Salvioni is one of the most famous and prestigious names in Italian and international design. Founded in the 1950s by Angelo Salvioni, it was originally a family business, focusing first on production and then also on the sale of furnishings.
Since 1986 Salvioni has been managed by the brothers Ercole and Gianni, who have transformed the family firm into an entrepreneurial reality on a worldwide scale, concentrating exclusively on the sale of premium furniture.
The group’s showrooms (in Milan, Lugano and Inverigo) offer the most important and authoritative brands in the sector of décor and design, with a team of architects, designers and workers who complete projects all over the world for prestigious clients. A case of excellence Made in Italy that has the mission of making an original, selective interpretation of the infinite possibilities offered by over 100 brands in the catalogue, creating custom solutions for all clients.
We had the honor and pleasure of taking part in a long conversation with Andrea Salvioni, precisely in the wake of Design Week in Milan, a moment of rebirth for the entire industry after the long hiatus caused by the pandemic.
What new projects are you working on? Who are the clients with whom you are moving forward on important initiatives?
We have decided to continue to concentrate on the city of Milan, doubling the size of the windows of our showroom on Via Durini, in order to maximize visibility from the street, in a moment when tourism in the city will hopefully resume. To launch this new space we have created a special setting with Poliform, one of the brands that has been decisive in the growth of our company since its founding. We have also opened a third single-brand store on nearby Corso Europa, for the luxury offerings of the brand Casamilano. Other important projects include the formulation of a large, well-structured online catalogue, which conveys an idea of who we are and what we can do, also for potential clients who have not yet had a chance to visit our showrooms.
Besides Milan, the national capital of design, which are the most lively locations in Italy today? And in Europe?
From a design standpoint it seems as if the greatest ferment in Europe is in the world of Scandinavian design, which over the last decade has totally reinvented itself, giving rise to a fresh, very elegant style that is now imitated around the world. London and Paris remain crucial, full of creative energy. In Italy it is interesting to observe how companies that have been among the first to utilize digital channels, with greater success, are mostly from southern Italy, generating ambitious projects that can easily stand up to the more famous design retail startups launched in the English-speaking world.
Let’s imagine the house of the future. What new developments should we be expecting for the near future, and which factors will revolutionize home design over the longer term?
Smart working is undoubtedly a reality that will remain central in people’s lives. This is why we are expecting to see the creation, from the initial design phase, of one or more spaces set aside for this purpose in homes. We imagine that in the future this can lead to greater appreciation of the home and its spaces, with the pursuit of spacious, luminous houses on the part of families, even at the cost of living at a greater distance from urban centers. Gardens and terraces also become increasingly important, interacting with domestic spaces in an almost seamless way, a trend the world of outdoor furniture has already been anticipating for several years. We also expect that greater ecological awareness will draw more attention to natural materials and recycling, also bringing growth to the market for vintage items.
How important is the “green” factor in your projects, and what are the most innovative solutions you can offer in this area?
All the most important Italian design brands have been engaged for some time in major updating of production processes, to reduce or eliminate environmental impact. This implies the use of sustainable coatings or recyclable polymers of a new generation. In the ecological transition taking place today, the world of furniture will be in a positive position: by nature, premium furniture is a product that should never become refuse, avoiding the consumer logic of disposable things. High-end furnishings are conceived to last for decades, and they do not cause major problems of disposal – they can also easily have a second life, thanks to the vintage market. Our company has also applied a “zero stock” policy, which reduces warehousing and waste, interpreting every project in terms of bespoke solutions, and then putting the selected items into production.
