From elegant table lamps to pendant lights with acoustic panels, the collections from Italian lighting purveyor Penta make clever and versatile additions to your interior. Andrea Citterio, CEO of Penta, shares his future plans for the brand.
“Italy is well known for four Fs: furniture, fashion, food and Ferrari,” quips Andrea Citterio, CEO of Italian lighting brand Penta. The head honcho explains his foray into lighting and shares that he wanted “to invest in one of the distinctive sectors of Italian production—lighting made in Italy, in particular, is appreciated all over the world”.
Citterio acquired the lighting label in 2015 and named it under the Penta Group, along with the newly acquired firm Penta Architectural (which specialises in technical and architectural solutions for projects that use LED technology), and Pcustom Light, a bespoke lighting firm.
We sat down with the CEO at the Studio 216 showroom in Singapore, to discuss the trends to watch and his grand plans for the company.
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What shaped your decision to acquire Penta?
Andrea Citterio (AC) I acquired Penta because it’s a brand already well-known for its elegance and quality—the company was a family business established in 1972. All of our products are designed by world famous designers such as Carlo Colombo, Umberto Asnago and Nicola Gallizia. Our lamps are beautiful, whether they are switched on or off; they are truly quality pieces of good design.
How do you choose the designers to collaborate with?
AC It’s important to choose designers who are in line with the DNA of Penta. We have worked with famous architects around the world; it is a signal to the market that the brand is doing well and is well-recognised. I also like to work with young designers because I think that they have unconventional ideas. An example is the Angolo collection designed by a young Argentinian Cristian Mohaded, one of the rising stars in architecture.
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