The Kosmos Sofas by Karim Rashid for MIDJ. “I always say that I look at the world like I am from another planet. I would like to have my country house on the moon. So, for MIDJ I created Kosmos, a floating rock of softness and serenity." In three sizes with a positionable cushion.




Michelangelo Designs 
and the Ultra-Stylish World of Italian Furniture




Chris Farra owns Michelangelo Designs in New Jersey, a popular source for Italian-made furniture in the United States. His father, Fred Farra founded the company in 1985 and it has blossomed into a one-stop shop for interior designers and architects looking to furnish corporate spaces and homes. Open to the trade only, they represent more than 20 Italian furniture brands offering over 6,000 pieces of furniture, lighting, and decorative arts to choose from in styles ranging from traditional elegance to ultra-contemporary. Incollect spoke to Farra about the enduring charm and popularity of Italian furniture.



by Benjamin Genocchio 




Left: Domus Design’s Turn Coffee Table offers endless options of material contrasts, with a variety of lacquer colors and fine woods in matte or glossy finishes. Right: From MIDJ, the P47 CT-L Coffee Table with its distinctive leather and net detail comes in three sizes and looks wonderful clustered together.



What is your greatest strength as a business?

We give clients the flexibility to create something unique for them. We carry product lines for residential, commercial, office, and HoReCa (hotels, restaurants, and cafes) projects, and offer a huge range of options in every style. Everything we sell is customizable and can be made to order in terms of size, color, and finish. Nobody in the United States has the range and reach of options when it comes to quality Italian-made furniture. We also offer products at different price points so that we can help furnish a project based on the budget as well as the specific style and taste of the client. 




Left: The Rugiada Chandelier from Franco Bianchini features pendants in Crystal White marble and metal elements in burnished brass, bronze or graphite. Right: From Carpanelli Contemporary, the Desyo Round Table, also available as a fixed or extendable oval. Wooden frame with leather-covered base and wooden details, top with geometric inlay in Sycamore and Eucalyptus frisé or Canaletto walnut.



How did the business begin? 

My father, Fred Farra, saw an opportunity in the market for Italian furniture back in 1985. He chose Italian-made furniture because of the quality, attention to detail, and historical significance of Italy as a leader in high-end furniture manufacture. Furniture was becoming more highly commercialized in the 1980s and 1990s and furniture companies were focusing on mass production. Against this trend, my father wanted to maintain the tradition of refined craftsmanship and artistry. Michelangelo Designs was built to continue the tradition of high-end design paired with quality.





Characterized by a modern, minimalist aesthetic, a selection of stools from MIDJ. From left to right: the Ola stool, Pluma stool, and Qua-ndo stool, all designed by MIDJ founder Paolo Vernier.



How does the business operate?

We don’t have a storefront that serves retail clients, rather we have a 50,000 sq foot showroom and materials library which is only open to trade professionals. We allow all interior designers, architects, retail stores, specifiers, buyers, developers, and/or contract space trade members to review and hand-select exactly what they need for their projects at a level of quality and price that is impossible to match in retail furniture. We have bedroom suites that range in price from $3,000 to over $30,000 depending on the budget and taste of the client.




Carpanelli Contemporary, founded in 1919 by cabinetmaker Umberto Carpanelli, produces high-end furniture that blends modern and traditional elements. Left: The Mistral High sideboard has a soft, curvilinear shape with fine veneer detail and comes in Pama, Sycomoro frisé, Canaletto walnut or leather with a wood top. Right: The plush and inviting Cherubino armchair and ottoman.



Everything is Italian-made?

Yes. We focus only on Italian-made furniture. The brands we work with do not just assemble furniture made from constituent parts made elsewhere but make everything in Italy. Many of the brands we work with are family-owned and operated businesses and have passed down the skills and techniques of furniture-making through generations. We have found this model not only guarantees quality, it also leads to products that will last and can be handed down to the next generation within a family or business. 




Left: Egoitaliano’s Babouche sofa with motorized chaise extension and Morfeo floor lamp. Right: The Clessidra elliptical table from MIDJ, shown with the Mys S M TS Chair and Mys P M TS Chair, and in the foreground, the Mys AP M TS Lounge Armchair and Ottoman.



How many brands do you represent?

We work as the USA contact point for a large variety of Italian furniture producers, more than 20 brands, as well as our own brand, Michelangelo Designs. They are all very specialized makers and range from small artisanal family-owned and run workshops hand-producing individual pieces in unique styles to bigger brands like Egoitaliano which is a large-scale global business with a showroom at Highpoint. Many of the brands we represent offer full furniture collections and so they can be used to furnish an entire house or space. 




Left: Franco Bianchini’s CYG 2501 K Crystal Sideboard has sculptural faceted door fronts in Canaletto walnut veneer with a choice of door configurations. Right: The elegant Oscar Oval Dining Table from Opera features a lively material contrast with curved metal legs in a choice of finishes and monolithic marble top.



What is trending in the market right now?

We have found clients are tired of the boxy look of modern design and they want more unique shapes and forms. 




Sleek, sculptural futuristic desks by Karim Rashid for Della Rovere: Left, the Uno Executive desk and right, the Zero Executive desk. Both come in gloss or matte finish in a range of colors and metallics, as well as custom RAL colors.



What are some of the brands and styles that are selling well?

Each brand has its unique items and room configurations and all of them have a following. We still have many clients for traditional European furniture, but there is a bigger market today for contemporary brands like Opera, Della Rovere, and Franco Bianchini which are comparable in quality to famous Italian furniture makers like Poltrona Frau or Minotti. Michelangelo Designs is home to the Kosmos collection created by designer Karim Rashid for MIDJ and this is one of our best-selling collections, especially his Kosmos sofa. Rashid’s designs for other brands such as his Zero office desk for Della Rovere (featured in the animated movie Inside Out) and his Uno desk, again for Della Rovere, are bestsellers as well. Egoitaliano also has a strong following in the United States, they work a lot with funky colors and playful contemporary furniture designs.




Playful, eye-catching designs from Egoitaliano. Left: The Shai Sofa; right, The Mushroom Table.



What are some of the interesting design projects you have worked on? 

We have so many different orders and they range from small projects to furnishing part of a room to huge spaces, and film sets. or events. Each is interesting in its own way, though among high profile projects we have done are the Virgin Galactic offices, the restaurant Carbone in New York, and many movie sets including for The Dictator and The Greatest Showman.



Where are your clients from?

Most customers are from New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania although we do a lot of work in Florida — we have shipments to Florida every week. We have sold to 49 states in the United States, including Puerto Rico and Hawaii. The only state we haven't sold to so far is Alaska. But I’m working on it!




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