Whitewall Presents: Minotti’s 20 Years Collaborating with Architect Rodolfo Dordoni

This year, Minotti enters its 20th year collaborating with Rodolfo Dordoni. The Milanese architect and designer began working with Minotti in 1997 on a small collection of sofas, dining tables, and coffee tables. The following year, he became art director of Minotti.

“When we first met Rodolfo Dordoni, we had already begun to realize that working with an architect would be beneficial in the transformation process we had in mind for the growth of our company.
 From the very beginning, we felt an immediate connection with Rodolfo Dordoni,
an extraordinary sharing of minds and visions. We saw him as a man of quality and excellent taste. He personified the architect-interior designer with cultural roots in Milanese design and a sensitivity toward decoration that we intuitively felt was right for Minotti,” said Roberto and Renato Minotti.

“At the beginning, there was an exchange of ideas based on a drawing, then a joint work on a prototype, and so forth. Now, it’s like molding clay; we work directly on the prototype. We work in the same way as we would for sculpture,” said Dordoni.

The long-term partnership is built on a deep connection between Dordoni and the Minotti brothers grounded in a shared culture, background, and taste. Minotti translates the designer’s creative vision and concepts into tangible objects and collections that have come to represent the brand’s stylish identity.

“It has been a journey of getting to know each other better and learning how to best work together, starting with the product and then flowing into a more structured definition of our corporate identity and our collections. That led us to expand our vision in terms of product range until we achieved a complete range of products for the home through the collection and lifestyle concepts. And, based on a principle of innovation in the spirit of continuity, collection after collection, we have worked together with consistency and commitment, sending a strong global message of quality and ‘Made in Italy’ value. A brilliant team effort, in a cross-fertilization of ideas and skills, that involved, on our side, all the second and third generation members of the Minotti family,” said Roberto and Renato.

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Dordoni said of the first years, “In the early stages, we poured our energies not only into the design of new products but also into the development of marketing strategies that would allow us to first create and then strengthen an authentic brand identity. With this in mind, it also became increasingly important to place our products in settings that clearly exemplified the brand’s style.”

The synergistic output was staged at Salone del Mobile in Milan and the Cologne furniture fair throughout the years. Outside of annual international showcases, retail spaces played a key role as well, such as the Minotti New York flagship store, which opened in 2010. An experience of the brand was presented throughout a network of international showrooms.

Recent new projects like the Lifescape in/outdoor collection and the Minotti hospitality project have further expanded the manufacture’s impact. Diversification has proved successful, fueled by a shared passion and devotion.

So what about the next 20 years? “The concept that best represents Minotti is undoubtedly its ability to innovate in the spirit of continuity. Vitality, consistency, commitment, and passion are the foundation of our partnership and of our shared vision, converging into a variety of projects and initiatives, that will guide us toward the future,” said Dordoni.