Molteni&C LA Showroom
Located in the heart of Beverly Hills, the renovated showroom of Italian design house Molteni&C draws on Californian influences and classic Italian craftsmanship.
Molteni&C has prided itself on craft and quality for almost a century. “From a small artisan company, we grew up as an industrial group and now we are the biggest private-owned group in Italy in high-end designer furniture,” says chief marketing officer Giulia Molteni, whose grandfather founded the company in 1934. “We have 130 monobrand stores around the world and 12 commercial branches in the five continents.”
This global success is reflected in the remarkable vision of Molteni’s creative director, Belgian architect Vincent Van Duysen, who has reimagined every Molteni&C flagship as “a new world of experiencing the world of Molteni through my eyes in a very domestic way”. While each showroom reflects its local setting, the goal is always to remain “very genuine, very faithful to the essence of what Molteni means”.
In Los Angeles, this involved embracing the city’s defining characteristics and history – as well as its renowned quality of light. “Something that was really appealing in general in LA is the openness in terms of landscaping, the incredible natural light, and of course also the link with postmodern mid-century architecture,” Van Duysen explains. Those influences are apparent in the showroom’s architecture, with interiors that feel clearly Californian while still remaining decidedly Italian, seeing travertine and pale timber used alongside textured fabrics and the new Arial wall panelling system.
Overall, the showroom has a warm and inviting atmosphere, with products presented alongside a selection of beautifully curated artworks. “It’s actually part of our worldwide concept to present the Molteni house like a very warm house that welcomes people,” Molteni says. Visitors are encouraged to touch and engage with the materials, experience the sofas and kitchens, and appreciate the company’s “strong obsession for quality”.
Envisioned as a destination for the wider West Coast design community, one of the showroom’s highlights is the architecture room, where finishes and fabrics are brought together as inspiring moodboards for homeowners, architects and interior designers alike. “There is a sense of calmness and it’s a very sensorial way of discovering the world of Molteni,” Van Duysen says. His hope is that visitors “can be relaxed, they can be inspired… they can discover our world of Molteni and take it all in for their projects”.
