Cove Kitchen

LUXURY ITALIAN furniture and interiors brand Boffi, founded in 1934, celebrated its 10th year in the Philippines on Sept. 3 by throwing a party where the food was prepared in its show kitchens.

Boffi, brought here by Focus Global Inc., threw a tour and cocktails at their showroom at The Residences at Greenbelt (TRAG, the kids call it). The Italian-themed cocktail spread, prepared in Boffi’s kitchens, were to show off the quality of their counters and cabinets: Boffi remains the only kitchen manufacturer with a Compasso d’Oro, one of the most prestigious awards in industrial design.

As part of its ongoing evolution, Boffi Studio Manila recently refreshed its showroom with key new pieces. These include the Cove Kitchen by Zaha Hadid, the Xila Tall Units by Luigi Massoni, the Antibes Walk-In Closet and Case 5.0 bathroom system by Piero Lissoni, as well as ADL’s Japo sliding, Deco Rototranslating, and Showering doors.

Part of the appeal lies in Boffi’s choice of materials: Holly Quiec, business unit director of Focus Global walked with us to a wall with several of Boffi’s finishes. These include metallic lacquers, as well as a cabinet finished with multiple layers of polyester, resulting in a mirrored finish with no distortion. Boffi, part of Fondazione Altagamma (an association of luxury brands in Italy), also has access to several materials that their competitors don’t, such as certain woods.

“We like to say that Boffi is the Ferrari of kitchens. The emotion you feel in having a Ferrari, it would be the same as having a Boffi kitchen,” said Ms. Quiec to BusinessWorld.

Meanwhile, Angela Sy, chief of finance for Focus Global (which has brought many brands in the furniture and interior business to the Philippines, including Ethan Allen and Fendi Casa) says that Boffi “is for those customers who want something that is completely unique; only for them alone.”

“We saw an evolution in terms of people’s tastes,” she said about their decision to bring the brand 10 years ago. A lot of people who traveled abroad, including to Europe, would come back to Manila with ideas and purchases. “We felt that 10 years ago, it was time for us to be able to represent that level of quality and craftsmanship in the Philippines.”

Attilio Tettamanti, chief executive officer of Boffi Asia Pacific, meanwhile, discussed the importance of Italian heritage in forming that distinct Italian design DNA. “Luckily, we were born in a super-nice country with a lot of heritage coming from the past. It’s really a matter of taste that we actually have in our DNA. Beauty, the capacity to work on quality, to invest in innovation.” — Joseph L. Garcia

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