We met Andrea Lupi – general manger and art director of the company – who told us the news of the company for Salone 2016 and because of a success that has lasted for 60 years.
Antoniolupi offers a high-quality, versatile, wide range of products. How do you create coordinated bathroom environments?
For over 60 years, we have pursued the values of craftsmanship, quality and excellence to create our various collections. One of the advantages of our company is being able to offer customers complete bathroom furnishing, ensuring a stylistic connections between elements. So the furniture is coordinated with the bathtubs, washbasins and bathroom fixtures, creating a coherent space. The Flumood® washbasins, for example, can be supplied to match the radiator and other furniture, which in turn is available in glossy or matt lacquers, natural or dyed wood and colored glass. The collections, compiled in the 900-page catalog, are highly versatile and also stand out for their tailored production, which allows us to create almost any required customization in terms of finishes and sizes.
Which collections best express the flexibility of Antoniolupi’s production and design?
In terms of flexibility, the furniture collections in particular, such as Panta Rei, by Carlo Colombo, which is distinguished by the variety of solutions on offer: the containers, which are available in lengths of up to 216 cm, are made with or without handles, suspended or on the ground with a 5 cm base slanted 45° inwards, with integrated or free-standing washbasins. Regarding the design, there are a few pieces that have become true cult products for our company. Like the Slot washbasin, created in 2002, the first one made in DuPont™ Corian®, without drain and siphon; the Materia system, by Carlo Colombo; and Barrel, one of the first stone washbasins. All these objects have been well-received among experts and in the market, reaching best-seller status.
One of the advantages of your products is the use of special materials. Which do you prefer to use?
In 2001, we were the first to offer washbasins and shower trays made from DuPont ™ Corian®; in 2003, we added the exciting introduction of stone and in 2007, Cristalplant® followed by Ceramilux®. This year research into technology and innovation led to the introduction of Flumood®, a new-generation material perfect to be used in the bathroom, for support surfaces and for the creation of washbasins and bathtubs thanks to its compact, non-porous and non-toxic design, which is easy to clean and can be repaired if scratched.
Your hallmark seems to be the originality of your products…
One of our favourite mottos is that “We do not follow fashion, we create it.” This is one of the reasons why we are one of the benchmark companies in the industry. We aim to always offer something different and new, as, for example, when we had the idea of including fireplaces and murals in the bathroom. We take a proactive approach by making considerable investment in research and development of innovation, materials, technology and above all, extremely high product quality; our successful strategy has always been to focus on customer care and our vast range of collections.
With regard to distribution, you have a widespread network, both in Italy and abroad. What are the development targets for retail?
Antoniolupi is present in 52 countries with flagship showrooms or distributors; about 30% of our market is in Italy and 70% abroad. An international vocation that arose from the desire of the founder, Antonio, to explore “new worlds”. We have always looked beyond boundaries and, since 2006, we have begun to participate to trade fairs abroad, with excellent results. We have managed to bring our style to Europe and America and now we want to land elsewhere, starting with Asia. Northern Europe, Belgium, Germany, Holland, Switzerland, France and Russia are the most mature markets, which produce the best results; next, the United States, with our Chicago and Miami showrooms. Our expansion policy also gives a “nod” to major international projects.
Your company is also very strong in the contract industry…
Contract is an important sector for us; in addition to the breadth of our range, another of our strengths is our ability to communicate with designers from the earliest stages of the project. For best results, a perfect integration between elements and surfaces, between details and the overall image of the space is necessary in order to create furnishing solutions that are already in the construction stage. Even for large contract projects, Antoniolupi ensures a top-level service, with regard to quality, the management of orders, the level of customization and delivery times.
What will we see, this time, at the Salone?
Our goal is to continue to introduce “tailored” bathrooms throughout the world: our 100% Made in Italy assurance guarantees creativity, innovation and style. For the 2016 Salone, we are refreshing our bathrooms with a new Bespoke series, by Carlo Colombo, which combines versatility and compositional freedom by offering a variety of configurations. Its logic is based on wooden and laminated containers in sample colors, coupled with aluminum and clear glass or glazed doors, along with resin or wooden floors. Each function is interpreted with a specific material.
