Q&A: Talenti launches indoor division at Milan Design Week
After 20 years of elevating the outdoors, Talenti is setting its sights on interior design with the new Talenti Home offerings.
How is Talenti celebrating its 20th anniversary at Milan Design Week?
In 2024, we celebrated our 20th birthday by opening a new flagship store in the heart of Milan’s fashion district. A strategic choice to confirm the positioning of the company that was accompanied by the victory of our first Compasso d’Oro with the innovative MrX signed by Marco Acerbis. This year, in addition to the new outdoor collections, the design week is an opportunity to present Talenti Home, our first division dedicated to interiors.
Talenti has dedicated the past 20 years to furnishing outdoor spaces, why are you now expanding to interiors?
I can’t express the enthusiasm we feel at this moment. Design is in my family, my children, my wife and all the Talenti staff DNA, so Talenti Home is like a son we waited for two decades which we finally managed to show to the world. When, in 2004, my vision of outdoor came to reality, it seemed immediately a radical choice. Two decades later, the idea of turning garden furniture into a high-end design theatre has not only proved to be successful, but also became a trend. A quality which is at the basis of the birth of Talenti Home, a dream that now sees the light thanks to the commitment of an unstoppable team. Our partners in this project, could only be Ludovica Serafini + Roberto Palomba, a couple that certainly does not need presentations and that, after years of fruitful collaboration, in this phase has, on the one hand, reinterpreted in an indoor key some of Talenti icons, while, in parallel, they created unique pieces with a truly original mood.
In a world of barriers and walls, we want to break them down by removing the boundary between indoor and outdoor, to create a single design universe without borders.
Can you tell us about your new outdoor novelties by Carlo Colombo and Ludovica Serafini + Roberto Palomba?
We are very proud of these two collections that confirm our desire to work in shapes to give life to an effective and versatile elegance. After the success of the previous collaboration, Carlo Colombo is back to create for us a collection where the inspiration is no longer the world of fashion but the fascinating Greek mythology. In the famous work of Homer, Itaca was the safe haven, the place to return to embrace Penelope and live in harmony after the hardships of war. The designer interprets this desire for inner peace by creating a collection that invites you to live your outdoor space with elegance and comfort. Through the kaleidoscope of aesthetic creativity, Colombo overturns the concept of odyssey by transforming it from a negative via crucis to an unlimited sensory journey, a way towards the discovery of ourselves and the world around us. Just like Ulysses who never quit to aspire to his return, Itaca invites you to discover the beauty of your own corner of paradise outdoors, creating moments of serenity in the luxury of your own garden. Thanks to its modular structure, it can be configured according to the space and style of the surrounding environment, allowing you to create unique compositions, even island. Itaca offers the freedom to explore infinite possibilities by combining the modular sofa with beds, armchairs, tables, tables and chairs to create coordinated and complete environments in full Talenti style.
With Ludovica and Roberto, the relationship is so close that we now understand each other even without talking and the Flow collection, as the name says, shows this fluidity of ideas that turns into design through the comfort of its padding. A collection of elements where the cushions, combined with refined materials and striped fabrics with strong decorative value, help to bring the atmosphere of the indoor in outdoor spaces in pure style Talenti. The aluminium structure is combined with rounded wood bands that integrate harmoniously with the aluminium castings and fabrics that recreate the effect of an embroidery. The result is a refined and natural mix between the traditional warmth of wood and the aesthetic strength of lacquered elements that form a complete and versatile family of products that includes modular sofas, armchairs, beds and tables. Pieces of a sophisticated mosaic that are able to combine with other Talenti products creating an unexpected coherence of language perfect for every need.
What can these collections bring to hotel spaces?
Every collection is also designed for this world and the two new products are no exception. For us, the furnishings have to make hotel or spa guests feel at home and, why not make them want to have it in their own residence?
How does Talenti balance form and function, sustainability and style?
We have always been of the idea that companies have a great responsibility towards the environment, this concept is intrinsic in our vision and our goal is to create quality objects, which last over time and built with sustainable materials. The choice of using recycled or low environmental impact materials for us is not a trend, we have spent many years researching on the subject and now we can say that we are a green company. We have adopted many measures, starting precisely from the materials that we use: such as Vitter, Accoya, teak and aluminium. To give an example, Nalu is a collection where a particular focus in the design has been given to the sustainable component. The structure is made of 100% aluminium not only for resistance to atmospheric agents, but also to respect the environment. All this reinforced by the fact that the collection is entirely recyclable and can be completely disassembled. But also Venice for example, another of our latest collections, in which the Accoya is the absolute protagonist and perfectly embodies our ideal of respect towards nature and what surrounds us. The Accoya is a solid and eco-friendly wood from sustainable fast growing forests, totally non-toxic, which provides dimensional stability and durability superior to even the best tropical hardwood. For us, being green is a duty and we have learned how to propose sustainable solutions without sacrificing aesthetics and style.
How important is the UK market to Talenti?
Despite Brexit, the UK market remains one of the most important in Europe for Talenti. The taste of the public is deeply different from the one of other countries and we have adapted by proposing tailor made products in addition to the classic collections. For sure a very important trend is the interest in Accoya that, besides its countless qualities on environmental level, does not lose its colour and does not require constant maintenance, an aspect that is certainly highly appreciated in England. In addition, London remains an irreplaceable hub for international projects.
What’s next for Talenti?
In these months we have multiplied exponentially our presence in very high range projects. 5-star hotels, luxury residences, the nautical world and much more are just a few examples that allow us to show all the versatility we are capable of. Talenti Home will allow us to enter even earlier in the projects that matter and this will be the real challenge of the coming months: to show how Talenti is a complete universe able to provide turnkey furniture solutions tailored to the customer.
