Sambonet - Italian lifestyle at your tabletop.

The rise of the brand Sambonet

began in 1856 with Giuseppe Sambonet from Vercelli who was descended from an aristocratic Piemontese family and received after the end of his study in the academy of arts the privilege as a goldsmith's master. On the 15th of May, 1856 he deposits in Turin his mark with the initial 'GS' which later should become a known trademark and synonym for the finest silver. Sambonet supplied with silverware and cutlery the royal family and the ruling houses in Genoa and Turin. Already his father was an approved gold- and silversmith and was entrusted with the restoration of the sacred silver equipment of the cathedral of his hometown Vercelli. In the 20th century the enterprise adapts itself to the technical innovation and the changed needs. In 1930s Sambonet establish as the first enterprise in Italy a production for galvanic silver plating which is pursued parallel to the processing of pure silver. Today the pattern Baroque, Baguette Classic or Laurier from the Classic Collection are testifying from this epoch of the company history. After some years in 1938 the company begins as first in Europe with the production of cutleries of stainless steel and develops the technology of the silver plating of steel. In 1947 the brand begins with the production of blades of stainless steel and during the following years Sambonet succeeds in penetrating into the international market with his various technical achievements. Sambonet is awarded to equip the prestige hotel Hilton in Cairo with his products. The efforts of the brand are supported by the architect Gió Ponti, the artist Roberto Sambonet and Rudolf Dordoni who designed innovative pattern and reinforce the international reputation of the company. Especially prominent are the Pesciera of Robert Sambonet, the Center Piece of Gio Ponti and the trays called Linea 50. These design-pieces by Sambonet are exhibited in the Museum of Modern Art in New York. In 1974 Sambonet took over the Italian branch of the long-established Berndorfer Metallwarenfabrik, Arthur Krupp Milano. This branch of the cutlery factory in Berndorf was already founded in 1924 by Arthur Krupp. For this company Gió Ponti made the design of the cutlery Conca, which was relaunched recently by Sambonet. In the 90s architect Anna Castelli Ferrieri worked for Sambonet and created the collection Hannah who was awarded in 1994 with the popular Compasso d'Oro. After the change to a modern enterprise in 1990 the US-American subsidiary was founded, to spread the Italian style which Sambonet was able to shape. Shortly after in 1997 the enterprise of Sambonet was taken over by Paderno which has become known by his cooking dishes and culinary utensils. Quality and design is topic in the new company furthermore and so the new production plant in Orfengo in the province of Novara was designed by the known architect's office Frigerio Design Group. Today after several enlargements of the production location the company works on 120,000 m² with more than 250 employees. Sambonet maintains the 'Sambonet Project Center' with a group of designers who dispose of the most modern technologies and testing methods for new developments of prototypes. Since 2009 the Italian enterprise all around the dining-culture has taken over the long-established Porcelain brand Rosenthal. In the course of his 150-year-old history the enterprise has developed from a North-Italian workshop to one of the world's leading enterprises for home accessories and dining-culture. Traditions are continued and a lot of space is created for new developments.