B&B Italia

Last updated

B&B Italia
Company typePrivate
IndustryHome interiors: furniture and design; luxury goods
Founded1966
Headquarters Novedrate, Italy
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
The Busnelli Family
ProductsUpholstered seating, wood products, tables, wall units, closets, complements
Number of employees
643
Website www.bebitalia.com

B&B Italia SpA is an Italian modern furniture company founded in 1966 by Piero Ambrogio Busnelli. [1] His descendants own and manage the company. In 2021 Piero Lissoni was named Artistic Director of B&B Italia. It is part of Flos B&B Italia Group.

Contents

History

On March 1, 2011, the Busnelli family became majority shareholders of the company once again and now own 100% of the shares. [2]

UP chair designed by Gaetano Pesce (1969) Ngv design, gaetano pesce, up chair, 1969.JPG
UP chair designed by Gaetano Pesce (1969)
UP 5 and UP 6 designed by Gaetano Pesce " 12 - ITALY - Serie UP di Gaetano Pesce UP 5 e 6 al Triennale Design Museum di Milano.jpg
UP 5 and UP 6 designed by Gaetano Pesce

The United States subsidiary, B&B Italia USA Inc., is located in Manhattan, New York in the Architects and Designers Building above their American flagship store in midtown. [3]

B&B Italia has won four Compasso d'Oro awards: first in 1979 for Le Bambole by Mario Bellini; then in 1984 for Sisamo by Studio Kairos; and again in 1987 for Sity by Antonio Citterio. In 1989, B&B Italia became the first company to be recognized with a Compasso d'Oro directly awarded to a design manufacturing entity. Since 1966 there have been over 1,000 B&B Italia designs (including prototypes).[ citation needed ]

Designers who have worked with the B&B Italia design department include Antonio Citterio, Patricia Urquiola, Gaetano Pesce, Naoto Fukasawa, Zaha Hadid, Marcel Wanders, Richard Sapper, Afra and Tobia Scarpa, Jean-Marie Massaud, Jeffrey Bernett, Mario Bellini, Studio Kairos, Paolo Piva, Richard Schultz, Atelier Oi, David Chipperfield, C. Gerhards and A. Glucker, Chris Howker, Ettore Sottsass, Gabriele and Oscar Buratti, Jakob Wagner, Monica Armani, Nicole Aebischer, Roberto Barbieri, Uwe Fischer, Jasper Morrison, Marc Newson, and Vincent Van Duysen  [ nl ].[ citation needed ]

Over 3% of B&B Italia's annual sales is reinvested in research and development. In 2010, a foaming department for upholstery was established with an investment of 4 million euros. [4]

From the entry of The Carlyle Group into Investindustrial's design plan, Design Holding was born in September 2018 with the aim of creating the Italian hub of high-end interior design and then becoming it internationally. The brands already controlled by Investindustrial are part of the new company, led by Gabriele Del Torchio: Flos, B&B Italia and the Danish Louis Poulsen. [5]

The B&B Italia group owns the B&B Italia, Maxalto, Azucena and Arclinea brands and reached 201.4 million in revenues in 2019 with exports accounting for over 80%. Sales in 80 countries through a network of 10 flagship stores, 70 single-brand stores and 1000 resellers. [6]

Collections

B&B Italia has two divisions; the Home Division (focused on the residential market) and the Contract Division (for hospitality, marine, retail and offices). There are two brands; B&B Italia and Maxalto. Within B&B Italia there are four collections.

B&B Italia Home: Defined by products such as the Up Series Chair by Gaetano Pesce, the Charles Sofa by Antonio Citterio, Tufty Time by Patricia Urquiola and The Moon System Sofa by Zaha Hadid, the B&B Italia Home Collection is the base upon which the company was built. [7]

Maxalto: The Maxalto Collection was established in 1975. The collection includes products with shapes drawing inspiration from the typologies and styles of French design between the two World Wars. [8] Maxalto is a line of interior furnishings designed and coordinated by Antonio Citterio. Maxalto is often sold within B&B Italia stores but has in the last decade established itself more and more as its own brand. The first stand alone Maxalto store opened in Paris, France. In 2008 the first monobrand store in the US opened in Chicago, Illinois, followed soon after by Miami, Florida.

There are four collections within Maxalto: Apta, Simplice, AC and, released in 2010, Acro. Maxalto was featured in 2008 in the James Bond film Quantum of Solace .[ citation needed ]

B&B Italia Outdoor: Designed for indoor/outdoor living. It started with Canasta by Patricia Urquiola in 2007. Since then, the collection has grown to include pieces by Jean-Marie Massaud and Marcel Wanders in addition to new pieces by Patricia Urquiola and Atelier Oï. New products for the line are being designed by Naoto Fukasawa and Antonio Citterio.

B&B Italia Project: The Project Collection is a range of tables, chairs and soft seating for the contract market. It is often used in workplaces, restaurants, hotels, and public spaces. [7]

B&B Italia Object: The Object Collection includes vases, trays, bowls, pillows, lighting and accessories.

B&B Italia Contract: The B&B Italia Contract Division handles the “turnkey” projects for furnishings and/or layout in hotel areas, offices, retail, institutions, stores, cruise liners, etc. The Contract Division manages contracts for furnishings, from projects to logistics and from materials procurement to installation. The Contract Division has completed the newly opened W Retreat and Spa of Vieques Island designed with Patricia Urquiola and The Nieuw Amsterdam Luxury Cruise Line for Holland America with 1564 cabins. It was launched in Venice on July 4. Future projects include the W Hotel St. Petersburg designed by Antonio Citterio and two exclusive resorts in Greece.

MOOOI: B&B Italia owns 25% of the design company Moooi. Moooi is a Dutch company for which Marcel Wanders serves as co-owner and art director and Casper Vissers as co-owner and CEO. [9] [ better source needed ]

Distribution: B&B Italia and Maxalto have 750 points of sale worldwide including seven flagship stores (Milan, London, Munich, Paris, Chicago and two in New York), 20 monobrand stores and over 70 "Shop-in-Shops".[ citation needed ]

Planners and designers

See also

Related Research Articles

Alessi is a housewares and kitchen utensil company in Italy, manufacturing and marketing everyday items authored by a wide range of designers, architects, and industrial designers — including Achille Castiglioni, Richard Sapper, Marco Zanuso, Alessandro Mendini, Ettore Sottsass, Wiel Arets, Zaha Hadid, Toyo Ito, Hani Rashid, Tom Kovac, Greg Lynn, MVRDV, Jean Nouvel, UN Studio, Michael Graves, and Philippe Starck. The Alessi company in the UK is worth around £2.4 million.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zaha Hadid</span> Iraqi architect (1950–2016)

Dame Zaha Mohammad Hadid was an Iraqi-British architect, artist and designer, recognised as a key figure in architecture of the late-20th and early-21st centuries. Born in Baghdad, Iraq, Hadid studied mathematics as an undergraduate and then enrolled at the Architectural Association School of Architecture in 1972. In search of an alternative system to traditional architectural drawing, and influenced by Suprematism and the Russian avant-garde, Hadid adopted painting as a design tool and abstraction as an investigative principle to "reinvestigate the aborted and untested experiments of Modernism [...] to unveil new fields of building".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mario Bellini</span> Italian architect and designer

Mario Bellini is an Italian architect and designer. After graduating from the Polytechnic University of Milan in 1959, Bellini pursued a career as an architect, exhibition designer, product designer, and furniture designer during the Italian economic boom of the late 20th century. Bellini has received several accolades in a variety of design fields, including eight Compasso d'Oro awards and the Gold Medal for Lifetime Achievement by the Triennale di Milano. In 2019, the Italian President of the Chamber of Deputies, Roberto Fico, awarded Bellini a career medal in recognition of his contributions to Italian architecture and design.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vitra (furniture)</span> Swiss furniture company

Vitra is a Swiss family-owned furniture company headquartered in Birsfelden, Switzerland. It manufactures the works of many furniture designers. Vitra is also known for the works of notable architects that make up its premises in Weil am Rhein, Germany, in particular the Vitra Design Museum.

Antonio Citterio is an Italian architect, furniture designer and industrial designer who lives and works in Milan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Naoto Fukasawa</span> Japanese industrial designer

Naoto Fukasawa is a Japanese designer, author, and educator, working in the fields of product and furniture design. He is known for his product design work with the Japanese retail company Muji, as well as collaborations with companies such as Herman Miller, Alessi, B&B Italia, Emeco, Magis, and HAY.

Patricia Urquiola Hidalgo is a Spanish architect, industrial designer and art director.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jean-Marie Massaud</span> French architect, inventor and designer (born 1966)

Jean-Marie Massaud is a French architect, inventor and designer. He was born in Toulouse, France in 1966.

Trussardi is an Italian fashion house based in Milan, Italy, and specialized in leather goods, ready-to-wear, perfumes, and accessories.

James Irvine was a British industrial designer who created furniture and product designs for many well known companies and brands such as Artemide, B&B Italia, Cappellini, Foscarini, Ikea, Magis, Muji, Thonet, and WMF. He once described the product designer's job as “the work of an unknown hero.”

Designer People is a television documentary series launched in 2008 directed by Ross Close. Each episode showcases one of the world's leading artists in architectural design, communication design, industrial design, interior design, and fashion, centering on the creative insight of the acclaimed designer, whose work shapes our lives and our surroundings. The series was broadcast on Ovation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rolf Fehlbaum</span> Swiss businessman

Rolf Fehlbaum is chairman emeritus and active member of the board of directors of Vitra, a family-owned furniture company with headquarters in Birsfelden, Switzerland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moooi</span> Dutch interior design company

Moooi is a Dutch furniture, interior, and lighting modern design company. It was founded by Marcel Wanders and Casper Vissers in the Netherlands in 2001.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sanlorenzo S.p.a.</span> Italian shipbuilding company

Sanlorenzo S.p.a. is an Italian shipbuilding specialised in the production of luxury yachts and superyachts, from 24 to 70 meters in length, whose headquarters is based in Ameglia, province of La Spezia. For over 60 years, Sanlorenzo has been operating in the yachting industry by building a limited number of made-to-measure boats a year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rosenthal (company)</span> German manufacturer of porcelain and household goods

Rosenthal GmbH is a German manufacturer of porcelain products and other household goods. The original firm was founded in 1879 in Selb, Bavaria. Since 2009, Rosenthal has been owned by the Italian company Sambonet Paderno Industrie.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gentle Monster</span> South Korean eyewear brand

Gentle Monster is a South Korean brand of luxury sunglasses and optical glasses founded by Hankook Kim in Seoul in 2011.

Daniel Lalonde is a Canadian businessperson known for heading brands such as Louis Vuitton, Ralph Lauren, SMCP Group, Nespresso and Moët & Chandon. After starting his management career with companies such as Häagen-Dazs and Nespresso, he spent ten years at LVMH as president and CEO of LVMH Watches & Jewelry North America, Louis Vuitton in North America, and Moët & Chandon globally. After eight years as CEO of SMCP Group, he was named CEO of Design Holding.

Salvatori is an Italian design brand specialising in natural stone such as marble, limestone and sandstone.

References

  1. ↑ Fairs, Marcus (27 January 2014). "B&B Italia founder Piero Ambrogio Busnelli dies aged 87". Dezeen. Retrieved 30 April 2023.
  2. ↑ Roberto Monelli (May–June 2003). "Bold & Beautiful". [Frame, international interior design magazine]. Archived from the original on 15 October 2006. Retrieved 20 March 2007.
  3. ↑ "Buyers Guide". [Interior Design Magazine]. Archived from the original on 10 August 2007. Retrieved 20 March 2007.
  4. ↑ "Sette : Eccellenze Italiane". www.corriere.it. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
  5. ↑ Festa, Carlo (12 September 2018). "Nasce il polo italiano del design con l'alleanza tra Investindustrial e Carlyle". Il Sole 24 ORE (in Italian). Retrieved 12 May 2022.
  6. ↑ Finanza, MF Milano (16 June 2020). "B&B Italia rilancia con camaleonda – MilanoFinanza.it". MF Milano Finanza (in Italian). Retrieved 12 May 2022.
  7. 1 2 "Home". bebitalia.it.
  8. ↑ Planitpircher.eu Archived 9 January 2010 at the Wayback Machine
  9. ↑ "Press Release at www.Moooi.com" (PDF). Retrieved 27 August 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.