Live talks on Instagram, happenings on Facebook, lectures on Zoom, encounters on Skype, competitions and challenges: in the days of shelter-in-place, furniture companies are boosting their social and digital side to interact with customers from a distance, but also with dealers, architects and staff.
Let’s start with Poltrona Frau, which has launched many initiatives: first of all, the “Poltrona Frau Design Talks of the Future” to watch at the account @poltronafrauofficial: a series of conversations between the CEO Nicola Coropulis (here in pic) and international designers on the future of design and contemporary living. Among the upcoming live talks, don’t miss the one on Thursday 23 April at 17.00 with Roberto Palomba, or the talks on Thursday 30 April with Roberto Lazzeroni and Thursday 7 May with Jean-Marie Massaud. Poltrona Frau has also organized an Instagram competition: just post a photo with your furniture by the brand, insert the hashtag #stayathomewithpoltronafrau and tag it @poltronafrauofficial by Sunday 26 April. The best photos will be published on the company’s channel. Finally, the brand from Tolentino offers online interior design services, with professionals available for free consulting (more info here)
From Valle del Chienti to Sesto Fiorentino with Richard Ginori: the historic producer of porcelain has chosen Instagram (@manifatturarichardginori) for three digital projects, “You&Ginori”, “Ginori in class” and “Designers in the kitchen”. “You&Ginori” invites followers to use Instagram during a coffee break or a virtual happy hour with friends, posting a shot with items from the Richard Ginori collection, and tagging the brand. “Ginori in class” offers video recipes with Chef Matteo Berti, dishes that are easy to make at home, with the beauty of the final serving on Richard Ginori tableware. Finally, “Designers in the kitchen” consists of appointments with artists, designers and architects who have collaborated with the firm, such as the artist Luke Edward Hall, the designer Duncan Campbell, and Sabrina Bignami with Alessandro Cappellaro of the studio B Arch, while on www.richardginori1735.com you can download the Cook Book created in collaboration with Alma, the international school of Italian cuisine.
Life in the time of the coronavirus is also cheered up by Lualdi with “#mydoors”: photograph a setting to narrate your door, share the photo or video on the social channels with the hashtag #mydoors and the tags @lualdiporte and @lualdi_official: the brand will organize an exhibition in its Milan showroom with the most popular shots.
Staying at home gets better is you listen to the playlist compiled by Patrizia Moroso: the creative director of Moroso shares her favorite tracks, providing a series of recommendations and events to pass the time with #athomewithmoroso: this week she suggests discovering Taba, the new ergonomic seating family by Alfredo Häberli, listening to concerts of the Berliner Philharmoniker, or watching a performance of the National Theatre of London.
A negative moment like this one becomes an opportunity to get to know architects and the themes of habitation, from the comfort of your own sofa: until 12 May, the channels of Cersaie TV will be showing 11 episodes of ‘small talks,’ a new initiative of Cersaie, the fair that brings lovers of ceramics to Bologna every year in September, featuring TAMassociati, Atelier(s) Alfonso Femia AF517, asv3 officina di architettura, Labics, Bricolo, Falsarella, Diverserighestudio, Werner Tscholl, Iotti + Pavarani Architetti, Orizzontale, MAP studio and CZA – Cino Zucchi Architetti.
The lockdown is a time in which to cultivate ideas and move forward with projects: just visit www.febalcasa.com and click on “furnish your home directly from home with our designers,” fill out the registration form, and choose the date and time you want to be contacted by a Febal Casa designer with a video call or email.
Palazzetti, on the other hand, offers a custom design consulting service at outdoor.palazzetti.it with which to create a kitchen or an outdoor BBQ.
Finally, companies are thinking about their own network of employees and dealers, as in the case of KE Outdoor Design, which has developed a calendar of online training, a series of webinars in which multiple arguments are addressed, from how to boost online communication to seminars on tax incentives and new products for 2020 – a program of courses in all languages, for the entire international community.
