Boffi reopens flagship in Singapore with expanded range of luxury furniture.
One has to hand it to Roberto Gavazzi for being persistent. The CEO of Boffi De Padova admitted that he pursued Maddalena De Padova, despite having been spurned numerous times. He was seeking to marry his company, Boffi, an Italian maker of sleekly gorgeous pieces for kitchens and bathrooms, as well as wardrobes, with hers, which specialises in furniture for the other rooms in the house. And even then, it was not she who agreed to the partnership, but her son, who took over the reins and saw the advantages of such an arrangement. The result of their coming together in 2015, and their tie-up with Danish furniture design firm MA/U Studio, is sumptuously displayed at Boffi Singapore, the group’s flagship showroom at Regency House, and its first in Asia. Designed under the direction of Boffi De Padova’s creative director Piero Lissoni, the store resembles a hushed sanctuary of a high-end home, the furniture exuding the type of quiet elegance that will stand the test of time.
“The future of design furniture companies is to provide spaces, not just furniture. Anyone can make fantastic furniture. What is different is the way these things are put together to create sophistication and exclusivity; a world that makes you feel better.
02 THE WORLD IN A SHOWROOM
It’s perhaps appropriate that luxe-furniture purveyor Roche Bobois unveiled its showroom in Singapore featuring Dutch designer Marcel Wanders’ Globe Trotter collection. Eclectic, colourful and loaded with references to international cultures and historical figures, the series is breathtaking in scope and inspiration. Sofas are designed to mimic hot air balloons; bookcases, the tiered architecture of Japanese temples; and tables, chess pieces. “The idea was not to make a chair or a table,” says Wanders, “but to make a universe.” It’s one that is given breadth to play out in the store’s 5,300 sq ft space, its whimsy a striking introduction to this established French brand.
03 SLEEP SEATS
Nothing quite spells lord of the manor as much as the freedom to rest your legs on a piece of furniture. It’s a proprietary gesture that says: “This pad is mine.” And, if the coffee table is too far away to serve, think reclining sofa. And thanks to its recent entry into Singapore, you can now also think Chateau d’Ax, a premium Italian sofa maker from Milan with 70 years of history and 360 stores in over 80 countries. Check out the Bellagio recliner, a classically masculine piece that evokes the Charles Lindbergh era, and the modern Silhouette series. Its chic armless recliner can be mixed and matched with other pieces for different sofa designs.
04 PACKED WITH STARS
Swiss family-owned design company Vitra did not bank on the fact that it had worked with the late design giants Verner Panton and Jean Prouve to enter the Singapore market. Instead, it held an exhibition, Project Vitra, at the Singapore National Design Centre last year to gauge interest, before partnering Singapore-based W.Atelier to open an outlet here. The store, which opens this month, offers scalable furniture for living and dining spaces, home offices and office systems, and pieces by contemporary designers such as Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, Hella Jongerius, Jasper Morrison and Konstantin Grcic.
#14-08 Tan Boon Liat Building.
