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Buona Sera, From Milan

When you think about Italy what comes to mind? The leaning tower of Pisa, the canals of Venice, or perhaps the Vatican or the Coliseum in Rome? Well I think about two things most of the time and I found both, and some of the best I've ever experienced, in Milano. If you haven't guessed, the first thing I think about is food, and Milan and the surrounding towns and cities that are part of the Milan metro area have some wonderful Northern Italian cuisine. Let's face it—the best thing about Italy is the food.

The second thing I think about most of the time is futon furniture, and I found some of the best I've ever seen in Milano at On-Futon.

Prior to my trip I received an e-mail from Guido Maiocchi, introducing me to his web site www.onfuton.com. I viewed the site and e-mailed Guido back and told him what a well done enterprise the site was, and of my upcoming trip to Italy, including the fact that

I would be visiting Milan. My brother and sister-in-law live in Gallarate, about forty minutes northwest of the city, and we would be visiting Milan during our stay with them. Guido e-mailed me back and said that he would love to have me visit his store.

Several months later, July first to be exact, we left for Malpense, a brand new airport just outside Milan. The trip was great fun and we did get over to Milano for a visit to On-Futon. The store, like the web site, was stunning. Milan, after all, is the center of some of the best furniture and industrial design in all of Europe.

Several things struck me when I entered the store. First was the understated, yet obvious Asian influences. Like many American futon specialty shops of the early seventies and eighties, On-Futon had taken a cultural product and had attempted to maintain an Asian feeling with their decor. The second thing to hit me was the quality of the goods. Europeans like beautiful things and tend to buy with the word "heirloom" in mind not "throw-away," like many American consumers do. Each piece of furniture was hand crafted and beautifully finished. The futon mattresses were filled with the finest cottons, latex foam, and coco fibers (something we can't use in the US). The covers were made of some the finest fabrics I've seen, and the prices were all high end.

For instance, a queen size nuvola mattress made of cotton and latticed latex retails for about $700.00 US (converting at 1800 lire to the dollar). Their convertible frames like the gioco come in three sizes. The largest is a full sofa size at 195cm which sells for about $1750.00 US, which includes a nuvola mattress.

I didn't get to speak with Guido because, unfortunately, he was on holiday. His sister Christiana gave me the grand tour of the small but well merchandised shop. She explained that they were in the process of changing their focus to the environmental and ecological aspects of the futon culture, and were in fact moving away from the Asian influences of the past.

"We have always been about quality and fine workmanship," she said, "and our customers know us for that reason."

As I watched the interaction between customers and the On-Futon sales staff I sensed that they were not shopping for a deal, but were in fact making a long term commitment to a piece of fine furniture that would last a lifetime. I also sensed the great difference between how the futon furniture industry has evolved in the States and how it has evolved in Europe, at least in Milan.

You can view the On-Futon web site at www.onfuton.com. FL

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