HISTORY
OURS IS AN ITALIAN STORY THAT WAS ABLE TO CREATE A LONG-LASTING BOND WITH THE WORLD OF INTERIOR DESIGN.
1950s
A revolution that starts with the kitchen
Arpa’s story begins in the 1950s and it is strictly linked to the adventure of Italian design. In these years, architects and designers discover the furniture industry. A true revolution begins in the kitchen: with the first furnishings in series and the first electrical appliances, it becomes modular and compact. Laminate is established as a valuable new industrial product and is accepted by society as a sign of modernism.
In 1954, Arpa Industriale is founded in Bra, Italy. It grows, develops and innovates, becoming over time a reference point in the production of materials for interior design. A company with a proud made-in-Italy soul.
1960s
The birth of a new creative culture
A revolution of creativity. Shapes, colours, solutions and trends are at the forefront of the designers’ answers to the take-off of mass consumption. In response to new needs for practicality and comfort, a creative culture develops integrating the elegance of form with the functional necessities of the modern family.
Furniture’s colours and shapes evolve quickly: from the traditional dark and light browns, they move to pastel colours, then to the black and white of Op Art. The Arpa catalogue includes 50 different decors.
1970s
Italian design at the height of creativity
Imagination rules. Italian design is at the height of creativity. Homes become an explosion of chromaticism, fluorescent variations, geometric designs. Decorations change the look but also the meaning of objects. Colours, materials and surfaces add structure to rooms, making statements and communicating their identity. Arpa’s offering grows again: it quickly reaches 100 decors in combination with six finishes.
In 1970, Arpa’s first Italian branch opens in Pesaro and, five years later, the first finish for high-resistant worktop is introduced.
1980s
Colours and emotions shape domestic landscapes
Industrial design becomes a driver, and household furnishings are an extraordinary tool for the avant-garde. The domestic landscape is populated with totem objects, with bold colour schemes that meet emotional needs before they meet functional needs. Post-forming, the bendable HPL for furniture, is introduced.
Arpa’s product offering and capacity grow exponentially, not only in finishes and decors (more than doubled) but especially in types and material innovation.
1990s
Expressing character through design
Increasingly frequent contact across different cultures brings Arpa to explore new solutions to the problems of living, while a new need for personalisation and identity affirmation leads the way. Arpa opens its first European branch in France.
2000s
A growing attention to the environment
The home expresses the complexity, the contrasts and the multiplicity of tastes and cultures of contemporary living. A mixture of styles predominates. Lively colours, unusual materials, and new finishes are sought after.
The fusion style triumphs. A growing sensitivity to the environment steers research to sustainable production. Arpa adopts a Code of Ethics and establishes a Safety, Health and Environment department.
2010s
Experiencing spaces and smart materials
The living space must be welcoming and elicit emotions and sensations. The kitchen, for example, is no longer only a place to cook food, but a warm and social area, a place to experience companionship.
Materials are now smart: Arpa’s R&D develops FENIX NTM®, an innovative material for interior design capable of satisfying the market’s need for intelligent and opaque surfaces. In seven years, the FENIX® brand expands and becomes a household name. In 2019, it introduces Bloom, a new core technology for FENIX® and Arpa® HPL that increases the use of natural raw materials and reduces the amount of phenol included in the thermosetting resin by 50%.
2020s
The fluidity of living spaces allows multiple uses
The fluidity of the living space becomes even more multitasking. The same room is used for work, entertainment, relaxation and even family sharing. Under this change, it's necessary to have materials that are beautiful but also easy to handle in terms of cleaning and hygiene. They must be practical and discreet, offer visual comfort and tactility, and match the adaptability of furniture and design elements that are used in smaller spaces.
Arpa revamps its high-quality surfaces and launches VIS, an engineered surface with mineral components that significantly increase wear resistance and organic components that enhance the tactile experience of the texture. With Tuet, it also introduces a new family of surfaces: the Deep Surfaces.
