A chair is one of those basic necessities of a home which we often buy without giving it much thought. But what if we were able to choose from, say, 200 different models, able to select a specific colour, desired fabric, shape of seat or style of legs? The chair might then become more of a stylish piece of furniture, able to combine functionality with individual taste.

Calligaris at Ideacasa provides exactly that – accessible luxury and the ability to customise a product without making it too abstract to be used.

“With Calligaris, our approach to selling is different. For instance, one table has nine different opening mechanisms. The customer may choose a preferred mechanism, along with a preferred colour and an overall style which is of greatest personal appeal,” says Sergio Gauci, Ideacasa’s managing director.

How is this different from other brands in the industry? “The Calligaris collection adapts itself to customers’ needs, not the other way round. It offers everything that other brands offer – and much more besides.”

Calligaris is an Italian home design group that has been in existence since 1923. Proof of its value and worth, it distributes its high-quality designs in over 12,000 retail outlets in 90 countries worldwide. As official distributors of the brand in Malta for 15 years, Ideacasa’s operators decided the time has come for Calligaris to shine.

Following the recent inauguration of the Calligaris flagship store in Milan – which symbolically looks like a massive, modern home – Ideacasa’s head of design Roderick Dimech explains the concept behind this dedicated space. “For a long time we focused mainly on chairs and tables by Calligaris. In order to offer more, we used the ‘shopin-
shop’ concept, replicating the brand’s identity.” The Maltese store is working to run along the same lines of its Milan counterpart.

“We now also offer stools, wall units, beds and complements, sofas and sofa beds, decorations, rugs and carpets, lighting and mirrors. It’s a very vast range,” adds Sergio. “It’s like walking into a specialised shop which sells a range of products in a variety of models, prices and sizes,” he says. “One thing that doesn’t change is the quality. Calligaris is great value for money.”

The floor of 300 square metres dedicated to this brand is truly remarkable. Original designs with elegant yet modern twists are set against earthy wall colours, to complement the brown, beige, black and white hues of the furniture which, Sergio says, are the most popular colours among the Maltese. Customers can see, touch and experiment with the furniture at their own leisure.

Among the most exciting products offered by Calligaris, through collaboration with Pininfarina, is the extendable Orbital table, which marries avant-garde design with technology. Sure to be a star of any dining area, the glass façade set on metal arms opens with an ingenious mechanism.

Both Sergio and Roderick agree that this year proved to be a challenging and satisfactory year for Ideacasa, following the showroom’s renovation and major investments in the business.

“Ideacasa has been established for 10 years and comes from a steady business background,” says Sergio. “But there is no in-between in this field and every year we work to keep up the pace.”

The new concept store can deliver exactly what the client wants, he says. “If a client wants to buy a chair there is no point in showing him a kitchen. We are focusing on the concept, and this has been the idea behind all of Ideacasa.”