Maxalto Furniture in Houston: A Buyer’s Guide to B&B Italia’s Quiet Sibling
Some furniture asks to be noticed. Maxalto does something else. It settles into a room and stays there for decades, growing more familiar rather than more tired. If you have spent time replacing pieces that looked striking in the store and thin two years later, Maxalto is worth understanding before you buy anything else.
At BeDESIGN in Houston, Maxalto sits on the floor alongside B&B Italia, Molteni&C, Flexform, and more than forty other European houses. This guide explains what the brand is, how its collections fit together, what the pieces are made of, and how buying one works when you come to the showroom in Upper Kirby.
Who Is Maxalto?
Maxalto was founded in 1975 as a companion line to B&B Italia. The name comes from the Venetian dialect phrase massa alto, which translates to “the highest.” From the start it was meant to be the more historical, more craft driven side of the B&B Italia world.
Its early identity was shaped by the designers Afra and Tobia Scarpa, who worked with rare and ancient woodworking techniques. Their Artona collection and the Africa chair are signature pieces from that era, and they set the tone the brand still follows: warm woods, careful joinery, and proportions that borrow from classical furniture rather than fashion.
Since 1993, Antonio Citterio has been the sole designer of Maxalto, with his first collection arriving in 1996. Citterio describes the brand’s approach as “modern neo-classics,” and that phrase is a useful shorthand. A Maxalto piece looks contemporary, but it carries the balance and restraint of much older furniture. Adrian Dueñas, Co-Founder of BeDESIGN, puts it plainly on our Maxalto page: “Maxalto is B&B Italia’s older sibling: quieter, more historical, more interested in craft than statement. I guide clients there when they tell me they are tired of replacing things.”
The Collections: Wood, Leather, and Long Sightlines
Maxalto is designed as one language across the whole home, so pieces from different rooms belong together. A few collections show the range.
The Lutetia bed anchors the bedroom program with a low, upholstered profile and a wide headboard that reads more like architecture than a fixture. Buyers searching “maxalto bedroom” are usually looking for exactly this kind of grounded, quiet sleeping space.
The Febo armchair and chaise are among Citterio’s most recognized seating designs, with a rolled, enveloping form that works in a living room or a reading corner.
The Abseo table, made in Chilean tineo wood, is a good example of how Maxalto treats a dining table as a serious piece of woodworking rather than a surface. For anyone comparing “maxalto dining chairs” and tables, the dining program is built to be specified together.
Heritage Perspectives, introduced by Citterio in 2021, is the most recent expansion of the line and continues the modern neo-classic direction.
Because the collections share materials and proportions, a Maxalto dining table, bed, and lounge chair can live in the same house without competing. That coherence is part of why designers specify the brand for whole projects.
Materials, Care, and Why the Pieces Last
Maxalto is built around solid wood frames, rich leathers, and natural materials, held to classical proportions. This matters for two reasons.
First, solid wood and full grain leather age rather than wear out. They develop patina, and small marks read as history instead of damage. That is the opposite of veneered or synthetic pieces, which tend to look worst on the day something first goes wrong.
Second, the material honesty makes the furniture easier to live with. Solid wood and full grain leather ask for little more than the care any natural material wants: keep pieces out of direct sun where you can, wipe spills rather than letting them sit, and let the surface do what it is meant to do, which is settle into the room over years rather than months. When you visit, our team can walk you through the specifics for the wood and leather you are considering.
Maxalto Compared to Other Italian Houses
People shopping Maxalto are often also looking at B&B Italia, Molteni&C, and Flexform. A short comparison helps.
B&B Italia is the parent brand and leans more contemporary and sculptural. Maxalto is its quieter, more historical sibling, and the two are designed to be mixed. Molteni&C is the strongest choice when you want one house to handle living, dining, wardrobes, and kitchens together, and you can read more in our Molteni&C Houston guide. Flexform is known above all for deep, tailored upholstery. Where Maxalto stands apart is craft and wood: it is the house to consider when you want furniture that feels handmade and permanent.
A simple test: if you are drawn to warm woods and quiet lines more than bold silhouettes, and you want pieces you will not want to replace, start with Maxalto. You can see all three on the same visit. BeDESIGN carries B&B Italia, Maxalto, and Flexform under one roof.
Why See Maxalto in Person
Maxalto is a brand that photographs quietly and shows in person. The weight of a solid wood table, the grain of tineo, the give of a leather seat: none of it comes through on a screen. This is furniture you should sit in and put your hands on before you commit, especially at this level of investment.
Our showroom runs across 22,000 square feet on three levels in Upper Kirby, so there is room to see Maxalto next to the pieces you would actually pair it with. Come by, bring your drawings or a floor plan, and stand in the room with it.
How Buying Maxalto Works at BeDESIGN
BeDESIGN is Houston’s exclusive Maxalto dealer. We carry the full Maxalto collection and work directly with the manufacturer on custom orders, trade pricing, and project specification.
In practice that means you are not choosing from a fixed shelf. Woods, finishes, and upholstery are specified to your project, and our team handles the ordering and coordination. Lead times typically range from about 10 to 16 weeks depending on the piece, the wood finish, and the upholstery.
A design consultation is complimentary and happens when you visit. There is nothing to arrange in advance and no fee. You walk in, and the conversation starts from what you are trying to build.
For Interior Designers and Architects
Maxalto is a natural specification for residential projects that need to feel considered rather than trend driven. Through our Trade Partner Program, designers and architects get preferred pricing and dedicated support through specification, ordering, and white glove installation. We coordinate directly with the manufacturer, which keeps custom finishes and lead times predictable across a project.
Maxalto also pairs cleanly with the rest of the floor. It sits comfortably next to Henge for architectural elements, and its dining pieces work alongside the wider selection on our dining tables page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where can I see Maxalto furniture in Houston? At BeDESIGN, 2016 W Alabama St, Houston, TX 77098, in the Upper Kirby neighborhood. Our showroom spans 22,000 square feet on three levels, and Maxalto is displayed alongside B&B Italia, Molteni&C, and more than forty other European houses. You are welcome to come by during showroom hours.
Is BeDESIGN the exclusive Maxalto dealer in Houston? Yes. BeDESIGN is Houston’s exclusive Maxalto dealer. We carry the full collection and work directly with the manufacturer on custom orders, trade pricing, and project specification.
What does Maxalto furniture cost? Pricing depends on the piece, the wood, and the upholstery you specify, so there is no single list price. The best way to get accurate numbers for your project is to see the pieces in the showroom and talk through the specification with our team.
How long does a Maxalto order take? Lead times typically range from about 10 to 16 weeks depending on the piece, wood finish, and upholstery.
Who designs Maxalto? Antonio Citterio has been the sole designer of Maxalto since 1993. The brand’s earlier identity was shaped by Afra and Tobia Scarpa in the 1970s and 1980s.
Is Maxalto the same as B&B Italia? They are related. Maxalto was founded in 1975 as a companion line to B&B Italia and is often described as its more historical, craft driven sibling. The two are designed to be mixed, and BeDESIGN carries both.
Does Maxalto make custom pieces? Yes. Woods, finishes, and upholstery are specified to your project, and BeDESIGN coordinates custom orders directly with the manufacturer.
Come See It
Maxalto is not a brand to decide on from a catalog. Come to the BeDESIGN showroom in Upper Kirby, sit in the Febo, put your hand on the tineo, and see how the pieces read next to the rest of your project. Bring your drawings if you have them. We are at 2016 W Alabama St, and you can reach us at (713) 623-1177 or hello@be-design.us.
Monday to Friday 10am to 6pm, Saturday 11am to 5pm, Sunday by appointment only.
