Offering the finest in craftsmanship and design, Baxter is a brand that, since its inception in 1990, draws on the tradition of Italian leather production and a desire to not follow the rules, while harking back to its family values – all of which have become the core of the brand itself.
Now featured instore within the Australian and Asian showrooms of Space Furniture, Baxter is a combination of experience, passion and business nous. Founded by Luigi and Paolo Bestetti, Baxter is described as ‘the story of encounters, ideas, but above all of people’.
The leather adopted by Baxter for their furniture is of the highest quality. Upon discovery of a tiny tannery in regional Italy, the founders decided it would become the alchemy for every collection since. The traditional tanners use a range of natural anilines that treat the material in a careful and natural manner, furthering Baxter’s mantra of the love of material.
Bestetti says that the tanning facilities used by Baxter are more a place of magic, as opposed to a factory.
“The tannery turns into an alchemist’s lab: you try, you experiment, sometimes you are wrong, but then you start again. From that moment we would study the full potential of materials which have become the core of Baxter’s research.”
The first Baxter sofa was made from a unique leather that was considered too thick by contemporary tanneries. It was this challenge that created the prototype for the Alfred, a sofa where the thick leather was the pivotal feature.
The Baxter family includes designer Paola Navone whose intuitive and unconventional working method is perfectly matched with the Baxter brand. It is Navone’s ability to open up new paths, her ability to manipulate leather, to make it come alive, and her design know-how that has shaped their collaboration.
Continuing to push the boundaries into the present day, the iconic furniture brand has an extensive collection of fine leather furniture pieces that are now available in the Asia-Pacific region.
The Tactile sofa, designed by Vincenzo De Cotiis in 2014, separates the seat and backrest from one another. Only conjoined in key structural areas the design is a clear attempt to outline the distinct parts of the sofa that are typically synonymous with each other.
Navone’s very own Chester Moon is a reinterpretation of a classic sofa style, summing up the importance of shape and balance while keeping its own simplicity. It draws inspiration from past handicraft techniques that are necessary for its development, and accounts for the new century with its simple and neat lines.
Versatile in its configurations and sharp with its modernist traits, the Piaf sofa is an annular setting that fits within any living space it is married with. Designed collectively by the Baxter team, the sofa reflects the values and quality of the furniture label.
Both the Bruxelles leather armchairs and Liquid small tables are exquisite additions to living spaces that require a further touch of elegance. The surfaces of the Liquid tables created by hand as ‘pictures’ each item uniquely crafted to be distinctly different and unique.
Like other brands within the Space collection, Baxter is more than a design company, it is a family-run business where the chemistry of friendship nurtures their success.
Space Furniture
spacefurniture.com.au
