Groppo Arredamenti celebrates 80 years of activity. Discover with us 10 iconic projects that have defined our history.
Since 1946 Groppo Fratelli has been designing and producing custom furnishings for commercial spaces, public venues and professional environments, combining craftsmanship, technical expertise and continuous dialogue with architects and clients. The company’s 80th anniversary is an opportunity to retrace a story shaped by evolution, new languages and material experimentation, from the first refrigerated counters to complex turnkey projects.
In this short celebratory article, we have selected 10 iconic projects in the food & wine sector (bars, restaurants, delicatessens, pastry shops) as particularly representative of a fundamental part of our identity and company history.
But food is only one of the areas in which Groppo operates. Hospitality, beach facilities, retail and offices, exhibition spaces and private residences, with integrated solutions that go far beyond the food industry: functional, aesthetic spaces built to last, serving people and their needs.
1. The historic bar in Alba: the style of its time, Groppo’s craftsmanship
In the heart of Alba, in the 1950s, one of the first examples of the Groppo style was born, perfectly aligned with the taste of the time: a bar where solid fluted walnut, hand-hammered copper and manually bent steel become the language of a new elegance. Every detail reveals precise craftsmanship and a bespoke approach to design, still a distinctive trait of the company today.
2. Palazzo del Lavoro, Expo 1961: an avant-garde bar in dialogue with architecture
For the 1961 International Exhibition in Turin, Groppo created the bars inside the Palazzo del Lavoro, a masterpiece by Pier Luigi Nervi. Here, the furnishings integrate with a cutting-edge structure, demonstrating the company’s ability to engage with complex architectural projects on a large scale.
3. Groppo’s expertise serving Turin’s great delicatessens: Gastronomia Castagno
In 1963, a collaboration began with Gastronomia Castagno in Turin, lasting over thirty years. Extended counters, display fronts, hanging systems and custom solutions introduced a new way of presenting fresh products, anticipating the specialized delicatessens that would shape the city. Following this successful design synergy came projects such as Il Girarrosto, the Bottega del Maiale in Via Lagrange, the Bottega del Pesce in Mazzini and the Baita del Formaggio.
4. Conservatory Bar: art, material and craftsmanship for a unique design
In the 1970s, at the Conservatory bar in Piazza Bodoni in Turin, collaboration with Professor Ruggieri led to the creation of carved wooden panels clad in silvered copper, with hand-drawn geometric patterns. A meticulous and flawless technical interpretation, capable of transforming the concept into highly expressive surfaces that still tell the story of the meeting between design and craftsmanship.
5. Aeronautical inspiration and experimentation: Ristorante Cappetta
In Finale Ligure, again in the 1970s, Ristorante Cappetta drew inspiration from the aeronautical world. Columns reminiscent of jet engines, components from real aircraft, solid teak and steel interact, demonstrating Groppo’s flexibility in interpreting strongly distinctive languages, in a blend of volumes, materials and surfaces.
6. Caffè Florian, Venice: custom furnishings in an exceptional historic setting
The intervention at the Caffè Florian in Venice represents one of the most prestigious moments in the company’s history. Custom-made furnishings and refrigerated display cases are integrated into a unique historic context, through a meticulous work on materials and details that respects the soul of the place while ensuring functionality and performance. Groppo designed and produced the display cases for the entrance vestibule and the pastry area, working from detailed executive drawings that define fronts, sides, plans and sections to integrate with the venue’s historic architecture. The wooden structures are custom-shaped and enhanced with transparent glass and acid-etched mirrored glass, with shaped frames and decorative motifs that echo the original ornamental language.
Each element is designed to scale, studying depth, proportions and access to reconcile display needs, entrance flows and architectural constraints. The result is a display system that welcomes guests from the entrance and dialogues with the historic interiors, while ensuring functionality, proper lighting and long-term durability.
7. Il Posto, Turin: innovative materials and solutions for contemporary languages
In the early 2000s, with the Il Posto restaurant in central Turin, designed by UDA studio, Groppo tackled then-innovative materials and solutions, such as Corian, polished and satin steel, backlit mirrors and Bencore. The project’s complexity became a testing ground for a company capable of integrating new technologies without sacrificing the rigour of custom craftsmanship.
8. Groppo for Eataly: a new (aesthetic and functional) way of telling the story of food
With the first Eataly locations (Turin and Monticello d’Alba, later Bologna, Rome and Tokyo), Groppo Arredamenti contributed to defining a new way of experiencing spaces dedicated to Italian food. Clear pathways, thematic areas and integrated furnishing solutions enhance product, storytelling and the purchasing experience, becoming a model replicated in various international contexts.
9. Mirazur, French Riviera: Groppo’s savoir-faire for Michelin-starred restaurants
The Mirazur restaurant, by three-Michelin-star chef Mauro Colagreco on the French Riviera, is undoubtedly one of the projects that best embodies the company’s philosophy, fully expressing Groppo’s savoir-faire. A precise and refined work for a constantly evolving venue, carried out through continuous updates and transformations, demonstrating the ability to operate in top-level international contexts.
Design choices and furnishings were developed taking into account the large windows and the surrounding sea view, creating spaces that dialogue with the landscape and natural light, from daytime to more intimate evening atmospheres. The wooden tables with pronounced grain, the upholstered seating and the metal structures create a balance between material warmth, comfort and formal clarity, consistent with the restaurant’s cuisine.
The layout of the tables, seating proportions and finishes are designed to ensure visual privacy, smooth circulation and privileged views of the exterior from every position. Groppo’s work thus combines technical precision and attention to the guest experience, demonstrating how the company interprets excellence where architecture, landscape and interior design become a single narrative.
10. The beaches of Cannes: beyond food, complex turnkey projects
Between 2018 and 2025, in Cannes, between the Croisette and Boulevard du Midi, Groppo created eight beach facilities, handling not only furnishings but also metal structures, glazing and construction components. A new phase for the company, now highly experienced in the management of complex outdoor spaces, confirming its evolution towards integrated solutions for hospitality, beach facilities and tourism structures.
Groppo Arredamenti today: custom furnishings for food & wine, retail, offices, hospitality and private clients
Eighty years of activity cannot be summed up in ten projects, however emblematic. Those presented here are only a trace, a line connecting different eras and showing how Groppo has interpreted the languages of its time without losing its core identity.
Alongside these icons, there are hundreds of bars, delicatessens, restaurants, shops, offices, hotels and private spaces completed in Italy and abroad, equally central to the company’s history. Each time, the starting point is the same: listening, designing, producing, installing and supporting the client over time (click here to discover more Groppo Arredamenti projects).
Looking at these first eighty years, Groppo does not live on nostalgia, but on continuity: the same craftsmanship, the same attention to detail and relationships that guided past projects are what will shape those to come.
