Eleganza, Innovazione, Armonia. Three words that encapsulate the essence of Baxter, a high-end designer of 100% made-in-Italy furniture. Founded in 1990 by Luigi and Paolo Bestetti, this family-run business draws on the heritage of the great furniture makers of the Milan region and on the most innovative techniques. It plays on the subtle balance between the need for mass production and the yearning for customised, hand-crafted designs. To present his new creations in situ, Paolo Bestetti has taken over a patrician villa on the shores of Lake Como, La Casa Sul Lago. The noble setting is ideal for an ongoing dialogue between tradition and modernity, between the finest materials and the boldest colours in the collection.
With its subtle colours, well-designed furniture and high-quality materials, Baxter inspires us to think about how we want to live today. Each year, its creative team sets the tone by developing an innovative interior design project, freely inspired by the spirit of this beautiful residence. The villa is thus transformed into a “research and experimentation hub” dedicated to imagining the brand’s evolving lifestyle. The location is the natural setting to present its new collections, including the Aura sofa and Pillow armchair designed by Hannes Peer, the Blend suspended cabinet by Federico Peri, the Aegates coffee table and the Beside coffee tables by Studiopepe. The kitchen and dining room, meanwhile, feature the large Kate marble table by Christophe Delcourt and the Afra chairs. All are presented in a palette of warm tones: rhubarb red, terracotta, plum and beige.
The boudoir vibe is tangible here on the first floor, where this small alcove lounge adjoins one of the bedrooms. This elegantly decorated room exudes sobriety and sophistication, enlivened by bold colours and the inviting comfort of the Ortiglia sofa designed by Paola Navone. Other highlights include the small Adel modular seat, a lacquered wood sideboard from the Aegates collection and the large Weekend mirror/light/storage unit by Federico Peri, a designer who has collaborated with Baxter for many years.
These new furniture ranges, including the outdoor furniture collections, all reveal an inexhaustible curiosity for materials, forms and structures of the past, present and future, demonstrating a quest for innovation and bold thinking. Quite an exercise in style, since the idea is to build a decorative project each year that revolves around the spirit of the new catalogue.
This room on the first floor has been chosen to present Dune, a double-sided (self-supporting) open bookcase in polished stainless steel, placed (here) facing each other. This piece is a creation by Draga & Aurel, the Como-based design studio founded by Draga Obradovic and Aurel K. Basedow. Draga Obradovic and Aurel K. Basedow regularly collaborate with leading Italian furniture makers and, as pioneers of “upcycling”, have made a name for themselves by reinventing vintage design from the 1970s. Drawing on their diverse background in art, fashion and craft, Draga & Aurel are also renowned for their informal approach to materials and composition. Technically, this bookcase represents a real feat: its undulating impression seems to have been created by a single strip of metal in motion with a satin-finish steel on the inside and a glossy finish on the outside. Each curve creates an open storage space that is both sculptural and functional.
In an atmosphere deliberately reminiscent of the 1970s, deep leather sofas, including Christophe Delcourt’s Juliette modular sofa, take pride of place. In addition to the patio and spacious ground floor, the villa stretches out over two floors, with several adjoining lounges, creating an ideal stage for displaying the often generous dimensions of the furniture. In this room, the rugs (Baxter) are plush and thick and the curtains opulent, masking the natural light that can be dazzling at certain times of the day, especially when the rays of the summer sun are reflected on the waters of Lake Como. The house is ideally located at the south-western tip of the lake, which boasts one of the most beautiful views of this privileged environment.
The panoramic view of the lake is best enjoyed from the first floor. In one of the bedrooms, the So Soft bed by Studiopepe and the Hive storage unit, designed by Pietro Russo, take centre stage. Hive’s “honeycomb” structure is entirely modular with the repetition of the hexagonal pattern creating simple lines, enhanced by the use of precious materials such as leather (which covers the outer walls of the unit), the stainless steel of the structure and the mirrored smoked glass of the shelves. It offers an ingenious solution for partitioning space. On the left, we can make out the Lloyd bookcase (available in wall-mounted or ceiling-mounted versions), a new project with customisable finishes (shelves in brushed oak or natural stone) that demonstrates a real depth of creativity combined with an astute sense of practicality. Its sleek design makes it the perfect piece of occasional furniture to fit in harmoniously with a wide range of decors.
Out in the garden, the tree-lined grounds of La Casa Sul Lago slope gently down to the waters of Lake Como, where an old greenhouse has been converted into a summer lounge. Ideal for lunching in fine weather or relaxing at sundown, this area and the villa’s large adjoining terrace have been furnished with furniture from the Baxter Outdoor collection designed by Paola Navone.
Finally, it should be noted that in 2025, the mansion will be closed to the public due to major conversion work. Some non-invasive alterations have already been carried out, but these are not sufficient to fully embrace the spirit of this Italian architectural gem.
