The following are a selection of some of the best design stores in the world. These stores offer a selection of the most beautiful product examples from the decorative and applied arts;
1. Alessi
Since its establishment in 1921, Alessi has gradually developed into a leading exponent of the “Factory of Italian Design,” capable of mediating between the most interesting expressions of international creativity and the public, society and the market. Its mission is to translate these creative expressions into real objects capable of fulfilling dreams and satisfying the wishes of the public.
2. Cassina
The Cassina Perspective: a concept, a philosophy, an informed, futuristic thinking. A detailed, expansive horizon of combinations; when combined, the products of an innovative soul and modern icons create authentic, welcoming, personal atmospheres in a conversation dominated by the Code of Design Excellence, formal sensibility, solidity and cultural authority. Systems have a naturally empathetic presence that fosters emotional harmony with the user, adapts to diverse interpretations, amalgamations, circumstances and lifestyles, and engages domestic interiors. Many personalities, all reflecting Cassina’s eclecticism and versatility in design with a potent, distinct and non-conventional lexis that eloquently expresses the tangible quality of the singular pieces and of the spaces as a whole. All a long way from fleeting trends. Instinct to predict today what will become a classic tomorrow. Its mission is to translate these creative expressions into real objects capable of fulfilling dreams and satisfying the desires of the public.
3. Driade
Driade is an aesthetic lab in the continuous search for beauty in living space. The vast Driade catalogue includes home, garden and public furniture. Art pieces and objects for daily use, souls that blend together in harmony. All this makes Driade unique in the world of design. The aesthetic laboratory is the result of a desire to introduce experimentation into mass-produced products. The search for creativity in each product is the mission of the company itself. Driade creates products that are unique, eclectic, excentric, yet at the same time elegant, timeless and, above all, joyful.
4. Flos
The beginnings of Flos (meaning “flower” in Latin) started to grow from a brilliant idea: to create objects, starting with a light bulb, that would change the way of life for both the Italian market and foreign markets.
Dino Gavina and the small Eisenkeil factory in Meran had already created furniture alongside design masters such as Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni, Afra and Tobia Scarpa. But by the early ’60s, Gavina was convinced that the time had come to create new lamps.
Using the same technology – designed in the USA and tested at Eisenkeil – used for the Cocoon lamp the Castiglioni brothers and the Scarpa duo began to create lamps such as the Taraxacum or the Fantasma, with many other beautiful and surprising lamps to follow.
And so, from day one, Flos was reinventing the idea of artificial lighting.
5. Vitra
Creating innovative products and concepts with great designers is the essence of Vitra. They are developed in Switzerland and have been installed worldwide by architects, companies and private users to build inspirational living, working and public spaces.
With its classics, Vitra represents a ground-breaking 20th century design. Today, by combining technical and conceptual expertise with the creativity of contemporary designers, Vitra seeks to continue to push the boundaries of the design discipline.
Vitra has been a family business for eighty years and believes in long-term relationships with customers, employees and designers, sustainable products, sustainable growth and the power of good design.
The Vitra Campus, with its buildings by some of the world’s leading architects, and the Vitra Design Museum, with its exhibitions on design and architecture, design archives and a comprehensive collection of furniture, are all part of Vitra. They inspire visitors, inform the design process and create an atmosphere in which innovation thrives.
6. Kartell
70 Years of ongoing research and exchange with great designers with a view to the pursuit of beauty and absolute quality.
70 years of market success, cooperation and partnership, events and projects for sale and communication.
Today, Kartell is the perfect synthesis of its past and its ongoing projection into the future, combining the great heritage of corporate culture with the desire to explore new paths and to engage in new experiences dominated by an intense passion for creation.
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