Upscale Italian furniture brand Minotti has launched a Canadian flagship showroom, with potentially more planned as the brand continues to establish itself in the Canadian market. Minotti recently opened at 102 Berkley Street in Toronto’s upscale King East Design District, joining a number of other high-end home furnishings retailers in the area.

Minotti was founded in 1954 in Brianza (a town on the outskirts of Milan, Italy) by Alberto Minotti. He initially focused on designing sofas, and the product line eventually expanded into various home categories as the brand gained in popularity. Minotti expanded internationally in the 1970’s and 1980’s and, remarkably to this day, the company is still family-operated by the fifth generation, and works out of Brianza. The company has 35 showrooms worldwide, and each piece of furniture is 100% made in Italy.

In 1999, Minotti opened its first authorized dealers space in Canada — Minotti by Interior Elements, in Toronto. The Davenport Road location was eventually joined by three other authorized dealers, including Minotti by Living Space in Vancouver, Minotti by Shaun Ford & Co. in Calgary and Minotti by Latitude Nord in Montreal.

Minotti’s new Toronto flagship showroom was opened under the direction of Roman Cholasta and Maryse Fafard — Roman’s family brought the brand to Canada almost two decades ago. The Berkley Street showroom is a relocation of the previous Minotti location on Davenport Road — the new space is roomier, and joins a number of new home furnishings retailers in the burgeoning King East Design District.

Managing Partner, Maryse Fafard, described how the couple decided to relocate onto Berkley Street. "Toronto needed a showroom like this: a more compact version of the corporate Minotti showroom in Meda, Milan, executed with the same attention to detail and quality in the finishes”. The showroom’s design was collaborative. "We worked closely with the Minotti family (specifically Roberto, Renato, Alessandro and Susanna Minotti and our Minotti agent Anna Avedano) and Rodolfo Dordoni, Minotti’s architect and artistic director, to create a showroom of this magnitude,” she said.

Ms. Fafard provided some interesting background on the way Minotti furnishes living spaces. "Minotti is the leader in creating living room compositions that bring together family and friends. This is thanks to signature Minotti finishing touches: layers with lower tables, very large daybeds, interesting seating arrangements,” she explained. "The idea is that family members can do different things (use their iPad, watch TV, do homework, etc.), all in the same room. The Lawrence Clan, new from the 2017 collection, is a perfect example of this.

Canadian Retail News From Around The Web: June 14, 2017