MILAN — As it embarks on what it calls “a new phase of development,” Orbital Design Collective poached its new chief executive officer from Italian furniture and design conglomerate Flos B&B Italia Group.
The firm formerly known as Calligaris Group said it hired Matteo Luoni, who had most recently been the CEO of lighting manufacturer Flos. Before that he served as head of strategy, business development and M&A manager from Flos B&B Italia Group. He has also served as executive vice chairman of Arclinea.
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Luoni succeeds executive officer Alexander Zschokke at Orbital Design Collective. He had held the role since 2023.
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“Luoni is tasked with leading the company into a new phase of development and strengthening its positioning in key markets within a continuously evolving and competitive global context,” the company said in a statement Tuesday.
Calligaris was founded as a small craft workshop in the northern Italian town of Manzano by Antonio Calligaris, and it celebrated its centennial in 2023. The group, which was acquired by the Alpha private equity fund in 2018, is home to its upscale Italian furnishings brands Calligaris, Ditre Italia and lighting brand Luceplan, in addition to more new-generational brands like Connubia and Fatboy. Fatboy, for example, which was acquired in 2021, was founded in 2002 in the Netherlands and is known for its signature oversize bean bag designed by Finnish interior architect Jukka Setälä.
In a move to strengthen the firm’s identity, it changed its name from Calligaris Group to Orbital Design Collective in 2023 and moved the century-old furniture maker to its own space in Milan on Via Turati 7, not far from the city’s Central Station.
Flos B&B Italia is also in the throes of a pivotal chapter.
In February 2025, WWD reported the group was entertaining informal offers for pieces of its business. According to a source, Holland, Mich.-based Haworth — which owns fellow furniture and lighting brands Poltrona Frau, Cappellini, Cassina, Janus et Cie, Luminaire, Ceccotti Collezioni, Karakter, Luxury Living Group, Interni and Zanotta — made an offer of between 800 million euros and 1 billion euros for Flos B&B Italia’s furniture division. That offer was deemed too low.
Since Piero Gandini was appointed executive chairman of the conglomerate in 2025, after veteran luxury executive Daniel Lalonde stepped down, the company has gone through a string of top executive changes. Lighting company Flos also saw its CEO Roberta Silva depart in 2024, after which time Luoni took over as deputy CEO. Kitchens brand Arclinea saw family member Gianni Fortuna step down from his CEO role. In December, B&B Italia CEO Demetrio Apolloni announced his departure on LinkedIn due to personal reasons, citing the need to dedicate himself to his family. B&B Italia has yet to name his successor.
Flos joined Design Holding in 2018 when funds Investindustrial and the Carlyle Group formed the holding company. In June 2025, its executive chairman Piero Gandini said the group was open to offers for its galaxy of brands that also includes heritage furnishing firms B&B Italia, Maxalto, Arclinea, Azucena, Audo Copenhagen and lighting firms Flos and Louis Poulsen.