Just before Christmas, I received an email inviting me to Cantu Italy as a guest of the Italian Chamber of Commerce to meet Interior Suppliers based in this region of Italy. The trip was over three days from the 25th to 27th January. After a few issues with the outbound flight due to fog at Heathrow I eventually arrived at Malpensa where there was a car waiting to take me to the hotel. No meetings were arranged for that day, so I had the afternoon to relax and catch up on the sleep I had missed the night before due to the disruption. I was staying at a hotel in Cantu which is in the province of Como which is near to Milan. I ate in the hotel that evening and tried the local pasta with Vongole (clams).
Early next morning I met the other delegates who were from Spain, Germany, Russia and Belgium. We were a mixture of Architects and Interior Designers, all with our own practices. Transport took us to the offices of Promo in Cantu where the meetings were to be held during the day.
My first meeting of the day was with IFalegnami. They are a bespoke joinery company who only work in wood. It is a family owned company, with father and son presenting their work to me. They do a lot of modern work including doors, bathrooms and kitchens but the staircase built in olive wood pictured is stunning.
IFalegnami are also experts in working on heritage buildings. They have been repairing floors and mouldings in heritage buildings for generations. Two of the buildings they have worked on were the Palazzo Medolago in Bergamot and the Palazzo Della Beffa in Milano.
Ambient Properties have been in business since 1959. They are a distribution company for Italian furniture, sanitary ware, kitchens and taps. Some of the brands they handle are; Busnelli, Olympic, Gessi and Scic. They will handle all the shipping to the UK and fitting if required.
L’atelier D’art is a traditional furniture company working on heritage furniture designs. The company works on small production pieces in veneered wood. Typical woods used are rosewood, ash, walnut and olive wood. The furniture can be inlaid and made to any design or size.
Taramelli is a high end fit out company. They can take a building out of the ground or refurbish an existing building to the highest standard. The way they use materials is stunning. They have worked extensively in the UK and the Middle East.
Vitality are a family business started in 1955 based near Milan. They manufacture wooden and aluminium windows and doors. Their windows are able to have a mosquito mesh incorporated within and their doors can be fitted with an internal steel plate for added security as well as a no key mechanism. Vitality make doors and windows for both the Commercial and Residential sectors. Both contemporary and traditional styles are available.
Arkof are experts in unusually designed occasional furniture. The furniture is manufactured in MDF but is the coated with different surfaces. All very different and unusual. The modular designs used for the bookcases and sideboards would grace any room and would be a statement piece. There is a dining table which is part of the collection that has six legs but the way they are configured means that no one ‘gets’ a leg. First day over, time for another delicious dinner, tried a different pasta this time with
First day over, time for another delicious dinner, tried a different pasta this time with ‘Pomodoro’.
The next day we were picked up from the hotel and taken to the showroom of Laura Moroni. This stunning showroom showcases the best of the work that this lovely family business manufactures. Laura Moroni started the business with her husband in 1959 and it is now run by her Son and Grandson.
Beautiful wall panelling and furniture is presented in room sets which are beautifully done. You have to look at the pictures to get a sense of how different this brand is.
After lunch we were given a presentation by Krea lighting design, beautiful light fittings made in Italy of excellent quality. Back to Malpensa for the evening flight back to Heathrow.
I will be presenting this new resource to my clients at the first opportunity, beautiful Italian design sourced by Koubou Interiors.