A few weeks ago, I went to the Dominican Republic for three days, to look at some gardens for a new book. Now owned by Italian brand Boffi, De Padova, set up in the 1950s by Fernando and Maddalena De Padova, is in a position to collaborate as part of an international joint distribution programme, sharing its design passion and Italian heritage with one of Italy’s revered luxury design companies.
You get to see objects from design powerhouses like Patricia Urquiola and Gae Aulenti along with ambitious and sometimes eccentric works from relatively ignored Italian designers of the past—the presentation intentionally presents no hierarchy between the two groups, again for the purpose of highlighting ideas as opposed to names and singular authorship.
It is an essential figure, requested by firms belonging to several industrial fields, from furniture to automotive, from household appliances to gymnastic equipments, medical instruments, tools and generally …