From Hotel ICON in Hong Kong to Cabana Bay Beach Resort in Florida, Allermuir‘s beautifully-crafted furniture graces hospitality venues worldwide. Established in the 70s by the Vaghetti family, before becoming part of The Senator Group in 2005, the company has become a firm favourite in the A&D community for its world-class yet bespoke approach. Robert Mustoe, Chairman of The Senator Group, tells us a little more …
Was it always your ambition to work in this industry?
I never thought I’d end up in this industry, nor was it expected. It was very much by chance during a summer holiday job while I was doing A levels, sweeping the floors at the factory that I developed an interest in it.
From my early years I was always making things and have an enduring fascination with design, so perhaps it seemed a natural thing to do, but at the time it surprised everyone.
Could you talk about when and how Allermuir first came about?
We bought Allermuir over a decade ago when we realised softer lounge environments were becoming increasingly important in workplace design.
We wanted the Senator brand to keep its focus on office environments, and saw Allermuir as a successful, well-loved brand that could complete our offering and foster our product development ambitions.
How has Allermuir evolved over time?
Allermuir was successful when we bought it, but needed the right investment in order to grow. We were able to realise its potential through the group’s manufacturing capabilities and provide the sort of investment needed to work with some of the best designers in the world.
We have stayed true to the original Allermuir ethos, putting particular emphasis on the families of soft seating and, latterly, work pods and furniture that is suitable for both workplace and hospitality environments.
What would you say are the key values or characteristics of Allermuir as a brand?
Design led, innovative, experimental, playful, always looking to break new ground. Allermuir cares about design and supports the wider design community. The products, as well as representing contemporary progressive design, are also refined, timeless classics.
What would you say makes Allermuir a particularly good fit for the contract market?
The fact that Allermuir has an independence of thought and the backing of the Senator Group means that it is able to have a more experimental, even risky, approach to design.
This means we can offer leading cutting-edge design with the guarantee of service, delivery and quality of a global manufacturer.
What would you say have been Allermuir’s most successful ranges for the hospitality sector?
It’s difficult to say as there are so many, but in terms of enduring design and international success it would probably have to be Mollie. Mollie can be seen all over the world, in the US, Europe and Asia, and in environments such as the Tom Dixon designed Mondrian hotel bar in London.
What is your main focus at the moment?
We’re very excited to see how the workplace and hospitality markets seem to be converging. You see many people working in cafes and hotels and, at the same time, offices are filling up with sofas and café furniture.
But the way these environments work is different in many ways so there are great opportunities for a brand like Allermuir that has so much experience in both markets.
Have you got any exciting plans in the pipeline you’re able to talk about?
We have many, many exciting plans in the pipeline but I’m afraid I’m not going to give any details now, other than to say do come and see us at Orgatec in Cologne, Clerkenwell Design week in London, or Neocon in Chicago if you’d like to know more!
