When Pierangelo Gallotti and Luigi Radice joined forces in 1955
to form their own design company, the duo shared a vision of fine
craftsmanship and experimentation with materials. Originally
known for decorative objects and one-off pieces of handmade
furniture, Gallotti&Radice would evolve to become the first company
in Italy to create furniture made entirely from crystal glass.
Glass has always been at the heart of the business and, over the
years, Gallotti&Radice has pioneered new techniques and finishes,
such as painting and layering the clear surface
with a very fine coating of goatskin parchment,
as well as designing pieces that blend glass with
other materials, from marble to brass and wood.
The ‘Adam’ table, created by Luigi Massoni
in 1971, was the company’s first piece formed
entirely from glass. Massoni later went on to help
the two friends plan their glass-based headquarters
in Brianza, the furniture, manufacturing heart
of Italy, not far from Milan. Other seminal pieces
from those early days that helped define the
company’s aesthetic of strong silhouettes and
minimal detail include the chrome-framed ‘Sir
T 32’ coffee table ( below) and two-tiered circular
HISTORY OF A BRAND
GALLOTTI&R ADICE
A focus on quality and innovation has ensured the success of a partnership begun more than half a century ago
GET TO KNOW
GALLOTTI&RADICE
1 Pierangelo Gallotti and Luigi
Radice first met at The School of
Industrial Art in Milan, where they
were studying ornamental and
technical design and decoration.
2 Most of the brand’s products
are made from recyclable glass,
steel and aluminium. In 2010
the company built a photovoltaic
panel system, which was installed
at its headquarters in Cermenate.
It produces 86,500 KWh of
clean energy per year.
3 In 2018, it added its first
bedroom collection, including the
‘Xeni’ bed by Massimo Castagna.
4 The company plans to open
The Museum of Glass. ‘We want
to create a place to treasure our
history and honour our design
traditions,’ says Silvia Gallotti.
‘It’s a place to educate and inspire
the craftspeople of tomorrow.’‘Riki’ trolley. Both designed by Gallotti in 1971, these bona fide
modern classics remain part of the collection today.
In 1996, after 40 years in business, the duo passed the baton to
their children – Silvia and Massimo Gallotti and Marco Radice – and
with the new generation came a shift towards a total lifestyle concept.
Reassuringly, though, the company’s design approach remains
unchanged, as Gallotti&Radice continues to work locally with the
finest artisans to ensure traditional skills are supported.
Collaborating with external designers is also
an integral part of Gallotti&Radice’s DNA, and
is a practice the second generation has continued
to successfully embrace. Pinuccio Borgonovo
designed ‘Air’, the company’s office system
collection that launched in 2008 and remains
a best seller today, while the ‘Changes’ modular
mirror system (2009) by Patricia Urquiola was
so popular it was developed into a full lifestyle
collection in 2014. It now includes sofas, side
tables, shelving and lighting, with many of the
additions designed by Massimo Castagna.
This year, a contemporary take on traditional
marquetry has been a new focus for the brand,
taking the form of the ‘Duale’ walnut wardrobe
by Pietro Russo. There’s also a debut piece from
collaborators david/nicolas: the ‘Prism’ table
(above), which features Indian rosewood inlaid
with thin strips of aluminium. The ‘Sophie’ sofa
by Federica Biasi (left), meanwhile, speaks to
this season’s trend for curvaceous furniture, with
a belt-like metal frame pinching its ample form.
How fitting that, as the brand approaches its 65th
anniversary, the founding principles of promoting
artisanal skills and combining contrasting
materials are still present. gallottiradice.itNOW
42 ELLEDECORATION.CO.UK S EP T E M B ER 2019
WORDS: BECKY SUNSHINE