In Milan after the fair

During our last visit to the Milan fair, which was significantly affected by COVID restrictions, we definitively decided to avoid fairs and instead travel to Italy after the fair had ended. The reason for going after the fair is simple. All the new products are ready and on display, and we can go through them absolutely calmly, without crowds of people.

We contacted our partner suppliers to see if they could recommend a production facility near Milan that we could visit. From our last visit to Italy, we were convinced that a factory tour is worth an entire fair. And since we are not particularly fond of parties and the social events associated with them, we decided to plan such a trip on our own.

DesignBath arranged for us a tour of the Gessi faucet factory. That was the highlight of our entire trip. The production facility is located at the foot of the Alps, on the banks of the Sessia river. It's an incredibly expansive complex that is perfectly tuned, and the park doesn't look like an industrial area at all. We started the tour with the showroom in a separate building. It always begins with a video presentation about the family. In Italy, there's a general emphasis on family businesses, and they build their marketing around it. This was followed by a tour of the extensive showroom, where absolutely everything is on display. The last part was the production hall. It's incredibly organized, clean, and we were struck by the fact that everyone working in production seemed content.

Finally, we were able to see with our own eyes how the PVD metal finishing on faucets is done. These are the amazing black, brass, and copper surfaces. The absolute pinnacle, however, is the warehouse. A separate hall with the height of several open floors, where classical music plays, colored lights glow in the dark, and robots distribute the manufactured components into bays. We stayed there quite a while. This incredible show impresses everyone. It was only with a look behind the scenes that we understood why the price of Gessi products is higher than others. There is a reason, and it's justified. And that's why we love Gessi.

Another of our partners, Konsepti, arranged for us a tour of B&B Italia. Here too, besides the expansive showroom, we were able to look into the production process. We were completely taken aback by the fact that the sofas are made of foam. That is, not a wooden frame covered with padding and fabric, but perfectly shaped foam with a steel reinforcement, which is then upholstered in various fabrics. So this too was very interesting.

And then we had the Milan showrooms all to ourselves. Boffi, which is jam-packed during every Design Week, was completely empty.

For accommodation, we can recommend the super design hotel J24 in Milan.

And next time, we'll head towards Bologna.

by Radka - 10. 8. 2023