Bentley Home launches two new furniture collections

The newly opened Bentley Home Atelier in Milan welcomes two new furniture collections, which were revealed during the Milan Design Week, coinciding with Salone del Mobile. Solstice, Bentley Home’s first-ever outdoor furniture collection, celebrates the sublime experience of open-air living, while the 2022 Collection of indoor furniture offers a blend of unique materials, architectural shapes, and futuristic compositions. Both collections reflect the close collaboration between the design teams of Bentley Motors and Bentley Home, using materials, motifs, and shapes that can be found in Bentley cars, and translate beautifully for the home.    

The new, recently opened Bentley Home Atelier at 36, Corso Venezia, Milan, sits within the colonnaded courtyard of the late 19th century Palazzo Chiesa, amid the charming cross-vaults and immense stone staircase. The Atelier is a 500-square meter space with a contemporary feel, in contrast to the building’s neoclassic architectural surroundings. 

Solstice Collection – outdoor furniture

The creation of Solstice, Bentley Home’s first outdoor furniture collection, has been a complex and fascinating journey. Bentley Home designer Carlo Colombo has worked closely with designers at Bentley Motors to incorporate the Bentley design DNA into furniture pieces that appear elegant in outdoor settings and natural light while utilizing weather-proof materials.

Each design from the collection can be personalized with a broad choice of fabric and covering options. Velvet, chenille, and satin have been treated specially for outdoor use, following sophisticated research into each of the luxurious textiles. The exclusive MARM \ MORE® fabric made from waste marble powder can also be chosen by those looking for a sustainable fabric option. Similarly, the new Colwyn hemp fabric, in a choice of three colors – Cool Grey, Laguna, and Desert – is available for the first time to Bentley Home customers. Hemp is one of the oldest botanical fibers, with origins dating back 6,000 years. Cultivated without the use of fertilizers and chemicals, it is well-suited to outdoor life as it resists extreme climate conditions.

A key design feature of the collection is the ‘super-mirror’ steel detail that is inspired by the front matrix grille of Bentley’s modern car line-up, including the Continental, Bentayga, and Flying Spur ranges. ‘Super-mirror’ refers to the high level of polish that is applied to the stainless steel, a beautiful and unique effect achieved by the world-class craftspeople of Bentley Home. Wrapping around the Solstice Sofa, Armchair, and Pouf, each individual super-mirror slat is curved to follow the outline of the backrests, using a sophisticated cutting system. The super-mirror steel grille detail has a delicate lightness consistent with the upholstered leather and fabric elements of the furniture designs.      

The Solstice Coffee Table and Side Table also feature the super-mirror grille, revealing its dual structure and decorative function at its best. Elegant, round marble tops are available in a choice of Mont Blanc, Silk Brown, or Emerald Green, to stylishly finish each table. The Solstice Sunbed is lightweight and comfortable, epitomizing the Bentley Home lifestyle for the outdoors.

Each year, Bentley Home releases a new collection of indoor furniture pieces during the Milan Design Week.

The Galloway Sofa, Bench, and Chaise Longue are named after the landscape that overlooks the Irish Sea: a wild sanctuary of thick forest, peaceful hills, and mountains. Power and fluidity combine in a curving motion, from the legs to the armrests. These pieces can be customized by combining a high or low armrest and backrest. Its frame is made up of three layers of wood veneers, reflective of those found in Bentley’s interior car cabins: Warm Grey Fiddleback Sycamore, Smoked Liquidambar, or Burr Walnut Briarroot; with either glossy, brushed finishing, Degrade Lacquer, or Metal Lacquer effect. Soft leather upholstery is juxtaposed by the Gun-Metal Grey profile of the furniture pieces. The Galloway silhouettes play with folds and tapering thicknesses, with a light yet bold structure taking shape from the voluminous base of each piece. Armrests are rounded like a bow and defined by their elegant curvature.  

Also joining this year’s collection is the Helston Coffee Table. The unique, sculptural, and dynamic lines of this piece complement the sofas and armchairs of past Bentley Home collections. Available in two sizes, Helston tables can stand together as a pair in each size and are equally elegant alone. Topped in a choice of marble, leather, or wood, the outer frame of the table can be covered in leather or veneered in the signature wood veneers and lacquers of the collection. The breadth of choices reflects those available to Bentley Motors’ customers when personalizing their car cabins.     

The Ryde Ottoman is the first circular pouf in the Bentley Home collection. It is a versatile piece, ideal for living spaces, bedrooms, or offices. The outer shell, covered in the collection’s wood veneer, is inspired by the iconic Bentley diamond motif and embraces the leather or fabric seat. An ode to perfect geometry, the design reveals the master craftspeople’s skills in creating finely detailed and customizable objects.     

The Havergate Cabinet and Sideboard posed a challenge to Bentley Motors and Bentley Home designers: to mix harmony and lightness, with volumes and voids. The outer structure of these pieces is covered in the collection’s wood veneers or leather, allowing each piece to stand elegantly in the center of a room or against a wall, as every angle is beautiful and considered. Degrade Gun-Metal Grey or Champagne metal decorations on the doors juxtapose with the lightness of the glass shelves. The shaded color of the Havergate line is the product of painstaking craftsmanship, involving a series of manual applications. The intricate process of lacquering involves several different steps by hand. A coat of varnish is first applied to the wood, followed by an airbrushed layer to apply the color before the craftsperson gradually draws away from the wood to accentuate the color gradient. The key technical skill lies in then replicating every detail of the shading, to guarantee consistency. A further round of polishing gives the product body, depth, and a solid appearance and finally, four coats of varnish are applied before the last round of polishing.    

The new Ramsey lighting pieces join the existing Bentley Home Ramsey line, with diamond motif engravings drawing inspiration from the quilting found inside Bentley’s cars. The Ramsey Floor, Table, and Wall Lamps have steel surfaces with either Gun-Metal Grey finish and Black Marquina marble bases, or Champagne finish and Calacatta marble bases. Each finish has unique characteristics that provide a different kind of light: warm and caressing, or contemporary and bright. The lamps are handmade using Murano glass, and the lighting system is cutting-edge to enhance the surface illumination and guarantee an even distribution of light. 

The new Stirling mirror is a sculpture in its own right, crafted in collaboration between Bentley Motors, Bentley Home, and the designer Francesco Forcellini. The mirror is inspired by the signature curvature of the wider collection, with softened corners to accentuate the minute incisions of its geometric image. Diamond patterns are obtained through laser technology, giving a three-dimensionality to the piece. The mirror is available in either fume or bronze, with just a single sheet of glass, making it a work of art. Silver alloy is available as an option, a process done by hand in the manner used in glassworks of the mid-20th century, which is now very rare.