Pittella

In 1972, Italian immigrants Felice and Ottavia Pittella opened their eponymously named business, Pittella Imports, in Victoria Street, Footscray. It was the first outlet of its kind, importing and selling Italian-made architecturally designed door fittings constructed from solid brass. Through their retail store, Felice and Ottavia intended to establish a benchmark for high-quality Italian-designed-and-made products that possessed an authentic connection to their cultural heritage and to the iconic Italian style that has significantly influenced design and designers around the globe for centuries. Pittella Imports relocated in 1989 to its current address at 796 Glenferrie Road, Hawthorn. Soon after, 1990 saw the invention of the double-ring rose and through-bolt fixing system engineered and supplied in conjunction with the importer’s Italian door fittings. It goes without saying that this event was an industry game-changer, and it was a strong indication of the company’s willingness to grow and evolve. This commitment to the spirit of growth and evolution was once again apparent in 2009, the year in which the Pittella brand expanded to include the bathroom. This expansion saw the release of vanity basins and bathroom furniture under the sub-brand Pittella Vanity.  

Now in 2022, five decades after its inception, Felice’s and Ottavia’s design dream is being nurtured and guided by son and Managing Director Simone F. Pittella. A few of Simone’s many achievements since taking the helm include the 2015 re-designing of the Glenferrie Road master showroom, a collaboration with Hamish and Paul Hecker from Hecker Guthrie, and the 2017 adoption of the omni-channel distribution business model coupled with the enhancement of the business’s website. These upgrades enabled Pittella to work exclusively and directly with architects and designers around the globe. Finally, a partnership was secured in 2021 for the exclusive distribution of a luxurious Italian tapware brand produced by a third-generation noble foundry located in Siena, Italy. This ongoing action to embrace opportunities for growth and freshness attests to the fact that the essence of his parents’ initial intention is something that Simone and wife Charlotte, who works alongside him, retain and cultivate culturally both within the business and beyond. Specifically, Pittella is a way of life for the husband-wife team. Simone and Charlotte ply their attention to detail and eye for design while building on their desire for elevated elegance and the intangible mix of form and function that influences every product in the brand’s range.

Speaking of the Pittella product range, it is based on the belief “in the beauty of design, the discipline it involves and the enchantment it brings to everyday life”. Together with the team’s love of design, architecture and art, it is this ethos of beauty that is reflected and perpetuated through the company’s products and as part of a bigger design story. Specifically, Pittella produces luxury Italian-designed-and-made architectural door and bathroom fittings. Each collection could be construed as a meticulous consideration of finally crafted details and brought to life with the mastery of techniques honed over generations by Italian manufacturers. These extraordinary fittings – utilitarian luxury, if you will – are a seamless fusion of traditional craftsmanship, combining the efforts of generational artisans and leading modern technology and “resulting in a sublime fusion of form and function”. Pittella’s offerings are divided into three categories – Classical, Post-Modern and Contemporary – and are available in a variety of finishes and materials, including brass, nickel, chrome, bronze and steel. To experience door and bathroom fittings that are “unique, meticulous, textured, elegant, handcrafted and tactile”, visit Pittella’s Glenferrie Road showroom. Only then will you truly appreciate the company’s commitment to remaining the first choice in high-end architectural door hardware and bathroom products.