Mandelli1953, a company that has been designing 100% Made in Italy brass handles and knobs for over 60 years, has recently presented PP33, an exclusive re-edition of a handle designed in 1933 by the Milanese architect and town planner Piero Portaluppi. This is the first piece from the archive collection which the Como-based company has used as part of its project for revisiting historical ideas and artefacts. “The idea was born in the company in collaboration with our art director, after much reflection, with the aim of finding creative stimuli coming from architects, designers and artists of the past, precursors of styles and forms projected into the future. It is a collection of re-editions and unpublished projects discovered in the archives and proposed to the general public for the first time. A tribute to all the Made in Italy creativity and a source of inspiration for the new generations”, explains the owner, who has been at the head of Mandelli1953 since 2012, when the company became part of Erco Finestre. “After the acquisition we focused on the brand and its international positioning in the market. A market that has changed a lot and is constantly evolving, not least because of the large number of players”. Hence the idea of exploring the archives, in search of material of great design and aesthetic value. “During a photo shoot at Villa Necchi, we noticed the object, and this led to a collaboration with the heirs of the Portaluppi family, which then gave rise to the development of the production. For us it was a real tribute to an iconic architect, for the city of Milan”. The PP33 collection was created by tailoring it to today's needs, specifically, by giving it a more elongated shape. The result is an extremely up-to-date furnishing item, available as a door handle, window handle, entrance handle and lift-up sliding door handle, which come in different finishes: Sculptural Bronze, Polished Nickel, Polished Chrome, Matt Black, Polished Gold and the more fashionable Rose Gold. “Made in Italy is a very important value for us, the entire Mandelli1953 production is manufactured locally, from the raw material to the finished product,” explains Antonio Corengia, CEO of the company.
The company's know-how has led Mandelli1953 to versatile experimentations over the years, in search of new shapes and materials as in the case of the Juno concrete handle designed by Alessandro Dubini, which won the Good Design Award in 2017. “What has emerged over the last decade is that the handle is an object whose manufacture, as well as design, is really appreciated, especially abroad. Considerable expertise on the potential of brass together with in-house production guarantees high quality standards and represents a significant competitive advantage for us”. Every year the Mandelli1953 archive collection will be enriched with further historical pieces, rediscovering designs that can be both unique and up-to-date. “It is certainly product research,” comments Corengia, “but it is also a way of contributing to design culture”.