ESTEL GROUP is an Italian office furniture manufacturer. The company was founded in 1937 by Alfredo Stella as Mobili Panforte Stella in the Province of Vicenza, Veneto. The name ESTEL is an acronym for "Estensibile Stella" — derived in the 1960s in connection with the patented sliding wardrobe system that made the company famous across Italy. Until the late 1970s, ESTEL produced exclusively residential furniture. The office furniture division was founded in 1980. Within less than ten years, ESTEL became the market leader for office furniture in Italy. The company is today led by President Alberto Stella (second generation) and his sons Massimo and Matteo (third generation). Two production plants in Thiene, Vicenza, with a combined 70,000 m² and over 300 employees; all products are Made in Italy.
The range covers executive and operational office furniture, seating, partitions, acoustic solutions and the Italian Smart Office concept (since 2015: Activity Based Working, Phone Booths, Collaborative Rooms). Between 2000 and 2007, ESTEL acquired the sub-brands Frighetto (luxury upholstered furniture), Deko (auditoriums and public spaces) and Arte & Cuoio (luxury leather objects). Design partnerships: Oscar Niemeyer (table, 1985), Jorge Pensi, Karim Rashid, Ross Lovegrove, Patrick Norguet, Alessandro Scandurra, Ora Ito, Enzo Mari and Cini Boeri. Reference clients: Intesa SanPaolo, BNL, Allianz, Lavazza, Gucci, FC Internazionale, AccorHotels and W Hotel.
ESTEL is the historically established market leader in Italian office furniture — with nearly 90 years of company history, a fully integrated production network and a design partnership list spanning from Oscar Niemeyer to the present day.