MILAN — Paolo Boffi, honorary chairman of high-end Italian furnishings and kitchens firm Boffi|DePadova, has died, the corporate mentioned Sunday. He was 85.
Boffi, regarded for his ardour, humility and wit, was the son of Piero, a craftsman at a steel mechanics manufacturing unit within the industrial heartland of Monza Brianza. In 1934, Piero got down to create the trendy kitchen. Paolo was born within the northern Italian city of Cesano Maderno. Collectively together with his brothers Piero Ugo and Dino, he ushered in an period of up to date design and a significant chapter of growth.
“With Signor Paolo — as everybody within the firm known as him — additionally leaves his vibrant persona and ever-curious thoughts, by no means nonetheless, all the time in search of new inspiration and challenges,” the corporate mentioned in a press release Sunday.
In 1989 Boffi appointed Roberto Gavazzi its managing director, one yr earlier than Piero Lissoni was appointed artwork director.
“It was his perception, on the finish of the Nineteen Eighties, to plan the gradual transition of Boffi to entrepreneur Roberto Gavazzi and to acknowledge the potential of a really younger Piero Lissoni, who nonetheless serves as artwork director immediately. Collectively, they developed a visionary enterprise mannequin that grew to become a benchmark within the historical past of Italian design,” the corporate added within the assertion.
Ten years in the past, Boffi, a kitchens enterprise on the time, purchased De Padova, a legendary Italian furnishings model that has labored with famed designers like Achille Castiglioni, Patricia Urquiola, Nendo, Renzo Piano and Dieter Rams. The fusion of the 2 companies resulted in a brand new idea of Italian dwelling.
In February Boffi|DePadova lower the ribbon on a brand new New York Metropolis showroom, the place luxurious kitchens, bogs, furnishings, lighting and high-end partitions stand beneath one roof.
Boffi|DePadova
Courtesy of Boffi|DePadova
Lissoni expressed his disappointment over Boffi’s passing in an Instagram story, referring to him as a “second dad.”
The Boffi firm initially arrived within the U.S. in 2000 and was among the many first Italian manufacturers to open in SoHo’s design district. Previously positioned at 31 1⁄2 Greene Avenue, Boffi SoHo expanded its footprint in 2019 to 56 Greene Avenue in an area that was designated for De Padova. The brand new area additionally contains ADL Design, which it acquired in 2021 and which makes a speciality of dividers for the house or workplace area.
Its new showroom in NoMad is a three-level, 19,694-square-foot area on 99 Madison Avenue and is among the largest showrooms within the district.
The agency’s Cove kitchen.
Courtesy of Boffi
