Brand To Know | Baxter

Sumptuous and embracing leather lounges and sculptural tables that celebrate only the finest materials, it’s not surprising that once you experience Baxter, one finds the perfect spot in their home for its pieces. Founded by Luigi Bestetti and his nephew Paolo Bestetti in 1990 at the start of one of the world’s worst recessions, Baxter exemplified what the world’s finest design and craftsmanship can achieve even at low economic points in history.

Produced in partnership with Space Furniture

Using leathers and suedes from Italy’s finest tanneries, each hide is individually inspected and lovingly fashioned into furniture that speaks of the present and the rich Italian heritage that has been of inspiration for centuries. Some designs, such as Baxter’s classic Chester Moon, are reminiscent of the traditional buttoned-backed Chesterfield. ‘Stretched out’ and given a contemporary edge with sumptuous leather or suede from the softest powder greys to the richest dark blue tones, it’s a desirable addition in both contemporary and period homes.

Interior designer Bianca Baldi, a senior designer and associate with Techne, worked closely with architect Nick Travers in renovating an Arts & Crafts-style house in Toorak. Originally designed by the eminent architect Rodney Alsop as his own home in the early 20^th century, it’s now a rich and layered home for a family with young children. While the couple brought a number of Arts & Crafts pieces with them in the move, they were keen to create a more contemporary environment rather than a ‘museum piece’. So Baxter’s Chester Moon in Naubuck ‘Knight’, a deep navy blue, was selected for the formal lounge while the ‘retreat’, a space adjacent to the kitchen, includes the Tactile sofa in black leather or ‘Plume Noir’.

Other rooms in Toorak house are also well represented by Baxter, including the Greta Special Edition, an armchair with premium saddle leather and edged in brass. “These pieces pick up on the exquisite detail in Alsop’s design. This chair, while contemporary, also loosely references the modernist period when this house was built,” Bianca says. Other Baxter designs found here are the ‘Bourgeois’ dining table framed by the Gemma dining chairs and the incredibly furry and tactile Nepal armchair by Baxter as a side chair in the main bedroom.

Given Baxter’s extensive collection and range of suedes and leathers, it’s not surprising there was the right piece for almost every room. “Our clients immediately fell in love with Baxter as soon as they saw it at Space Furniture. One Baxter piece led them to another. Each piece just felt right for the spaces we were creating, as much as for their comfort and style,” Bianca says, who loves the way the Baxter collection responds to both contemporary and period settings, allowing a new history to unfold that will be enjoyed for decades to come.