Molteni
www.molteni.it

The Molteni group is one of Italy’s leading furnishings companies.
It consists of four companies, each one at the forefront of its
sector: Molteni &C S.p.A. (home furnishings), Unifor S.p.A. (office furnishings), Dada S.p.A. (kitchens) and Citterio S.p.A.. Molteni offers global furnishing in Italy and in over fifty countries all over the world.

The group goes back a long way, starting out in the thirties as a small craftsman’s business. From the fifties on Molteni grew considerably, taking the decision to move into industrial production.

The seventies saw the firm restructure into three separate companies due to growth and market demand. Today Molteni is one of the few groups guaranteeing an integrated cycle - it has total control over every aspect of production, from the choice of materials to the final definition of the product. The current four companies have developed an expansive synergy as regards technology, research, and development of new products in response to changes in the home and in the workplace.

The Molteni group has always worked in partnership with designers of note such as Foster and Partners, Jean Nouvel
Alvaro Siza, Pier Luigi Cerri, Michele De Lucchi, Rodolfo Dordoni, Ferruccio Laviani, Luca Meda, Dante Bonuccelli, Bruno Reichlin, Aldo Rossi, Afra and Tobia Scarpa,, Hannes Wettstein, Patricia Urquiola, and YabuPushelberg.

Molteni&C
Molteni &C combines advanced technology with oldfashioned tradition. From the seventies on, it has taken a distinctive direction:
that of ongoing research into the matching furnishings sector, working with Luca Meda to produce a series of ideas for every
room in the house, from the wardrobe to the living area to the
study / home office. Its sets of matching furnishings such as 505, Gliss5th and Pass, just to name a few, are in constant evolution from both a technical and a functional/ comfort point of view.

These series have been highly successful and Molteni is considered a leader in this sector.
Over and above these success stories, Molteni has been producing a wide range of single pieces of furniture since the eighties which can be combined with the matching sets to create an environment of sober elegance. Starting from traditional furnishings typical Aldo Rossi’s designs, Molteni reached the nineties with furniture designed by Jean Nouvel and others, where minimalism combined with advanced technology, a fertile terrain which has always been part of the company. In 2004, in parallel with expansion into foreign markets, a new “Soft Furnishings” Division was created: an energetic new development in the group’s product range. The Soft Furnishings Division’s activity is based on a strong drive towards product innovation along with control over all aspects of their production and careful ongoing research into materials and upholstering.

The company has made two important decisions. On the one hand, to keep hold of its skilled craftspeople, its knowhow regarding materials, finishings, and personalisation of the product. On the other, technology has become the base from which the company carries out its work on new, innovative solutions. Molteni furnishings combine a long tradition of traditional craftsmanship with innovative technology, useful for the client but never “shown off”.

Molteni also means hidden quality, technical, functional, and in its materials: present, but often invisibile, hidden inside its products.
Molteni quality is well known in Italy, where the group has its headquarters, but is also internationally renowned; Molteni exports to the main world markets through a network of over 350 sales outlets, ten of which are single-brand stores dedicated to the Molteni&C and Dada brands.

Although each of the designers who work with Molteni is highly individual, they all agree on the idea that furniture must be elegant and comfortable and at the same time strong and attentive to detail, created with the best woods and thoroughly tested materials.

Over and above its aspect, each piece of furniture is part of a breadth of choice uniform however in the refined taste which makes it right for a Molteni lifestyle.

Single items and matching sets, sofas and armchairs are today designed for a home of sober elegance and carefree simplicity, offering solutions to the new problems posed by changes in the modern lifestyle and the development of home entertainment and the home office. Matching series of functional and attractive furniture are designed for simple, practical solutions: home technology is well-housed and made easy to use. Globalisation and the informatics revolution inspire a dedicated team working continually on new technology and new ideas to make the home more comfortable and work easier.

Since 2005 Molteni has been offering the Vitra Home Collection, by Vitra AG in Italy, with its classic designs by Charles and Ray Eames and Verner Panteon, along with new ideas designed by up and coming young designers like the Bouroullec brothers and Hella Jongerius.

Molteni also works on largescale projects like hotels, museums, ships, chain stores, hospitals and theatres. Recent projects include the furnishings for cruise ships for important lines such as Holland America Line, P&O, Walt Disney and Cruise North Sea Ferries built in the Fincantieri shipyards and private yachts for the Benetti shipbuilders; furnishings for Cartier boutiques all over the world and the Cartier Foundation in Paris, the new interiors for the Fenice Theatre in Venice and the new Concert Hall in Athens.

Molteni has also recently been involved in work for Harrod’s in London, for the Casino interiors of the new Hilton in Campione d’Italia, and for the furnishings of Ron Arad’s Hotel Duomo in Rimini.