Hong Kong’s lifestyle expert in designer furniture, lighting and décor Andante invites visitors into its newly renovated a total of 600 sq.m showrooms on Duddell’s Street to showcase its exclusive art pieces and the full Minotti Collection.
The world of design and art are often married together as inseparable entities — both evoking emotions and visual narrative in philosophy and practice. Recognising this dynamic, Andante has in recent years begun bringing these two worlds together. This May, it has curated a collection of art pieces by five collaborative Italian contemporary artists to be featured in this art month alongside the full collection from Italian luxury furniture brand Minotti.
Having established itself as an emporium of fine Italian craftsmanship, it has long been lauded as the city’s exclusive dealer of celebrated Italian furniture brand Minotti. With new collections by renowned designers released every year, the Central-set luxury retail store interprets the beauty of the brand’s creative and artistic mastery in Italian design.
An exemplary point is the brand’s inclusion of the Roger and Belt indoor seating system by long-time collaborator Milan-born Rodolfo Dordoni. The creative synergy between both the designer and brand have led to numerous designs over more than the two decades, making no exception for the recent 2021 collection.
Presenting an innovative and exceptionally versatile collection of modular seating systems meant to provide a full range of layout and use that caters to a variety of tastes, owners can feel inspired to incorporate their own style in personalising the products within the collection.
Another example is São Paulo-based Marcio Kogan/ studio mk27’s Brasilia collection. The relationship with the brand and designer debuted in 2018 with the studio’s Quadrado outdoor modular seating system and continued in 2019 through to 2021 with the present Brasilia seating system.
Drawing from simplicity and Brazilian modernism, while also demonstrating a meticulous attention to details and finishing, the sofas within the collection boasts a use of premium materials to ensure the utmost comfort and sophistication for any living space.
Built into square frames and enclosed in Dark Brown stained palisander Santos that were sourced from responsibly managed forests, the sofas are then assembled with plush padding and cushions that sit on polished Brandy finish metallic legs that give the design a warm, natural and elegant aesthetic.
Another highlight within the brand’s 2021Collection comes from award-winning designer GamFratesi, founded by Danish architect Stine Gam and Italian architect Enrico Fratesi. Combining their expertise of furniture design and industrial design, the duo’s designs take their creative drive from reinviting tradition through experimental approaches with materials and techniques. It is this very combination that led to their debut in the Minotti’s2019 Collection, serving as the catalyst for future collaborations, including their inclusion in the brand’s 2021 Outdoor Collection in which the designer’s Patio and Lido “Cord” seating system and outdoor sofas were included.
Drawing on classic Danish designs and traditional Italian approach, the series presents a highly versatile modularity and a use of mixing different materials that evoke an eclectic and contemporary style through mosaic, geometric, and bergère designs. Even such unique design features as a handy tray in stained solid mahogany or natural teak set with grooves for draining water demonstrates the level of creativity and craftsmanship the designer executes with every design.
While Andante has long established itself as a leading destination for all thingsmodern classic designs for interior decoration, the showroom goes beyond furniture. Continuing its endeavour in the art world, the newly revamped showroom remains as a double entendre for showcasing Italian designs, as well as artistic creations.
Spanning across 600 sq.m of space, the showroomwill be showcasing five contemporary Italian artists during this art month of May,exclusively available for viewing at Andante.
The curation of this body of work will include new art pieces by recurring artist Matteo Negri as well as two new collaborative artists, Eugenio Filippi and Paolo De Stefani. The pieces, along with previously showcased works by Federico Casati and Alessio Ceruti, will stage the venue’s five newly refurbished main areas. Here, art meets lifestyle and transforms creates a space of creative flair.
For more information on the art pieces and Minotti collection, please visit andante.com.hk. (Instagram: @andatehongkong)
Original published on May 24, 2022.