Made in Italy by Carmelodelia

Vialino Ltd. is the company behind Carmelodelia, originally Carmelo Delia (1890) and Sons, and Karen Spiteri is one of the three directors running this family business. Her journey parallels that of Carmelodelia, which has established itself as a key player in imported furniture supply and retail over the years. In fact, it was among the first to start catering for the increasing demand for readymade furniture.

Notwithstanding its long and varied history, the company’s values—its dedication to quality, practicality, and excellent service—remain unchanged.

Carmelodelia is synonymous with several lines by Gruppo LUBE, for which it is the exclusive agent in Malta and Gozo and has been so for over twenty-two years. “I’m very proud to be representing LUBE for various reasons,” Karen states, highlighting how the brand combines finesse with flexibility and quality with hard-wearing practicality in both its design and manufacture. Carmelodelia runs two kitchen lines by LUBE, with Cucine LUBE representing the high-end kitchens LUBE’s reputation rests on, and the more recently introduced CREO Kitchens aiming to widen the range of kitchens LUBE offers, appealing to buyers across all other market sectors. In this manner, the more affordable CREO line still enjoys the high quality of all LUBE products, and in this manner, as Karen states, “Quality is never compromised.”

Cucine LUBE is a veritable ‘Made in Italy’ product which is conceptualised, designed, manufactured, and assembled in the heart of Italy. Its broad and customisable range makes it “difficult to choose,” according to Karen, but even more “difficult to refuse”. It offers flexible and customised design that never compromises the end result.

Karen explains that she especially likes the brand for its practicality and adaptability: “I very rarely see a plan which we cannot confidently cater for.” It is especially useful for the local clientele to have customisable solutions for common design problems. For example, Cucine LUBE allows Carmelodelia designers to tackle non-right angles – a regular issue with local plots – without doing so at the expense of storage space.

It is especially useful … to have customisable solutions for common design problems

The secret behind Cucine LUBE holding the title for the number-one kitchen brand in Italy for the last few years is its dedication to high standards, which also means it is cautious about its environmental impact. Karen asserts that LUBE is 100% ecological; its cabinet carcasses are produced from higher grade laminate to ensure the lowest possible emissions across all its lines and its factories are powered by solar technology to uphold its environmental responsibilities even at the manufacturing stage.

Worktop surfaces are also available at Carmelodelia. Its durable and high-quality quartz, ceramic and laminate ranges – which start at medium-range – are produced by LUBE and proudly delivered and installed by Vialino. The provision of surfaces benefits clients in terms of quality control, competitive price points, and shorter delivery and installation timeframes, although Vialino also accommodates clients who wish to source their surfaces from elsewhere. Moreover, Carmelodelia enjoys the logistical advantages of LUBE, which produce 400 kitchens a day, when supplying clients who may be largescale developers.

In addition to kitchens, Carmelodelia supplies bedroom furniture by GRUPPO LUBE’s Faer Ambienti, which, in keeping with LUBE’s penchant for variety, runs two collections to serve the different ends of the market spectrum. While Myflexy is especially suited to simpler main bedrooms and spare bedrooms, the high-end Atelier Notte collection focuses on rather more complex, artistically compelling elements completing their bedrooms.

With so many options available, the designers at Carmelodelia are able to use LUBE’s design and quotation software to pick and choose – as well as customise and modify – the right pieces from the right collection in order to meet their client’s needs and budget. Because Carmelodelia enjoys a very strong working relationship with LUBE, it is also able to tap into their resources and expertise where needed, and Karen explains that they are always available to help.

LoiudiceD only works with European leather suppliers to guarantee the best quality

Vialino also works with another Italian brand, LoiudiceD, a family-run business outside Bari that owes its brand name to the family surname. Providing for a mediumto high-end market, LoiudiceD produces all kinds of sofas but specialises in attractive sofabeds that are comfortable – crucially – as both sofas and beds, with durable memoryfoam mattresses that are nonetheless easy to change.

Such products are particularly in demand locally when furnishing studio flats and spare bedrooms. When compared to its market competitors, this brand has a price and performance advantage, offering the client greater value for money as a result. LoiudiceD is perfectly attuned to its customer’s comfort, as is evidenced by its highstandard recliners and the battery pack offer they come with for areas with no easily accessible electricity point. As with LUBE, Karen praises LoiudiceD for its products’ quality and practicality, explaining that, in addition to the vast range of materials, fabrics, and colours, it also offers its sofas in Aquaclean, which allows for the easy removal of stains.

Karen is also ready to guide her clients in choosing the right type of leather for their sofas, talking them through the different grades and articles of leather, from grainy to satin or embossed finishes that appeal to different tastes, purposes, and degrees of affordability. She adds that LoiudiceD only works with European leather suppliers to guarantee the best quality and conform to European-standard rearing and slaughter regulations.

Moreover, she emphasises the superiority of European leather, which is softer and suppler because of its wetter climate, as opposed to the stiff and brittle leather produced in drier countries. LoiudiceD is meticulously careful about its leather supply, which is why it has made it to Carmelodelia’s showroom, and Karen and her team are just as rigorous about choosing which brands they collaborate with. She acknowledges that while the brands at Carmelodelia might adapt over the years, its commitment to quality will always be a mainstay.

My interest was always people

It was in 1999 when Karen, at the tender age of twenty, started her career in furniture. This was also when Carmelodelia started working under the auspices of the Bigbon Group, which had itself just ventured into furniture retail. “I was always enthusiastic when it came to selling,” Karen states, and her passion for customer care stands out, especially given how contemporary customers have become more informed and demanding about their consumer needs. “My interest was always people,” she adds, and she is careful about maintaining good relationships with not just her clients but also with her colleagues and employees.

Just like Carmelodelia has enjoyed a long partnership with LUBE, Karen has enjoyed working with colleagues who have been with her since the very beginning and have remained devoted to the company ever since. She recalls how she and her small but enthusiastic team had travelled to Italy in the early days of their business to learn more about the industry. The rest is history, and the experience they have accumulated over the years now translates into a professional and high-quality service.

Carmelodelia started by refurbishing their Birkirkara showroom to receive the Cucine LUBE line – a decision which served to usher in the company’s investment in furniture. The infrastructure was already there for the business to improve and expand – at the cost of the organisation, Karen adds, but never at the client’s expense.

In the early months, Carmelodelia, still green, benefited from LUBE’s help and guidance, which helped it gain a firm footing in the industry it would then prove to be so successful in. After operating for a number of years under the Bigbon Group, Carmelodelia relocated to its Gzira showroom to focus more on kitchens, before reopening in Birkirkara in the early 2000s to showcase a different collection from the LUBE house.. Their Valley Road showroom eventually became their main hub, and the company’s 2009 consolidation saved their clients’ time since they could now shop for everything under one roof.

By 2012, Karen, her siblings – Mario Gauci and Simone Zammit Gauci – and her husband, Luke Spiteri, took the unanimous decision to set up Vialino and become its directors. While the move towards gaining autonomy from Bigbon was difficult, their bold decision and vision have paid off. Karen emphasises how the family took the decision together, saying “I value the family concept tremendously and we pull the rope together.”

I value the family concept tremendously and we pull the rope together

Their departure from Bigbon was amicable, and, Karen believes, it was the right move for both companies to be able to consolidate their focus and positions. Despite the change, she states that her responsibilities have not altered much since her time with Bigbon.

While Karen focuses on sales and marketing, Mario is the financial controller, and Luke is the after-sales director. Simone, on the other hand, liaises between the different departments to ensure synergy, with her role being as varied as it is indispensable. Karen still treasures her good relationship with her staff, and Simone, nowadays, is also working more closely with the staff to address their day-to-day issues and queries. The two sisters are always there for their team of thirty-five – the size of the team reflects how far the company has evolved, handle design, consultation, sales, and aftersales all; internally.

The company also has its in-house delivery staff, although it sometimes uses third-party services, at the company’s own cost, to avoid delayed deliveries that would disappoint their clients. Its subcontractees too are carefully selected, as the company only works with people it knows it can trust and who receive consistently positive feedback.

In addition to homemakers and developers, it also has architects and designers among its returning clients, and Karen welcomes the opportunity to work with yet more professionals in the industry because she is confident in her products and services. “We always try to top the quality and design with impeccable service,” Karen explains. Whoever the client may be, they can rely on the company to meet and surpass their expectations.

Since starting from scratch over twenty years ago, Carmelodelia has come a long way, and Karen fondly recalls her uncle’s words when he first introduced her to the furniture retail industry: “If you have the will, there will surely be a way.”

Whoever the client may be, they can rely on the company to meet and surpass their expectations

The company does not currently have any intentions of broadening its range of products; the reason behind its reluctance is simple. Carmelodelia would prefer to keep concentrating on its line of expertise, which is the supply of great quality, and practical yet exquisite quality furniture for kitchens and dining rooms, living rooms and bedrooms – those quintessential spaces that turn a house into a home; made more so thanks to Carmelodelia and its worldrenowned houses it so proudly and meticulously represents.