INSIDE STORY BOFFI

This Italian brand’s bespoke bathrooms are a combination of beauty, luxury and practicality

Earlier this year, Boffi announced a new partnership with marble specialist Salvatori. One of the first creations from the collection is the ‘Floe’ marble washbasin by Keiji Takeuchi. Its organic form is a recurring theme in Boffi’s bathroom ranges. ‘The design challenges the rule that the luxury of beauty does not correspond to functionality,’ says Takeuchi.

In fact, this statement could stand for everything that Boffi does. Founded in 1934 by Piero Boffi, who left a career in the aircraft industry to start his own company, it was subsequently nurtured by his sons Dino, Pier Ugo and Paolo, who combined the latest technology with traditional handcrafting techniques. Today, the firm is headed by CEO Roberto Gavazzi, who stresses its role as a leader in design solutions, not just products.

What makes Boffi unique is its forward-thinking vision of bathrooms as dynamic living spaces. Architect Piero Lissoni, the brand’s art director since 1990, has described how its ‘alphabet of products’ can be used in endless different ways. In 2016, the ‘ Boffi_code’ concept was created to provide a top-level bespoke design service – within this, existing collections are conceived as ‘open systems’ that can be calibrated as you choose.

Boffi’s first-ever bathroom collection, ‘Factory’ by Antonio Citterio and Paolo Nava (1980), set the template for its focus on intelligent storage. This quality is echoed in the new ‘Upper Wall’ bathroom by Piero Lissoni, which combines wood shelving with white marble. Oversized freestanding bathtubs are another speciality: these include the ‘Po’ by Claudio Silvestrin (1999), with its pebble shape, and Naoto Fukasawa’s pool-like ‘Terra’ (2006).

As well as numerous products by global architects and designers, Boffi has innovated by acquiring brands whose visions match its own. Furniture brand De Padova came on board in 2015, boosting the concept of the bathroom as living space, and last year, Boffi added Danish storage brand MA/U Studio to the fold. Boffi’s famous logo may date back to the 1950s, but in every other respect, it looks to the future. boffi.com

BOFFI’S VISION OF BATHROOMS AS DYNAMIC LIVING SPACES MAKES IT UNIQUE