Antonio Marelli, resident area manager of Italian furniture-maker Minotti, recently launched the brand's One World Collection at the Andante showroom in Hong Kong. The collection features high-end furniture for residential spaces, boutique hotels, offices and airport lounges.
What's this collection about? 'Minotti is known as one of the leaders in living and dining rooms, but we're not as famous in the public space domain. Public space refers to the lobby of a boutique hotel, the common area of an office, or business and first-class airport lounges. These areas usually have very nice, design-oriented furniture items, but some of them are made of cold materials, such as stainless steel, marble and aluminium. We decided to develop a collection of a warmer, residential style. The idea is to make people feel comfortable.'
Where is Minotti's production base?
'Meda, a village 20km from Milan, with a population of only 25,000. I was born there. For hundreds of years, people in Meda have been making furniture and since the second world war, many modern furniture brands have been generated there, which is why we are able to develop quality designs. The people are highly professional. They know what quality means. We have probably furnished some of the best houses around the world. But Meda is not that attractive [as a tourist destination]. It's a combination of old houses and factories. It's a place you go to do business.'
How did Minotti establish a presence in Hong Kong?
'We approached Andante many years ago and gradually reached an agreement with them to create a modern showroom in 2003. The local response has been fantastic, not least because the showroom is in a prime location [in Central].