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VBO Australia Launches LightLab
To step into a VBO Australia showroom is to enter an artfully lit world. The new Sydney showroom and recently redesigned Melbourne showroom offer immersive lighting experiences guided by the company’s extensive lighting collection, and the launch of Viabizzuno’s LightLab concept across both locations enhances this unique philosophy.
VBO Australia is the exclusive distributor of Viabizzuno and Henry Timi in Australia and New Zealand, and the pairing of these two luxury Italian brands represents a thoughtful joining of forces spanning furniture and lighting. Hailing from Bologna, Viabizzuno draws on tradition, expertise and innovation to craft exceptional lighting solutions, and Milan-based Henry Timi’s furniture explores minimalism and refinement. Alongside the extensive Viabuzzuno collection, VBO Australia also produces a collection of lighting accessories and fittings, developed in response to specific project requirements within the architecture and design industry.
As VBO Australia and New Zealand director John Bechini says, “the whole idea with the showrooms and with LightLab is that it’s all about experiencing light, and not just about selling products.” He adds, “we want to demonstrate how light works, so our clients can come in and have fun with them and create.”
Viabizzuno founder Mario Nanni is heavily involved with the brand, and to this day, he has a hand in designing the Viabuzzuno showrooms worldwide. As such, the new Sydney showroom was designed by Mario in collaboration VBO Australia and New Zealand director John Bechini and his local team. Travertine floors stretch out underfoot and lofty ceilings create a sense of space. All surfaces are painted white, creating a gallery-like backdrop to the extensive collection of lighting. Select pieces of Henry Timi furniture carve out volumes within the space, and a sleek black and stainless-steel kitchen is a fitting nod to the Viabizzuno Milan flagship showroom. The Melbourne showroom is similarly minimal and industrial with polished concrete floors and a pared-back interiority.
Viabizzuno views its showrooms as places to understand the opportunities and capabilities of lighting. As such, essential to both Australian spaces is the launch of the Viabizzuno LightLab concept. A reflection of the company’s philosophy surrounding experiential lighting, LightLab is a unique and deeply considered presentation of luminosity. The brand’s signature lighting fixtures are displayed in meaningful arrangements throughout the showrooms, conceived as a journey from front to back, affording clients an immersive experience. As John says, “the whole idea with the showrooms and with LightLab is that it’s all about experiencing light, and not just about selling products.” He adds, “we want to demonstrate how light works, so our clients can come in and have fun with them and create.”
The decorative range is highly emotive, and the design possibilities are endless. These pieces are an important part of LightLab, but as John explains, the concept is two-pronged. LightLab’s success also lies in its ability to showcase the company’s state-of-the-art technical capabilities. “Previously, we couldn’t truly demonstrate the technical aspects of the range,” John says, “so one of the biggest advantages of LightLab is that we can now show architects, designers and technical specifiers that we can do highly technical fittings and meet the needs of their projects.”
Pieces on display include the showstopping Coppibartali light fitting designed by Mario Nanni. Crafted from oxidized aluminium with glass cylinders arranged in sweeping curves, it can be customised to fit any project and is available as a suspension, wall, table or floor-standing fitting. Other versatile collections such as the N5 family, also designed by Mario, and the Cisei Sistema – a track wall system with luminous movable shelves – can be experienced first-hand.
Both the ephemeral beauty of light and the more tangible qualities of craft and material inherent in Italian furniture are brought to life in the VBO Australia showrooms. With LightLab representing the company’s focus on both design and technical excellence, the experience on offer is a complete immersion in the nuance and power of light.
