l’Opificio is a family company specialising in the creation and production of textiles for interiors, as well as the Home Haute Couture line of textile accessories. Founded in Turin in 1998, the brand is led by Paola, Federico and Barbara Bertoldo, three siblings who respectively handle the management, production and creative areas, with the shared aim of cultivating excellence Made in Italy.
Marta Meda, Editorial Director of Syncropedia, first came to know l’Opificio years ago at fairs for the sector - Macef, Homi and Cersaie -, and a long collaboration began. In her work as a stylist, Marta Meda continuously seeks out brands that can become valued partners; over the years, l'Opificio’s offerings have contributed to changing the path of interior design, and have provided efficacious tools – textiles and accessories – to distinguish and interpret stagings and photographic sets in more decorative ways. l’Opificio’s fabrics and textile accessories are capable of bringing verve and character to a sofa or an armchair, and of lending whole rooms a style, a recognisable personality. In fact, the company distinguished itself from the outset for its graphic style, with sharp patterns that contrasted with the monochrome interiors in vogue at that time. Forerunners of a trend that would see textiles once again become protagonists of domestic and professional décor, l’Opificio enhances horizontal surfaces with a tactile and visual three-dimensionality.
Just before the Salone del Mobile.Milano 2022, Paola Bertoldo, President of l’Opificio, and Marta Meda met once again: after two years of inactivity for the sector, the atmosphere was even more electric than usual.
For the 60th edition of the fair, the company wanted to imagine future living spaces through surfaces: personal, welcoming, colourful and sustainable. The return of fabrics was seen as a response to the need to feel welcomed by spaces, not just in homes, but also in offices, hotels and restaurants. In interiors, this translates into a desire for colour, personalisation of rooms, the creation of “cushy”, enveloping spaces that contribute to our emotional well-being, as well as the choice to use sustainable products and materials.
Paola, Federico and Barbara Bertoldo
Along with impeccable quality, refined, eclectic style, a vast wealth of colours and the use of subtle but striking tones, the company is particularly attentive with regard to sustainability, focusing attention on this very important theme. Ever since it was founded, l’Opificio has stated its objective of being a sustainability-focused company. It pays particular attention to the environment and to people, an attention that resonates in its choice of excellent raw materials and sustainable production methods, as well as in a conception of luxury goods as products that offer superior quality and durability, far removed from the idea of “disposable”, use-and-replace décor.
Sustainability also means an attitude towards the company’s workers, with continuous training and development of human capital, and attention to safety and health in the workplace.
Under Paola Bertoldo’s guidance, the company has grown, with particular support for women in the workplace through flexible time management. Professional women working with the brand are thus able to balance work and private life, in a process of continual growth.
Working alongside Paola, Barbara Bertoldo heads up the company’s Art Direction department, designing most of the brand’s collections and embodying the company’s creative soul. Over the years, Barbara has been assisted by various designers who have been able to interpret l’Opificio’s identity with their own styles. This led to collections by top designers and architects including Lanzavecchia+Wai, Serena Confalonieri and Bruno Tarsia.
The conversation ends with Marta Meda recalling the early days of l’Opificio: asked to identify a colour that has stood out over the years, she mentions the intense, bright turquoise of a smooth velvet fabric. Velvet is still today one of the brand’s mainstays, in all its various colours. As a colour tied to the company’s identity today, Paola names ochre: a warm, reassuring, but also refined and elegant colour; a tone with a strong character, but that can also be combined with and play up other colours.
