The weather was fickle, but that didn’t perturb a Melbourne design crowd from coming out. The event was set to a theme about details, with a nod to Italian flair, as seen in the ALPI Designer Collection veneers on display. Casa Graziano’s warm, material language and furniture-calibre detailing created an ideal backdrop for a conversation about precision and care.
The night centred on a talk with Casa Graziano’s founder, Derek De Betta of Mr Cabinets, designer Jean-Pierre Biasol, and Elton Group’s creative design manager Tanya Hillman. The conversation unpacked the decisions that shaped the showroom. And the takeaway was simple and generous: when knowledge is shared early and openly, better details follow.
The Italian thread ran through the night in the material stories, and also on the plate, with guests enjoying burrata and freshly stretched mozzarella, accompanied by prosecco.
Biasol’s design highlights ALPI Xilo White, designed by ALPI art director Piero Lissoni, and its refined grain and tonal depth. In the window, a special installation of totems paid homage to the Memphis design era, including veneers created by the late Ettore Sottsass. Dustin Fritsche of Softer Studio fabricated the installation, where a stacked geometry and vibrant patterning offered a playful counterpoint to the showroom’s calm restraint. The piece also served as a sculptural marker, and a teaching tool, illustrating how formed surfaces and precise fabrication express resolved details.
Our aim with Dettaglio was to make the process as visible as the outcome—to share what we know about working with timber veneer.
Thank you to Casa Graziano, Mr Cabinets and Biasol for opening the doors, we look forward to more nights where community, craft and detail meet.
Project: Casa Graziano by Mr Cabinets
Interior design: Biasol Studio
Photography: Stephanie Duncan
Catering: UGO Cucina