PF Emirates officially opens its doors to present world renowned furniture brands, Poltrona Frau, Cassina and Cappellini
Dubai, United Arab Emirates - February 9th, 2013: PF Emirates, the UAE-based furniture retailer of world-renowned global brands Poltrona Frau, Cassina and Cappellini made its Dubai debut today with the opening of its 600 square-meter showroom on Mohammed Bin Rashid Boulevard, Downtown Dubai.
The luxury furniture retailer, created by Poltrona Frau Group (PFG) in collaboration with Abu Dhabi-based Mubadala Development Company (Mubadala), will showcase classic and contemporary retail pieces of diverse styles from the century-old Poltrona Frau brand as well as the contemporary design icon brand Cassina and the avant-garde Cappellini brand. In addition, PF Emirates is also equipped to create bespoke pieces on demand as well as customized turnkey solutions for residential, commercial and hospitality clients.
"UAE is of tremendous interest to PFG as we recognize the untapped potential that lies in such a dynamic and quality-driven market. There is a rising demand for classic or statement designs here and with our expertise in this area, we are well-placed to offer discerning clients exactly what they need. We are also fortunate to have a local partner in Mubadala, that has helped us create a commercial entity that will play a significant role in enhancing the interior design landscape of the region," stated Dario Rinero, Group CEO, Poltrona Frau SpA.
PFG represents a merger of the world's leading brands of high-end furniture: Poltrona Frau, Cassina and Cappellini . In addition to retail designs, PFG has considerable contract expertise, with strong credentials in technology, innovative materials and expert craftsmanship in creating the finest interior fixtures and furnishings.
PF Emirates, launched in alliance with the Abu Dhabi-based Mubadala, has been conceived as the brand's UAE outpost and continues PFG's legacy in the UAE by catering to the region's growing interior design industry. The brand has already made significant inroads into the turnkey solutions market, having worked on prestigious projects such as the Etihad Airways First Class Suites and First and Business Class Lounges, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sheikh Zayed Stadium's Royal Box Suite, the Mubadala World Tennis Championship Royal Box, YAS Marina Circuit, Ferrari World and the Abu Dhabi Financial Centre.
"As with individual consumers, companies and corporations based in UAE are opting for bespoke designs that reflect their personality and corporate image. With our vast expertise in creating premium and bespoke designs, we have the capability and the expertise to offer world-class levels of quality and creativity in developing premium interior furniture solutions to the region," said Firas Al Saleh, CEO, PF Emirates.
In its retail showroom based in Downtown Dubai, PF Emirates will house a number of PFG icons including the LC4 chaise-longue by Le Corbusier, Pierre Jeanneret, Charlotte Perriand from Cassina, the Vanity Fair armchair from Poltrona Frau, Tom Dixon's S-Chair and Alessandro's Mendini Proust from Cappellini, as well as modern classics such as the Kennedee sofa collection.
Reflecting the design sensibilities of the brands, the showroom features three distinct spaces that showcase the inspiration behind each piece. Subtle decorative touches provide furniture and design lovers with a window into the spaces, rooms and moods that can be created using the various icons.
"Presenting the latest collections from the Poltrona Frau Group's three main brands - Poltrona Frau, Cassina and Cappellini, the showroom is a beautiful example of the PF Group's design philosophy, showcasing classic contemporary pieces, along with timeless icons - in an elegant space, with wonderful natural light, and rich notes of macassar ebony wood. It is also fitting that this latest expression of Italian beauty and craftsmanship should be opened in Dubai on the 100th anniversary of Poltrona Frau, serving as a bold and exciting start for the company's next 100 years," added Dario Rinero, CEO of Poltrona Frau Group.
-Ends-
For media enquiries, please contact:
Ashfana Abdul Hameed
DABO & CO (for PF Emirates)
Tel: +9714 344 4901
Mob: +97150 378 2723
Email: ashfana.h@daboandco.com
About Poltrona Frau Group:
Distinctive Features
Over the past years, Poltrona Frau has created the world's leading Group in the high-end furniture sector. The Group has launched an innovative process of development in a highly fragmented sector, with considerable benefits in terms of manufacturing and delivery times with respect to its competitors.
The Group is made up of three outstanding brands (Poltrona Frau, Cassina and Cappellini), each has its own identity, allowing the Group to cover all product styles (classic, modern and innovative) in the high-end furniture sector without overlapping.
In November 2006 the Group was listed in the STAR Segment (Milan Stock Exchange).
The Brands
Poltrona Frau
Poltrona Frau, a brand with a long heritage, was created in Italy in 1912. With 100 years of history, Poltrona Frau manufactures and markets exclusive, high-quality products, with both classical and contemporary design. It has a powerful retailing structure, with over 50 single brand stores in Italy and abroad, 6 of which are managed directly by the company - DOS (directly operated stores) - in primary locations: Milan, Rome, Naples, Bologna, Paris and New York. The company directly controls the entire manufacturing process which includes numerous handcrafting phases.
The Poltrona Frau brand, with its powerful connotations of style and elegance, is synonymous with great respect for tradition, with a historical archive that was initiated in 1912. Poltrona Frau manufactures both classical and contemporary products, created to meet the requirements of an exclusive clientele for whom durability, elegance and identity are fundamental factors in determining choice. Poltrona Frau has always incorporated a high content of handcrafting skills into its products, along with attention to quality and detail and the use of the finest raw materials.
Residential. The Poltrona Frau Historical Collection comprises products created between 1912 and 1934, all inspired by the company archive. Products in the Historical Collection include furnishing classics such as the Vanity Fair armchair (1930) and the Chester sofa (1912), long sellers with which the company is associated worldwide. As well as the Historical Collection, the company offers an important range of contemporary products with a greater design content, some of which are considered by the market as "new classics" (such as the Quadra sofa designed by Pier Luigi Cerri). Poltrona Frau also operates in the area of manufacturing and distributing high-end office furnishings.
Contract. In the contract sector, Poltrona Frau is one of the leaders in the high-end sector. Poltrona Frau has an important position on the market, also due to consolidated relationships with internationally-renowned architects, including some Pritzker winners (the Pritzker Prize is one of the most important international architecture awards), such as Renzo Piano (Auditorium for the Parco della Musica, Rome), Richard Meier (Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles), Frank O. Gehry (Walt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles). Other projects completed by Poltrona Frau include more than 60 theatres and 270 auditoria all over the world.
Interiors. Over the years, Poltrona Frau has developed considerable experience in installing leather interiors (thanks to a team capable of developing the entire seat unit and not just the upholstery) for luxury cars (including Ferrari, Maserati, Chrysler and BMW), yachts (including Cantieri Riva, Azimut and Ferretti), helicopters and the first class cabins for some of the most important air lines (including Alitalia, Japan Airlines and Singapore Airlines, Etihad Airlines).
www.poltronafrau.com
Cassina
Cassina began operations in 1927, and from its earliest years it has developed close contacts with Italian and international architects representing research and innovation. Today, it is considered as one of the brands that best represents Italian design worldwide. Cassina's work is based on a meticulous direct control of the entire manufacturing cycle which comprises highly refined wood processing. Cassina directly manages 5 DOS in primary locations in Milan, Paris, London and New York.
As well as the three Compasso d'Oro prizes that it received for individual products, in 1991 Cassina was awarded the Compasso d'Oro award in recognition of "its innovative role and forerunning international approach within the Italian cultural and manufacturing sector".
Residential furnishings. Cassina is a leader in the high-end market as a result of the notoriety of its products in the "I Maestri" collection (including designs by Le Corbusier, Frank Lloyd Wright and Charles Rennie Mackintosh, true icons of 20th century design) and the "I Contemporanei" collection (with products by the most important contemporary designers, such as Vico Magistretti and Philippe Starck).
Cassina's iconic products are exhibited in the most important museums of the world, such as the New York Museum of Modern Art and the Centre Pompidou in Paris.
Contract. Today, Cassina is considered one of the most important companies working in the high-level contract furnishing sector for showrooms and flagship stores all over the world (working to the client's design and with customised products). The contract furnishing division's clients include some of the most important Italian and international luxury brands, such as Armani, Louis Vuitton, Dior, Gucci, Cartier, Ferragamo, Valentino, Zegna, De Beers and Lancôme.
Cassina has furnished some of the most important international hotels, such as the Hudson Hotel in New York and the Clift Hotel in San Francisco (both designed by Philippe Starck). Cassina also furnished the Islamic Museum in Doha, Qatar (designed by Jean-Michel Willemotte) which marks the company's entry in the sector of museums and large-scale projects.
www.cassina.com
Cappellini
Cappellini began operations in 1946. It is an important company in the high-end furnishing sector, thanks to its significant catalogue of innovative international designers and its production of pieces that embody great creativity, image and notoriety. The company image is strongly associated with the world of experimentation and the research of design, which has given the Cappellini brand considerable international repute and recognisability. Cappellini has a highly-selected, top-level retail representation in the form of four single brand stores (DOS) in Milan, Rome, Bruxelles, Paris, Manila and New York. Some of its products are exhibited in the most important museums of the world, such as the New York Museum of Modern Art (which has 32 Cappellini pieces in its collections), the Victoria & Albert Museum in London and the Centre Pompidou in Paris.
Residential furnishing. The "Collezione" catalogue comprises products made in cooperation with innovative contemporary designers and includes iconic pieces (such as the S Chair by Tom Dixon, and the Knotted Chair by Marcel Wanders), as well as products for everyday use (such as Superoblong sofas and the Low Pad chair by Jasper Morrison).
The "Sistemi" catalogue is one of Cappellini's most successful lines, with a wide range of solutions for residential and office projects, together with units and storage systems (free-standing vertical, recessed, wall-mounted), cupboards, bookshelves and shelving systems.
Furniture supply. Cappellini's work in the furniture supply sector is carried out using catalogue products for interiors installed in high-profile public areas or institutions (for example, the Tate Modern Gallery in London, designed by Jasper Morrison, the Restaurant Georges at the Centre Pompidou designed by Jakob and MarcFarlane). Cappellini dedicates particular attention to the hospitality sector (lounges, bars, restaurants, beauty spas, hotels).
www.cappellini.it
© Press Release 2013
