The twenty years of Boffi Solferino started from a courtyard, now an icon of Brera, piece by piece up to the windows.
Despite the endless parade of windows (and doors) overlooking the street, everyone still enters from the courtyard, as if that hidden, highly attractive entrance was the only way to step into the showroom.
‘Our first Milanese address with only kitchens was in Corso Monforte, an area where the design world used to be concentrated. In 1998 we then opened a new showroom with a revolutionary concept: a hidden space, not easily noticeable and to be discovered little by little’ declares Roberto Gavazzi (Boffi Group CEO).
Located in the famous Brera District, dedicated to fashion and hospitality, a 19th century palazzo was the former property of Romeo Gigli. It is a modern loft that can be accessed through a typical doorway, as if visiting a residential flat.
A few years and the courtyard was no longer enough. Also thanks to the integration of furniture brands De Padova and MA/U Studio, bathrooms, storage systems and then the entire living design solution were added alongside the kitchens.
‘Sober, yet of big impact, the space quickly became an archetype. We therefore started to take inspiration from it and its hidden Milanese courtyard for our showrooms in Paris, London, New York etc.’ continues Roberto Gavazzi.
«It is the ideal place for inspirational living settings: the sequences of rooms, the hallways, the internal staircases. Visitors wander around, go up and down and sometimes they get lost».
A special ad campaign on Corriere della Sera celebrates for a week the 20th anniversary of Boffi Solferino, a store that contributed in shaping the soul of Brera District and that is now a design destination during the Salone del Mobile.