Frigerio, the renowned Italian furniture brand, has been in operation since 1938. Now, the family business will be truly making its presence felt across Australia through its partnership with Innerspace. The Australian furniture brand recently celebrated their partnership with Frigerio with showroom events in three different locations across the country – Perth, Melbourne and of course the charming Sydney venue.
To mark the occasion, Frigerio’s Export Manager travelled from Italy in what was in fact his first visit to Australia and New Zealand. Gilberto Frigerio, as you might have guessed, continues the family name at this revered Brianza-based company; here, he shares some insights into both the impressive past and exciting present for Frigerio.
“In terms of design [in Australia and New Zealand], I’ve been really impressed by the community of designers,” says Gilberto. “I’ve met a lot of interior designers here and I love to share our collection with them. I also had a free weekend in Sydney and I was really impressed with the city.”
The company was founded in 1938 by Gilberto’s grandfather, making him now the third generation at the helm. With roots crossing over into carpentry and design in general, Frigerio has had a focus on sofas and upholstery in particular, and it was in the second generation of family stewardship that the brand started to gain international traction.
“Of course, year by year we were making new collections and, thanks to that, we now have a really good range of collections and products,” says Gilberto, who explains that the series of events in Australia is all about celebrating the new partnership with Innerspace. “It’s a very good opportunity because we can be displayed with our products in some of the main cities of Australia – in Perth, Sydney and Melbourne. I think we’re going to get really good results by showing our products locally.”
It doesn’t take long before the topic of Salone del Mobile comes up – unsurprising, of course, given that Frigerio is a prestigious furniture brand based in northern Italy. A company like theirs is simply what Milan Design Week is all about. “The location of the company, mid-way between Milan and Lake Como, is very important. Brianza is a very renowned district for high-end furniture manufacturers – all the companies there are very close, so we can find the best suppliers, materials, technology and know-how for the people making the furniture,” adds Gilberto.
The esteemed Italian heritage makes the launch of the Innerspace partnership all the more impressive, bringing high-end and highly sought-after brands to showroom venues across Australia. On the Frigerio side, it’s part of a wider approach that seeks to hold true to the company’s origins while also moving in exciting new directions in both the present and future.
“I think we have to keep a balance between technology and tradition,” explains Gilberto. “We love to invest in technology because it guarantees for us the best quality in all the products that we are making, but of course we care very much about the tradition.” The example Gilberto uses is the introduction of CNC machines for computer-driven, precise cutting, all the while maintaining the same beautiful materials and knowledge of the craftspeople working on them.
Turning to today’s products, Gilberto draws attention to the Davis Sofa, which will be on display across the three Australian city showrooms with Innerspace and stands out for its flexibility. Meanwhile, he also tips that that Dao Sofa might be a favourite for Australian consumers.
Gilberto concludes with thoughts on the partnership, which again has its roots in Milan: “It’s been extremely easy working with the team from Innerspace because we immediately found the right balance between our needs – we actually closed the deal at Salone del Mobile 2024! It was a very good connection with them.”
Find out more about the partnership here
