You might recall the opening of Boffi Singapore back in 2012. The space was inaugurated by Lim Choon Hong, founder of Xtra, and introduced Boffi’s suite of kitchens and bathrooms to Singapore.

Things have changed for Boffi since that time, with the acquisition of sister brands De Padova (Italy) and MA/U Studio (Scandinavia). The company is now known as Boffi De Padova, and its modus operandi is the presentation of an entire interior ‘project’ – not simply individual products.

R.I.G. shelving from MA/U Studio with a sofa from De Padova at Boffi Studio Singapore

Boffi De Padova acquired the Boffi Studio Singapore on 1 September 2018, gaining full ownership of the showroom and establishing Singapore as the twenty-fifth company-owned store worldwide. The refurbished 3,300-square-foot showroom at Regency House (refurbished to a design by Boffi De Padova’s Creative Director Piero Lissoni and Style and Design Director of Boffi Group, Chiara Tombari) also sees the entrance of sister brands De Padova and MA/U Studio into the Asian market.

Boffi is known as a luxury Italian brand with impeccable kitchen, bathroom and wardrobe/walk-in closet systems. The acquisitions of De Padova and MA/U Studio by the Group have allowed the growth of Boffi into new directions, enabling it to offer an all-encompassing living experience.

Roberto Gavazzi, CEO of Boffi De Padova, and Chiara Tombari, Style and Design Director of Boffi Group

“We felt it was necessary to add other things,” says Robert Gavazzi, CEO of Boffi De Padova, who was in Singapore to launch the revised showroom. “The future for design furniture companies is to provide spaces, not just furniture. Furniture is not enough. What has to be different is the way to put these things together, and to create an atmosphere of great sophistication – a world that makes you feel better and gives you emotions,” he says.

Gavazzi had spent almost ten years encouraging Maddalena De Padova (the late Italian co-founder of De Padova) to join forces with Boffi. “She was a dynamic and energetic personality,” says Gavazzi. “She created a lot of beautiful pieces that are still in production by De Padova. She was one of the first to sell design spaces, not just furniture. People were buying the De Padova style.” And that, he explains, was an investment in long-term value.

“I think most companies in the 1970s, ’80s and ’90s were thinking in terms of products. Today I don’t think it’s possible anymore. Today, you have to sell a project – a dialogue between the parts. Maddalena was already doing projects back then. I always admired that vision,” he says.

Fresh young start-up company MA/U Studio, on the other hand, had what Gavazzi calls “a beautiful idea” – a clever, flexible shelving solution (in the form of its signature product R.I.G.) that fits perfectly into the Boffi De Padova project.

All three brands now co-exist in a comfortable residential setting at Regency House – a space that communicates the value that Boffi De Padova encapsulates with its cohesive luxury offering.

The recent Salone del Mobile in Milan was an opportunity for Boffi De Padova to communicate that offering at a significant scale, with Boffi’s largest-ever stand. The 900-square-metre stand designed by Pierro Lissoni presented Boffi, De Padova and MA/U Studio in an architectural model of life based on the theme of the purity of water.

See our gallery below for a selection of the product updates presented in Milan: