Discovering the world of design with Badari

Patrizio Lari, third generation and CEO of the company, tells us

Badari is an utterly Florentine story that began in 1956, when founder Marcello Badari started a business offering artisan repairs for brass chandeliers. 65 years later, the family-run company is a leading producer of exclusive lighting fixtures but, thanks to the vision of third-generation CEO Patrizio Lari, the range has expanded to include seats, consoles, tables and other luxury interior accessories.

LIFE Collection

What are your company’s greatest strengths?

Unique products, alignment with style trends and customer relations. 

Your most successful product?

To date, the 900 range of glass chandeliers.

And your most important project currently?

Designing the lighting for a private home, which obviously I can’t name. It’s a six-figure project.

What do craftsmanship and Made in Italy mean to you?

Craftsmanship is our trademark, and over the decades, being Made in Italy has given us an extraordinary impetus. These days a lot of countries have achieved a level of quality similar to ours, and our only defence is to come together to promote our many small businesses, which can create products of utterly exceptional quality.

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Can you give us a brief idea of your approach to identity, service and sustainability?

In a digital age like ours, identity is a constantly-changing concept; the crucial thing is to work with the changes, giving space to young talent and technologies that are compatible with our artisan methods. These days service has become more important than the product, and must meet the customer’s expectations. We’re also very committed to sustainability: we choose our suppliers on the basis of their working practices and use of energy, and we’ll soon be launching a blog devoted entirely to green issues on our website.

Your Florence in three favourite places?

San Frediano, where it all started with my grandfather Marcello Badari and where I grew up - it’s steeped in art - and the Bardini Gardens, which stand out at the top of the city and have stayed unchanged for centuries, as if enchanted.