THE HOUSE OF MOLTENI
Andrea Molteni, director of development at Dada, discusses the family legacy of Molteni&c and the design inspiration behind its Singapore showroom
For Andrea Molteni, the decision to join the family business was never a question of why, but when. “I’ve never really posed the question to myself to do something different,” he shares. “I was always fascinated with products, and how things work and get put together. It came very naturally to step into the business.” Molteni is from the third generation of the founding family; the group operates the namesake furniture brand Molteni&c, office furnishing brands Unifor and Citterio, and kitchen systems brand Dada. Today, the group has showrooms in 10 countries; its Molteni&c | Dada store here recently moved to Winsland House.
What was it like growing up in a design-driven family? Since I was five, we would go on holiday with the architects who are also friends of my parents and uncles. We still build relationships that are very personal with the architects and designers we work with; friendships that are built over time, respect and repeated collaborations. We’re one of the biggest family-owned industrial groups in Italy; this brings responsibility. We have a family approach but are also a fully structured company. It’s a nice mix of tradition and innovation, a corporate mindset with an Italian family soul. It’s a tough balance; it’s not an easy formula. Nobody (in the family) was forced to join the company; if it comes naturally, it will be fun to keep the legacy going. We’re trying to reach our 160th year in 80 years!
Tell us more about the new showroom. The store brings in the ideas we’ve been working on, with our creative director Vincent Van Duysen; to evolve the showroom from a productorientated space to a harmonious home concept. What we conceive as luxury is not just the product itself, but the space that you can build around it. We’ve been working with the Singapore market and P5 for some time now; Asia is the biggest market we have globally today, together with USA. Of course we’re a product-driven business but luxury comes from the service and how well your partners understand the brand, and make it relevant on a personal level as well.
How did your collaboration with Belgian architect Vincent Van Duysen begin? I’ve always been an admirer of his architectural work; I’m an architect by training as well. It was quite amazing for a company with over 80 years of history to appoint a new creative director. It was a challenging decision to say that we needed to find a new direction. We managed to find a common sense of what Molteni&c is evolving into with Vincent; it was very natural, very fluent. In one year, we managed to really get the idea of the “Molteni House” vision by coordinating with Vincent Van Duysen; we’re speaking in the same language, we really had an immediate connection.
What are the top kitchen trends to watch? Kitchens are becoming the true centre of an interior space; the kitchen needs to be able to relate to the living environment. The purely technical aspects of the kitchen are getting less dominant, with the adaptation of finishes and detailing that come from the living room in the kitchen areas as well.