Home suite home: Maxalto

Modern life is changing fast. The way we work, socialise and shop is constantly evolving. A good retail experience now has an immersive quality which is more about inspiring a lifestyle than a mere financial transaction. This new dynamic is most keenly felt at the luxury end of the market. A canny business can inspire and delight its customers through indulgent, experiential spaces.

On Paris’s Rue du Bac, one premium furniture brand from Italy is doing just that. Maxalto has transformed the first floor of a 19th-century townhouse into a home with pieces from its latest collection.

As B&B Italia’s high-end furniture offer, interior designers and architects are already familiar with Maxalto and specify it for their upscale residential and commercial projects. But this new form of presentation – in the 400-square-metre showroom in chic Saint-Germain-des-Près – is conceived as a destination for professionals to bring their clients. So, it makes brilliant sense for a collection whose roots are in the romanticism of French interwar design to create a home for itself in the country’s capital.

Maxalto’s heritage and aesthetic derive from Afra and Tobia Scarpa. The husband-and-wife team were known for their post-modernist aesthetic and designed all its collections from its inception in 1975 until 1992. Since then, the Scarpas’ compatriot and much-lauded fellow architect Antonio Citterio has been at the helm. Citterio, whose inspiration is drawn from shapes that recall the romanticism of French design between the two world wars, is responsible for all the collections.

Over the last 45 years, the Maxalto brand has been known for its timeless contemporary classics. Its opulence is delivered via its use of materials in the form of special woods and velvets and such like.

This new home is where Citterio’s five distinct collections – the Apollo and Aurae sofa collections; the Lithos cabinets and low tables; the Alcor family of cabinets, sideboards and consoles; the Intoto dining table; and the Ares table – are presented in an aspirational domestic setting.

Now all under one roof, they are laid out in a series of monochrome rooms full of period features. The concept – Heritage Perspectives – gives a narrative to a collection that is now even more varied and complete. It will excite those looking to refurbish their entire home, as the execution demonstrates how well these pieces work together.

Maxalto’s furniture – all of it crafted in Italy – sits comfortably in these high-ceilinged spaces. The collection comes alive, as visitors go on a domestic journey through living rooms, dining rooms and bedrooms, and tells a captivating story of how to live now and in the future.

Interior designers, architects and their clients are often in need of something customised or tailored to their exact requirements. Next to the room sets, experts are on hand in the Maxalto Atelier to help visitors explore materials and fabrics. Items such as tables, consoles and storage units can be custom-cut in height, width and depth.

Likewise, deluxe finishes such as wengé, walnut, arabesque marble, quartz and etched glass can be requested. Or bespoke paint finishes for wood, metal and coloured glass can be created, and upholstered furniture can be produced in special fabrics or leather.

A strong brand deserves an enhanced positioning. Through the Paris showroom – and complementary communication material, from catalogues to its own Instagram account – Maxalto is getting just that. The upshot is a destination where professionals can come with their clients and immerse themselves in the brand’s potential.

© Architonic