Walking around the Cappellini furniture store in Milan, you feel as if you are in a museum. Unusual, timeless pieces of furniture are displayed as far as the eye can see. And just when you thought those unique chairs couldn’t possibly be comfortable, you are asked to take a seat and realise that these designs have the perfect measurements.
With many years of experience, Cappellini is famous for its innovative and cutting edge designs. Always scouting for new, young talent this furniture designer is known for using new materials and unusual shapes. Take this year’s Antler Chair – it is an elegant armchair with a strong wooden backrest that looks like, as the name suggests, the antlers of a male deer. The soft seat and the back and foot rest come in solid olive ash wood. It’s a spectacular creation and surprisingly comfortable to sit on.
You get a totally different look with Cappellini’s Stitch Stool by Adam Goodrum. This high chair revolutionises the concept of a folding stool, creating a high-tech, modern product with great emotional charge due to its glossy colours. The stool is constructed of laser cut aluminium sheets and comes in various colours. “In this shop, everyone can find something to their liking. The prices vary; you can buy a chair from as little as 500 Euros, up to 20,000,” explains Giuliana Reggio of the Poltrona Frau Group that represents Cappellini and six other major Italian brands. Reggio proudly points at the Proust Geometrica, an extravagant fauteuil. This classic design by Alessandro Mendini is one of the more expensive chairs in the shop. Created in 1978 for the Palazzo dei Diamanti in Ferrara, the Proust is recognised as an icon of 20th century design. Cappellini inherited the piece in 1993 and now, the reupholstered version is hand finished, once again making it a stunning armchair for a prominent setting.
Cappellini is not only famous for its chairs. Its tables, beds and cabinets are truly stunning too. The Homage to Mondrian cabinets combine the talents of two great artists of the last century. Japanese designer Shiro Kuramata created a modern cabinet series inspired by the Dutch abstract painter, Piet Mondrian. Available in two versions, the cabinets are created from lacquered wood and mounted on wheels. Inside, you find spaces and drawers for storage, gathering and safekeeping. Yet again, a cabinet like this would truly stand out in any part of your house and is a must for collectors.
Like most other successful Italian companies, Cappellini started as a family business in 1946, manufacturing fine, handmade furniture. Building on its long history and excellent craftsmanship, the brand became world famous. Under the son’s founder, Giulio Cappellini, the company was known for discovering and promoting young artists. Giulio was actively seeking undiscovered designers, encouraging and helping to direct their careers and designs. Stars such as Jasper Morrison from Great Britain, Satyendra Pakhale from India, Mark Newson from Australia and Ineke Hans from the Netherlands became the trendsetters of international design. Some of the Cappellini designs are now represented in museum collections, including the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Centre George Pompidou.
While the line still thrived under Giulio Cappellini, one of Italy’s most prominent furniture groups took ownership of the company in 2004. Poltrona Frau Group not only represents Cappellini but also Cassina, Alias, Gebrüder Thonet Vienna, Gufram, Nemo and Poltrona Frau – the world famous leather furniture factory that has now been operating for almost a century. Poltrona Frau’s leather is known for its endurance value and excellent quality. They have upholstered audience halls of world famous theatres and were commissioned to do the assembly hall at the European Parliament. Poltrona Frau also produces the leather interiors for Ferrari, Masserati, BMW and Mercedes. Etihad Airways has chosen them to furnish its fleet’s new first-class suites because a special armchair upholstered with Pelle Frau leather promises to provide a more elegant flying experience. As of 2010 passengers of Etihad’s first class suites will be guaranteed ergonomic support with the chair’s integrated massage system, lumbar support and adjustable headrest.
“The partnership with Etihad, which also covers the furnishing of all lounges the company opens in international airports across the world, is another important step in the international growth process that we are giving Poltrona Frau, particularly in the UAE through the joint-venture with Mubadala,” notes Matteo Montezemolo, vice chairman of Poltrona Frau. Together with the Mubadala Development Company, the Poltrona Frau Group opened their very first Made in Italy flagship store in Abu Dhabi. The 15,000 square meter store, covering two floors, opened late last year on a prominent location on Abu Dhabi’s Corniche. The flagship brings together all seven of Poltrona Frau Group’s brands in a block-long building. On the ground floor of the store a large circular piazza, covered in white gold tiles, acts as the reception area and is the hub around which different areas devoted to the three main brands of the Group - Cassina, Poltrona Frau and Cappellini. Different spaces are designed to give the right atmosphere for the character of each brand.
For shoppers in Abu Dhabi this is a great opportunity to find an enormous variety of the most wonderful Italian designs under one roof. Cassina offers fantastic sofa’s – like the Privé seats designed by Philippe Starck. A lot of Cassina’s furniture uses smoked wood and special finishes such as the invisible stitching for leather pieces. It looks as if the leather is pulled over the chairs like a beautiful piece of clothing. Apart from practical outdoor furniture, Alias now has a range of luxurious exercise equipment – also designed by Philippe Starck. These fancy gymnastic tools promote exercise at home and in the office. The items have been studied to the smallest detail to facilitate a correct posture and encourage ‘functional and elegant’ exercise. “In Italy, we have a know-how and an unmatched taste and sensibility. There is something for everyone,” says Reggio. “Use Cappellini for an avant-garde, vagabond atmosphere, Alias for outside, Poltrona Frau for leather and Cassina for sophisticated, modern culture,” she continues. The Poltrona Frau Group also furnishes complete apartments for the countless luxury real estate developments in the UAE. So if you don’t have time to go and buy the high quality interior design yourself, they’ll happily furnish your flat for you.
www.poltronafraugroup.com
