Nemanja Radović, owner of ABBA design - We will soon bring to Serbia what could only be found in Italy until recently

A lot has changed in that century, but one thing hasn`t - passion and love for the profession, natural materials and constant improvement of skills. In an interview for eKapija, the owner of ABBA design, Nemanja Radović, evaluates and explains that in Serbia there has always been a market for luxury interior equipment. He also reveals what today`s clients are looking for the most, why their price is in last place, as well as what ABBA design, in cooperation with Italian partners, will soon bring to Serbia.

(Photo: Predrag Gavrilović)

eKapija: ABBA design has its origins in a small family workshop in Gruža, which made exclusive furniture for members of Serbian high society. A hundred years later, you`re still producing handcrafted furniture. How has the manufacturing process changed?

- In the light of the modernization of society, as well as technological progress, the production process itself has undergone significant changes. Of the old technologies, we have preserved only primary wood processing, while all other processes have been modernized. From a small workshop in Gruža, we have reached a large production in Belgrade. We started with a small team of skilled carpenters, which we kept, while today we also have a large team of forestry engineers, IT experts, 3D technologies, laser measuring devices, CNC machines, a large fleet... In the innovation era in which we live and work progress is inevitable. With progress come changes. However, what hasn`t changed is the passion and love for our profession, natural materials and continuous improvement of skills.

eKapija: How difficult is it to find craftsmen at a time when many are fleeing the trade?

- Exceptionally. It is certainly the biggest problem we face as an industry. The lack of interest among young people in the trade in general is felt and threatens to seriously threaten the survival of this carpentry discipline in the foreseeable future.

(Photo: Predrag Gavrilović)

eKapija: The furniture pieces you make often weigh more than 200 kg. What else is distinctive about your products?

- The production of products from massif, with old skills, conditioned the heavy pieces. As we have already mentioned, the change in technology, the representation of materials, as well as the trends in design itself, has led to changes in the dimensions, and therefore also the weight of the products. Today, we are engaged in the production of the most complicated pieces of furniture, but also entire interiors. We are proud of the skills we have inherited, but perhaps even more proud of the skills we have learned in cooperation with the biggest domestic and international design names, as well as in collaboration with large Italian companies, with whom we have cooperation. For the last 10 years, we have been actively visiting world fairs in our industry and adopting all the latest technologies, enriching the offer with new materials and successfully bringing all of that through the product to the satisfaction of our chosen clients.

(Photo: Abba design team)

- Our clientele is diverse, companies, restaurateurs, hoteliers, but I would like to point out, still mostly private clients. The dedication of our expert team of engineers, the care of every detail for and on behalf of the client, the attention and experience we devote during production, as well as the surgical precision during the most complex part of the process - assembly, bring us new clients and keep the old ones with whom we have traditionally cooperated.

We often use our showroom as a source of inspiration or presentation of products and materials to our clients, architects and designers. I think that, apart from the visual component, the tactility of the product is also important for the client. When choosing furniture, clients are primarily guided by design, then attention is paid to materials and details that enrich and decorate that piece or composition. I dare to say, at least when it comes to us and the level at which we produce furniture, that the price comes last.

(Photo: Predrag Gavrilović)

eKapija: How developed is the luxury interior equipment market in Serbia? Do you plan to expand to countries with higher paying power?

- Honestly, I think the market has always existed, only the offer was weak. My opinion is that there are enough clients for luxury interiors, it is important to have a quality product, a professional approach, respect deadlines, be available for service in the shortest possible time, and the work will come by itself. Also, we have long nurtured exports as an important source of income, and I am particularly proud of that. We successfully implement projects in America, Russia, the region and all over Europe.

eKapija: What brings your company the greatest success, a quality product, compliance with agreed deadlines or something else?

- A difficult question, everything is important, but the answer would be something else. Neither the quality, nor the deadlines, nor the product would be possible without a phenomenal team that works hard to accomplish each, often the most demanding, task. I dare to say that even I, as the leader of our company, am not as important as the hard-working professionals who actually make up ABBA design. A team of top people that has built up, matured and progressed together with the company over time is our greatest capital. My job is to channel the direction, bring the news and participate in the development. I truly admire their professionalism everyday. I look with deep respect at their will to grow together, adopt new technologies and produce furniture together that adorns some of the most luxurious interiors around the world.

(Photo: ABBA design team)

eKapija: Interior trends are constantly changing. Does this also apply to the field of luxury handmade furniture? What is the trend now?

- The experience of a top product was once closely related to the mass of wood and the skill of processing it, while today the top is in Custom interiors and pieces of furniture, the ability to combine the most diverse materials, manufacturing techniques, and finishing. We are one of the few who have inlaid metal into wood, and we are constantly perfecting new techniques.

eKapija: How do you see the company`s next 100 years?

- Ambitious as always, we dare to look so far ahead. Our priority is to open a network of retail stores, which will offer exclusively premium products. In cooperation with Italian partners, we work extensively on product development, i.e. several models of kitchens and walk-in wardrobes, I can say, at a world-class quality level. Something that until now could only be found in the leading country of design, fashion and furniture production, will soon come to Serbia for the first time, and then further through the region, expanding to the world market. In 100 years, I hope to maintain quality, further product improvement, constant market expansion, as well as permanently satisfied clients.