Bocci
Bocci is a contemporary design and manufacturing company based in Vancouver, Canada[1], with a satellite office in Berlin, Germany [2]. Founded in 2005 by entrepreneur Randy Bishop, who continues to own and operate the company along with its Creative Director Omer Arbel, Bocci operates with a network of individuals; craftspeople, designers, technicians, agents and operatives, which organizes in a co-operative design community.
Though young and based in North America, the company has grown to compete with well established European industry leaders such as Flos [3], Artemide [4], and Louis Poulsen [5] primarily with its best selling and critically acclaimed 14 series chandelier [6] and 22 series electrical accessories [7].Bocci's products are sold in over 20 countries world-wide and can be found in showrooms such us; Lumianire[8], Inform Interiors[9], Viaduct[10] or Neumarkt 17[11].
Its pieces can also be found in the work of architects and designers including Herzog & de Meuron, Norman Foster, Andree Putman and Yabu Pushelberg. The brand launches new collections annually at major international exhibitions such as the Milan Furniture Fair, ICFF or Maison & Objet. In 2010, in what has since become a watershed moment in its company history, Bocci exhibited a large scale lighting installation at Rossana Orlandi's gallery in Milan [12].
The Bocci collection includes conceptually motivated, high craft furniture, lighting and electrical accessories, all designed by Omer Arbel.
Bocci began by producing its pieces in a renovated barn outside of Vancouver, with some components outsourced. In 2007 the company moved into a former printing press building in the center of Vancouver, invested in production facilities and equipment, and now manufactures its pieces in house [13].
Awards Pieces from the Bocci collection have won various international design awards including The I.D. magazine annual design review [13], the Red Dot Design Award [14], the Chicago Athenaeum Good Design award [15][15], and nominations to the D&AD yellow Pencil Award [16] and the German Design Award of the German Federal Republic [17].
