, according to Martinelli, who pulled all of his inspiration and ideas from nature and geometry.

Take the Cobra lamp, for example, which, as its name suggests, resembles the anticipated poise of a snake ready to strike. Or the Pipistrello collaboration with architect Gae Aulenti, whose white shade recalls the open wings of a bat and telescopic movement means its height is adjustable. Both are key examples of how function and form meet in harmony to produce something truly unique.

The way in which Martinelli Luce interprets light in its own way has allowed it to contribute to the history of lighting itself, with some of its products living in contemporary art and design history museums like the MoMA in New York and the Triennale in Milan. With heritage and experimentation at the core of everything it does, it’s clear that Martinelli Luce has classic and timeless design mastered down to a tee.

Foscarini

The island of Murano in Venice has been known for centuries for its long tradition of glass-making. It’s also the home of lighting company Foscarini, which uses the handmade Murano blown glass to bring its artistic lighting creations to life.

Foscarini lights are at the cutting edge of fashion and design, bringing together high-quality materials and a true Italian spirit — in every sense. With mastery and craftsmanship their tool of choice when it comes to the design concepts for their world-renowned products, the brand decided to add collaborations into the mix to go one step further. For 35 years, Foscarini has been working with international designers resulting in some seriously jaw-dropping decorative lamps for both domestic and collective environments.
In 1990, Rodolfo Dordoni designed LUMIERE with Foscarini, one of their most popular table lamps to this day. 1993 saw the HAVANA by Jozeph Forakis enter the repertoire as the first lamp made out of a material other than glass: polyethylene. And in 2009, not only did LE SOLEIL by Vincente Garcia Jimenez join the mix, but Foscarini partnered with clothing brand Diesel on their new Diesel Living collection.

It’s not just collaborations that Foscarini is esteemed for, but also its awards. In 2001, its fiberglass and carbon-fiber lamps, MITE and TITE, by Marc Sadler, won Comapsso d’Oro awards for ‘decisive technological innovation’. Italian creativity is known for its fiery character, and Foscarini is a prime example of this kind of rigor and passion.

Lago

Lago has a history steeped in high craft and tradition, with the family’s roots firmly planted in the world of artisanship. Policarpo Lago, a master cabinet maker, worked for the Italian nobility in their villas and in the churches of Venice, producing pieces of furniture for their majestic interiors. His children expanded the production line to bedrooms and entrance halls, turning Lago into a brand that has now mastered the art of interior furnishing for all kinds of spaces.

Simplicity is key with Lago, thanks to geometric lines and architectural mimicry. The brand is known for its series of versatile, modular structures that can be mixed and matched to furnish domestic and public spaces: its 36e8® sideboard, for example, lets you play indoor tetris with different building blocks; a playful approach to functionality and storage.

As the need for a more eco-conscious approach in design becomes more pressing, Lago has shifted its philosophy to adopt principles that keep sustainability at the forefront. Design is a tool for social change, and Lago’s 11-point manifesto reinforces that.

Architect Italo Chiucchini followed the principles of sustainable building, creating the LAGOFABBRICA factory, which actually doesn’t look like a factory at all, but rather a glass and wood home. The factory now works in compliance with the ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001, a standard of regulations related to environmental management that combats the use of volatile substances and waste.

This new way of working improves the materials used in Lago’s furniture, meaning that what you see in your home is not only good for the environment, but good for you too.

Arper

‘We design the world we live in,’ says Italian design company Arper, and its products truly hold up to that motto.

Founded in 1989, Arper has evolved from a lineage of leather artisans, into a company known for its state-of-the-art chairs, tables and community furnishings. Collaboration is also at the core of what Arper stands for, having worked with renowned designers like James Irvine, Jean-Marie Massaud and Ichiro Iwasaki, to bring different perspectives from around the world into its repertoire. Carrying the warmth and intimacy of homes into larger spaces with its bold designs and dedication to functionality, the brand aesthetic has become one of simplicity, craftsmanship, and, now, sustainability.

In its most recent collections, Arper has become more and more involved in the recycling and disassembly of materials, trying to minimize its use of glue and create more products out of FSC-certified woods. Its Adell Lounge Chair is made from post-industrial recycled plastic, the Aston Club can be broken down completely when it reaches the end of its life, and the Kata Chair is made with a 3D knit from post-consumer plastic.

‘Designing the world we live in’ is not just about making beautiful things, but about respecting the spaces we inhabit and the resources we use, and Arper is most definitely on the right track.

Cariboni

What brings cities and towns to life? Light. From dusk to dawn, urban landscapes need to be seen and usable, and light is the element that allows this, revealing new ways of living for communities.
Italian lighting company Cariboni has been determined to find smart solutions to brighten up the outdoors since 1908. On a daily basis, the brand is in conversation with designers from all over the world, but it is its relationships with the tight-knit network of local companies in Colico, Lombardy, where it was founded, that keeps the brand rooted in heritage. Nothing beats human contact, shared knowledge, and collective experience, and Cariboni stands by this by involving its collaborators in every part of the creative process.

Keeping its team of designers and producers close to home is one way that Cariboni respects the area it operates in, but its vision for social and environmental sustainability stretches further than Colico. Every decision the brand makes is based on an assessment of its respect for the environment.
Cariboni’s Eco-Centric Lighting systems optimize energy consumption and only illuminate when and where light is actually needed. Dark Friendly, Blue Free, and Switchable White Light are three of the brand’s lighting solutions that safeguard biodiversity and our general wellbeing. By limiting light pollution in the evenings, the brand is helping to conserve the biological rhythms of flora and fauna, protecting the night and allowing the natural cycle of day and night to govern how the world moves.

Flos

Nestled amongst the Italian mountains of Merano in South Tyrol, Dino and Cesare Cassina opened a lighting laboratory back in 1962. Little did they know that their goal of striving to reinvent the industry would one day become known around the globe.

Only 10 years after starting the brand, Flos had numerous products become part of the Italian exhibition in the MoMA in New York, cementing its place as a crucial figure in the lighting world. The Ará and Miss Sissi lamps, designed in partnership with Philippe Starck, fast became some of Flos’ most popular pieces, with Miss Sissi selling over 100,000 models in a year and furnishing a major NYC hotel. You may have seen Flos’ sought-after yet provocative Guns Collection debuted in 2005, which came in gold and silver. The genre-bending and iconic lamps definitely caught the attention of many, becoming yet another of Flos’ signature creations.

Even with such success under its belt, Flos has made sure to keep sustainability at the core of how it functions. Conscious that sustainability is not ‘a’ key point, but ‘the’ key point for getting through present and future times, the brand has made changes in every choice it makes, from consumer practices all the way up to key stakeholders. Entirely sustainable packaging, moving from a linear to circular economy, enhancing durability while lowering its carbon footprint, fostering the dissasembly of products, and focusing on human-centered design are just a handful of ways that Flos is keeping its footprint as green as possible.

Desalto

It may have been in the game for a shorter time than some of its competitors, but 30-year-old Desalto has quickly made a name for itself in the design world.

In 1990, the four Orsenigo brothers, heirs of a metalworking company, decided it was time to build a brand that was in tune with the shifting zeitgeist of the times. From the very beginning, the young, innovative spirit of Desalto has created its identity by collaborating with up-and-coming designers, ensuring that its Italian roots are always in tow.

The products are minimal and modern. From seating and sideboards to tables and outdoor pieces, the graphic furniture designs are adaptable and customizable, with unwavering quality being one of the brand’s most important elements. Each piece features, in one way or another, the essence of the artisanship typical of the brand’s heritage, particularly the Brianza area.

The Strong Special pieces by designer Eugeni Quitllet are part of Desalto’s most famed collection. Using steel tubes and air to give shape to the tables and chairs, the furniture has a floating aspect to it, keeping the spaces they inhabit light and clean; the Strong Special Loungechair won the Archiproducts Design Awards last year for its balance between comfort and solidity.

The brand also has a photovoltaic plant with 1730 solar panels that provide energy to the entire company, so not only is the brand encouraging eco-sustainability, but it has an inexhaustible curiosity for new technologies and materials, marrying Italian craftsmanship with the desires of the modern consumer.

Magis

Magis is the Latin word for ‘more’, and this is exactly how visionary founder Eugenio Perazza has led the brand from its inception in 1976. Hailing from Motta di Livenza, a small town in Veneto, Perazza was a dreamer with bold ideas when it came to design, technology, and materiality; he wanted to offer something ‘more’ than the ordinary or predictable.

For Magis, every piece tells a story while preserving the local traditions of its Italian origins: design, innovation, and experimentation are its holy trinity. Magis has always believed in daring, emerging talent, and over the years has joined forces with many international designers, leading to a series of successes that have redefined the horizons of design.

In 1994, Magis worked with Jasper Morrison on a stackable bottle rack — ‘Bottle’, which not only won several international awards, but earned a place in the permanent exhibitions of the MoMa and the Victoria & Albert Museum. The brand rang in the 2000s with a technological revolution, the Air-Chair, by Morrison again, which was the first single-shell chair made by air-moulding.

If that wasn’t enough, in 2004, the brand entered the world of children’s furniture. Perazza, a grandfather at the time, wanted to give his granddaughter a ‘proper’ table so invented a line that was playful and educational, as seen through the eyes of children.

With one eye on the past, and one on a new, timeless future, Magis has managed to get its eclectic and versatile designs into the permanent exhibitions of over 35 museums, winning close to 100 prestigious accolades, including five Compasso d’Oro.

Davide Groppi

In the historic town of Piacenza in the late ‘80s, Davide Groppi was working away in his laboratory, inventing lamps that were to become the starting point for his eponymous world-famous brand. As a child, Groppi grew up constructing pinball machines, telegraphs, and lamps with his father, so it’s no surprise that technical know-how and an acute eye for functionality ran in his DNA.

Inspired by works of art, ready-made objects, and the desire to play with the element of light, Groppi was keen to encourage people to interact with his creations, pushing the boundaries of how we see everyday objects such as lamps and bringing the inanimate to life. Emotion, weightlessness, and simplicity course through his delicate creations that shift how we encounter interior spaces, either thanks to their scale, materiality, or unconventional form.

Groppi’s innovative design mindset has not gone amiss, with acclaimed chefs like Albert Adrià, Massimo Bottura, and Gennaro Esposito choosing his lighting solutions to brighten up their top-class restaurants. With this in mind, Davide Groppi has also received multiple awards for its groundbreaking products. Its Sampei Lamp won the Edida Award in 2011, the Neuro Lamp won the Design Plus Award in 2014, and the Nulla lamp scooped up two Compasso d’Oro awards, assignedby the ADI (Association of Industrial Design) — and that’s only naming a few.

Artemide

Milanese lighting expert Artemide has been in the game for over 60 years, having started in the hands of fearless engineer, Ernesto Gismondi.

Since its foundation, Gismondi was keen on ensuring that Artemide remained at the forefront of technological innovation, particularly in the lighting field. He immediately invested in research on the most up-to-date production technology and the most innovative materials and light sources, starting conversations with international architects to interpret different light cultures. Gismondi believed in listening to the world, and Artemide is a testament to that when you look at its space-shifting products. Dubbed ‘the most famous in history’, the Tolomeo lamp designed by Michele de Lucchi and Giancarlo Fassina became one of Artemide’s most enduring icons, while the mushroom-like Nessino lamp from the ‘60s heralded the conquest of modernity, redefining domestic landscapes with its playful and thought-provoking structure.

Synonymous with innovation, Artemide believes that light can regenerate spaces; it is what makes the world visible, interacts with life, and affects our psychological wellbeing. Based on conducted research, Artemide’s patented Integralis technology can use light to sanitize spaces too; a boundary-breaking realization that could change cultures and communities around the world.

Ernesto Gismondi taught the brand to look to the future with a visionary spirit that was curious when it needed to be and committed to flawless design at all times.