Portland design reporter Damon Johnstun will cover the 61th edition of Salone del Mobile, the prestigious furnishing and design show, April 18-23 at Fiera Milano Rho in Milan, Italy. The trends and products that debuted during Milan Design Week last year are showing up in showrooms. Here is a designer spotlight:
During Milan design week 2022, I sat down with Carola Bestetti, CEO of Living Divani, a family-owned, Italian furniture company founded more than 50 years ago by her father, Luigi Bestetti, and Renata Pozzoli.
Before becoming the second-generation to lead the company, Carola Bestetti gained experience in New York, which she said influenced her openness and curiosity. Both traits, along with disrupting the status quo, are part of Living Divani’s success.
The high-end furniture design sector is a complex one, with many challenges including sourcing materials, the construction process and complexities involved in the world of furniture design and manufacturing and slim margins. Yet, Living Divani is set to become a major player.
Bestetti acknowledges that change can be difficult, especially for longstanding companies with established practices. Therefore, she prefers a gradual approach that builds on the company’s strengths.
“You never want to forget where you come from, otherwise, you don’t see the future,” she said at Living Divani Gallery, a design and creativity showroom in Milan, that showcases interdisciplinary presentations and domestic environments. “My parents taught me … to move toward empathy and the personal relationship with people.”
Living Divani is known for its “silent elegance,” which is characterized by a focus on creating furniture that is timeless and can fit seamlessly into any environment. The company’s commitment to this approach has paid off, with many of its designs remaining relevant and contemporary years after their initial release.
In the United States, the best known modern furniture brands are Knoll and Herman Miller, but the furniture industry has undergone significant consolidation and mergers, leaving some confused about the industry’s state. One recent development that caught attention was the acquisition by Haworth, an American company, of an Italian corporation, the Poltrona Frau Group. This may lead to new opportunities for growth and innovation, say experts.
However, many American consumers do not always know the manufacturing processes and traditions behind high-end products. And Italian companies could do better at educating consumers about the value of their products, some say. Many Italian companies produce pieces on an order basis, which means longer wait times for customers.
Despite this, Italian companies have a rich history of producing high-quality, innovative designs, and with the right education and marketing, could find a wider audience in the United States and beyond.
Milan has long been known as the capital of design and many of the world’s top architecture firms and communication agencies are based there. Living Divani creative director Piero Lissoni is referred to as the “King of Milan.”
In addition, talented young designers are making their mark on the industry including David Lopez Quincoces, who designs for Living Divani, Francesco Meda and Lukas Scherrer of Shibuleru.
Francesca Lanzavecchia and Haunn Wai of Lanzavecchia + Wai are also making waves in the industry by designing pieces like hand ovens, and pebble vanities and pebble tables. Other designers such as Federica Biasi and Formafantasma are admired for their forward-thinking approach.
— Damon Johnstun
More Damon Johnstun design stories:
• Luxury furniture maker Marta Sala teams up with designer Federico Peri
• Designer Etienne Marc’s virtuoso craftsmanship
• Roberto Palomba and Ludovica Serafini design with passion and purpose
• Draga & Aurel revive the essence of the 1970s with a seductive twist
• Caterina Fabrizio leads Dedar fabric house into an authentic future
• From fashion boutiques to wallpaper, Storage Milano progresses the design conversation
• Top brand furnishing trends: Luxurious textures, chunky shapes, ‘70s ruching soften hard edges
• Archiproducts is an online design wonderland
• Your home office deserves a standout modern chair designed by Eames, Saarinen, Citterio
• Formafantasma, Rethinking the Future
• Designer Antonio Citterio’s guide to contemporary Italian elegance
• Minimalist master Piero Lissoni is surprisingly funny: Milan Design Week
• Step into Dimore Studio’s evocative world: Milan Design Week (photos)
• Quietly elegant office chairs come home: An interview with Jeannette Altherr
• Hive Modern hosts Italian luxury furniture boss Patrizia Moroso
• Christian Lacroix’s Sacha Walckhoff creates carpets for Moooi
• Paris-based designer’s elegant work documented in new book ‘Joseph Dirand Interior’
• ‘Milan is the capital of design’ says Nina Yashar of Nilufar galleries
• Furniture impresario Giulio Cappellini in Milan (photos)
• Papilio chair inspired by swallowtail butterfly: Naoto Fukasawa in Milan
• Modern furniture inspired by the Mini Cooper: GamFratesi in Milan
• Gallery owner Rossana Orlandi: Starmaker of furniture designers
• Designer Bethan Laura Wood’s lighting inspired by lollipops
• Architect, furniture designer Vincent Van Duysen: ‘Timeless modernism’
• Lighting designer Michael Anastassiades: Simplicity from complexity
• A $100,000 pool table: ‘The price for the pursuit of perfection’
• Ferruccio Laviani: Design-obsessed people know his name, others will soon
• Bisazza interprets iconic Pucci prints in mosaic: Reflecting on Milan design shows
• A glimpse into Giancarlo Giammetti’s lavish book ‘Private’
• Barcelona’s early modernist masterpiece: Mies van der Rohe’s Pavilion
• Baccarat partygoers in Milan treated to iconic crystal luxury
• Self-taught multicultural designer Philippe Nacson invests in a new future: Design City
• Design Week Portland kickoff party: Nonstop visual wows
• Magritte-inspired boudoir and a nude pink room with a velvet loveseat: Snapshots of a furniture fair
