Downtown Design presents 'Italian Luxury Interiors'

For the first time at Downtown Design, the Italian Trade Agency (ITA) will present a selection of luxury artisanal brands within a large 700sqm area dedicated to showcasing craft, techniques, materials and products under the ‘Made in Italy’ marque.

Visitors will be able to explore the uniquely designed pavilion to discover furniture, lighting, floor and wallcoverings, as well as a diverse range of home accessories from home scents to linens.

At Downtown Design, the ITA, in co-operation with CNA and Confartigianato, will offer visitors a chance to journey through Italy in an initiative called: “Italian Luxury Interiors – the Art of Italian Design”.  

In collaboration with the Italian Trade Commission, brands to exhibit include: furniture maker David Vercelli; Selezioni Domus who bring their handmade brass objects from Florence; and, Fantini Mosaici, an historic brand established in Milan in 1900 specialising in traditional mosaics, marble and Venetian Terrazzo that feature in the couture boutiques of Chanel, Prada and Hermes, and most famously for the Sheikh Zayed Al Nahyan Bin Sultan Mosque, the Royal Palaces in Doha and the new Presidential Palace in Abu Dhabi.

The full list of Italian Luxury Interiors brands include: 13 Ricrea di Angela Mensi& C., BD, Borzalino, Dr. Vranjes Firenze, Fantini Mosaici, Hom (ROTFIL),  L'Opificio , Luigi Sartori , Ma-Bo, Made A Mano, Maison Claire, Matteo Brioni, Selezioni Domus, Tecnica Design and Vetrogiardini by Santoni Vetri.

Here's a bit more about each of these brands:

13 Ricrea di Angela Mensi& C.

After thirteen meetings, in 2007, 13RiCrea was formed. A group of female designers make up 13RiCrea, a company completely dedicated to the reinterpretation of material doomed to disuse. They specialize in materials that cannot be reused and use them as resources to create new objets. Angela Mensi and Ingrid Tarò started this company, both with competenices in different backgrounds 13RiCrea’s with a philosophy to use anything and everything as a resource. All their projects aim to be eco-sustainable.This requirement helps reducing environmental footprint to a minimum. 13RiCrea is a company made in Italy, versatile and modern, which adopts the creativity not only in the ethical and sustainable production processes but also in satisfying its refined clientele.

BD

BD Collection is an Italian design company that creates authentic ‘Made in Italy’ luxury lifestyle products. Whether it is art, furniture or architectural design, BD Collection’s aim is to bring Italy’s true essence to the international stage by collaborating with passionate and skillful artisans.

Distinctly Italian in the quality of both its design and production, BD Collection brings a new range of luxury products to the international market, beginning with a series of crystal games tables: CALMA-e-GESSO. Designed in collaboration with Adriano Design, Calma-e-Gesso is a luxury collection that gives new life to the classic game tables. Elegant and unique, this new collection embodies the perfect duet of Italian style and technological innovation. Filotto, an exclusive crystal pool table in the Calma-e-Gesso collection, embodies a whole lifestyle: life is a game and the player has to take a moment of calm before making an important decision. That moment of calm before making an important decision is part of what helped Calma e Gesso, the new luxury design brand by BD Collection and Adriano Design, to create this exclusive billiards table.

Borzalino

BORZALINO is a family-run company that manufactures handmade sofas and armchairs. The company was founded in 1976 with roots that are deeply encased in the great artisan tradition that for centuries has made Tuscan furniture production well known in the world.

In line with this heritage, they have been producing upholstered furniture and designing sofas and armchairs that maintain the highest quality standards. They believe in working with passion, care and patience – ensuring an attention to detail that make Borzalino furniture worthy of the ‘MADE IN ITALY’ trademark. 

Dr. Vranjes Firenze

Dr. Vranjes’ passion for perfumes was born in 1983 when he founded “Antica Officina del Farmacista Dr. Vranjes Firenze” in Italy. Dr. Vranjes, together with his team of assistants, formulates exclusive scents which are the result of a perfect union between meticulous innovative techniques and endless research.

The brand’s product range includes home fragrances, cosmetics, perfumes, candles, home décor accessories as well as scents for your car and linens.

The sophisticated "Dr. Vranjes Firenze Home Fragrances" was created to perfectly decorate all rooms following the theories of aromatherapy and the importance of olfactory memory. As a result of this innovation, Dr Vranjes introduced "Olfactory Dècor"

Today the company comprises three boutiques in the Tuscan capital: Via San Gallo, the first store and laboratory opened in 1996; Borgo La Croce, opened in 2001 and Via della Spada, opened in 2010 and located in the center of Florence's commercial quadrangle. They also have stores in Rome, Milan and Venice as well as an extended distribution network within Italy and around the world.

Fantini Mosaici

Specializing in mosaic, marble, Venetian Terrazzo and pebbestone, Fantini Mosaici is a company committed to delivering the best of what they offer. Historically based in Milan since the 1900s, they now have offices in Abu Dhabi, Miami, and New Port California.

Fantini Mosaici represents luxury without boundaries and they offer rich, modern or classic finishings that make every property unique.

In the Middle East, Fantini Mosaici is mostly known for the finishing of the interiors of the iconic Sheikh Zayed Al Nahyan Bin Sultan Mosque, for the Royal Palaces in Doha , the new Presidential Palace in Abu Dhabi, the magnificient Palazzo Versace and Condominiums in Dubai, Cipriani Restaurant in Yas Island, Abu Dhabi and for the well distinguished  Prada Boutiques across the Emirates.

HOM

HOM was established to provide an innovative take on modern household equipment. The brand's core business focuses on the production of a new generation of household equipment to heat and dry bathrobes, towels and clothes. HOM focuses on creating energy saving solutions, that use the Taut design ethic.

At Downtown Design Hom plans to showcase four of their pieces:

ZIG ZAG:  a ceramic stool developed for SPA and fitness centers that can also be used in private bathrooms. The stool can heat up bathrobes and  towels in a few minutes offering maximum comfort to the wearer. Once switched off, the piece doubles as a wonderful little stool.

SHIELD: A towel holding shield which can be placed beside washbasins and showers. An iconic object that also doubles as an interesting decoration piece.

H PAD: The evolved shelf. The H Pad can be installed in single or double (overlapped) configuration and can keep the objects put over it quite warm.

TERRA: the latest addition to HOM's collection. Terra revives the tradition of old  Italian stoves with a new technological heart.

L'Opificio 

l’Opificio has been bringing Italian traditions back to life since 1998 with their well-designed velvet and fabric collections. The brand aims to create fabric collections that do for homes what haute couture does for fashion. l’Opificio combines excellent craftsmanship with a research based direction, where single fabrics and velvets are defined by popular colour combinations and customer-based designs. The brand is revered for their precious fabrics and velvets and their prêt-à-porter line that consist of quilts, cushions and curtains.

l’Opificio is a member of Exclusive Brands Torino and the Torino Industrial Union Network of Excellence.

Luigi Sartori

Luigi Sartori creates handmade modern rugs that can be customized for contract customers. The wools they use have origins in Kashmir, between the Afghan Gazni Mountains and Nepal, and are hand spun and dyed to achieve irregular yarn and colour tone variations. The brand believes in only using natural materials in their pieces; aside from leaving the natural undyed colours in their rugs, they also use vegetable dyes extracted from flowers, herbs and tree bark. Rug design, technical work and production are all conducted in Italy and under Italian direction. Some pieces are entirely created by architects and interior designers requiring specific pieces for their projects. The best thing about Sartori rugs are their affordable prices. The brand is one of the first to offer high quality, natural-fibred silk rugs at an affordable price. Sartori rugs have been used by interior decorators to adorn the floors of hotels, yachts and homes.

Ma-Bo

“Tailor of steel”: this is the slogan that Mabele has chosen as its mantra. The care and attention that Mabele devotes to a piece’s metalworking can be compared to the care that a tailor shows when sewing a custom-made suit. The range of products offered is wide and includes: interior and commercial furnishings, architectural works such as staircases, gates, metal cladding and outdoor furniture. They also offer a range of services including installations and working with Italian designers and architects to create unique pieces. Every work can be customized by the use of laser technology and is 100% made in Italy. They also have certified high quality, guaranteed by: ISO 9001; ISO 3834 and CE marks (EN1090).

Made A Mano

After almost 40 years of study, research and creativity, Rosario Parrinello started Made a Mano Srl in 2001. The brand specializes in working and processing clay and lava stone. They use natural materials to create a variety of products including tiles, countertops, table tops, sinks, bathtubs and indoor/outdoor furniture.

The brand is based in Caltagirone, Sicily - a city with 4000 years of experience in the production of ceramics - with offices located approximately 60 km from the Etna volcano, thereby giving them a unique and exclusive source for lava stone. 

The exclusive madeamano collection was created using the traditional and artistic experience of its founder. The brand combines designs and colours of the Mediterranean with Oriental and African expressions in order to create a minimalistic piece that is typical of northern Europe.

Made a Mano Srl uses natural and lava stone pieces for their work, with decorations that are made freehand and applied with a brush. Every artifact that Made a Mano Srl produces is a result of concentrated research and passion.

Maison Claire

Maison Claire was established in Varallo Sesia, an elegant town in Piedmont, Italy that also happens to be  a UNESCO World Heritage site. The town has an abundance of rich history and art and therefore serves as the perfect backdrop for this burgeoning textile company. Founder Clara Bertoli's creations are the epitome of passion and emotion, and represent her enduring love of fabric.

“Creating with love” is the motto Clara brings to every working day: the constant search for new inspiration, looking into your soul to find new magic, listening to the sensations the fabrics and rich decorations make you experience - these are the little things that help her create every fabric collection. 

Each project is a wonderful new adventure , a journey she shares with her clients, all of which provide the ideal solutions for every home.

Matteo Brioni

Matteo Brioni SRL was founded in 2010 and devotes itself exclusively to the creation of earth-based products. They supply natural paints, pigments and clay based surfaces, building elements, plasters, tools, connective products and more.

Earth is one of the oldest construction materials. Matteo Brioni introduces a  traditional  material  in a contemporary way, suitable  for  both  vertical  and  horizontal  continuous  surfaces and able to seamlessly convert into any shape.

Selezioni Domus

Selezioni Domus was founded in 1990 to create unique objects utilizing natural elements such as animal horns, wood, hand cut crystals, high quality Plexiglas, handcrafter brass and more. In 2003 they adopted a contemporary design element that shows an evolution in home-style decor with furniture and household objects which bear a distinctive Italian stamp. Selezioni Domus primarily works with brass processing, in methods that are uniquely handmade. They work exclusively with interior designers and architects to create one-of-a-kind pieces that every type of designer can personalize.

Tecnicadesign

Tecnicadesign is a unified network of companies and professionals with a common passion for design solutions, interior design and craftsmanship. The group combines the capabilities of Italian professionals in the design sector, to provide services ranging from concept to realization.

The brand constantly stays up to date with the latest technologies in order to ensure mass production takes place but while keeping their products unique. Tecnicadesign lives up to the excellence that is expected with a "made in Italy" product.

Vetrogiardini by Santoni Vetri (also story lead image)

Italy-based Vetrogiardini has been creating indoor and outdoor furniture entirely made of structural glass for 30+ years. The brand offers a wide selection of glass products that are customisable to client needs, and includes items like glass-chairs and benches. Before releasing a new product, their creations are thoroughly researched and tested. Pieces are created with stratified glass and then hardened for security. Vetrogiardini believes in delivering the best and most innovative products to their customers. 

Register to visit the fair here.