The luxury Italian brand Porro was founded in 1925 in Brianza and, since them, has established themselves as one of the top traditional Italian cradles of production of quality furniture. At Salone del Mobile 2018, Porro showcased a new stunning and amazing collection of products but still managed to bring to Milan their most famous products!
For over 90 years, Porro has been the representative of a furnishing philosophy that combines the artisanal work of yesteryear with the most advanced production and IT technologies of today, yielding a product with an industrial soul that does not forego the uniqueness of a custom made object. They presented themselves at ISaloni 2018.
Specialized in modular systems for nighttime areas and daytime environments, accompanied by collections of beds, containers, bookshelves, chairs, tables and accessories, Porro has always been known for its furnishings distinguished by a highly select mix of finishing with clean lines and impeccable details, sewn like a tailor-made suit according to the customers’ wishes.
The natural propensity of Porro to make a “bespoke” product becomes “structural” by virtue of the technological innovation of its production processes. Thanks to significant investments supported by the recent regulations on the evolution toward industry 4.0, the first stage of new plant which replaces the production of standard size panels with a just in time production of panels based on a customer’s order will be online at the end of March 2018. This is a historic change with which Porro has resolved to face the challenges of our time using a lean, sustainable growth approach, going beyond the rigid confines of traditional production to respond in a rapid, flexible manner to the needs of an ever more dynamic and complex market.
This journey of simplification and personalization permeates each phase of the history of a Porro furnishing, from the initial design in collaboration with the best international designers (Gabriele and Oscar Buratti, Serena Confalonieri, GamFratesi, Piero Lissoni and the Carlo Tamborini are the names involved with the 2018 collection), to the selection of raw materials, through manufacturing and finishing, not to mention the placement into production and aftersales service entrusted to a carefully chosen network of international partners, keeping the goal of the highest possible quality firmly in mind.
Let’s discuss new products! An unusual softness distinguishes the 2018 novelty settings thanks to the new sofas, which are included in the catalogue for the first time, demonstrating the brand’s ability to move freely among different types of pieces maintaining the same constant theme that links its systems and products: the geometric nature of the shapes, know-how in the workmanship of the materials, and scrupulous attention to detail.
Suitable for large spaces, the new Curry sofa by Piero Lissoni unquestionably belongs to the Porro imaginarium given its solid wood frame, transporting one to the Orient at the same time. The Lissonian proportions, which have been intentionally exaggerated, and the pleasantly distorted shape create an asymmetrical chair that opens itself up to new forms of relaxation. With its sculptural silhouette and a strong graphical impact that vibrates in space, Curry enchants with the precious workmanship of its woven straw back: an industrial furnishing with an artisanal flavor that gives expression to the various creative languages of our time.
New convenience and expressive possibilities are brought to the dining room by the Frank chair by Piero Lissoni, freely inspired by Scandinavian furniture. Its design unites 3 distinct elements in a harmonious indissoluble whole: the soft, enveloping shell-shaped back, the solid, robust metal structure that gains momentum thanks to the variable section of the leg, which is the first circular and then square to support more firmly, and the high thickness of the seat with elastic straps, providing superior comfort.
The new Ryoba table by Piero Lissoni pays homage to the naturalness of materials and the beauty of imperfection, with a drawn brass tube frame and top in European cherry wood. The very thick triangular legs create an easel on which the substantial top rests: 3 solid wood boards, each slightly different from the other, simply assembled without glue with a subtle tapering. The Franciscan proportions of the table, which is narrow and long to respect the natural size of the trunks, invite to a new intimate conviviality, while the exposed cracks and tiled knots underscore the poetry of this beautiful traditional wood which takes on a new life and becomes contemporary.
The Italian-Danish creative couple GamFratesi confirm their importance in the Porro’s catalog with their essential yet strong proposals. A natural evolution of the eponymous armchair, Kite Sofa is a reassuring element in a living environment with its plastic shape resembling a seashell. With its large, compact outline, Kite Sofa unveils its refined details to a keen eye: balanced thicknesses, accurate proportions and the elegant curve of the tubular structure that encircles its internal padding, resembling an haute couture coat with a raised collar, make it a contemporary design item that does not do without artisan finishes and vintage touches, intended for a house suspended through time and style. The quality of the materials and the love of geometry also guide the project of the Palladio coffee tables created in 6 marbles selected by Porro for its own catalog. Available in 3 different models – circular, rectangular, or trapezoidal – with a base made of brass pipe with an unusual striated texture which reinterprets the decorative contours of tradition in a contemporary manner, these coffee tables can live by themselves or be placed together in a space to create free compositions or evocative inlaid designs in an interplay of shapes and colors.
The brothers Gabriele and Oscar Buratti continue their journey at the side of Porro. The new Jeff table follows the fascination of the reaction between mirrored surfaces, an intriguing theme typical of diverse contemporary artistic paths alternating between minimalism and maximalism. The streamlined surface in solid chestnut appears to be suspended upon 2 central metallic bases whose unusual geometry, an open half curve which is as thin as a piece of paper made of polished blue pigmented steel, is finished by hand, triggering reflective effects which mutate continuously.
With his original interpretation of daily objects, Carlo Tamborini starts his collaboration with Porro from the Gap hanging bookcase. A sculpture-inspired object, it is composed of a backdrop, shelves and an external metal frame: a strong aesthetic item which simultaneously acts as a bookend and as a source of light, thanks to the LED strip which runs along its perimeter. A bookcase that develops vertically, ideal for passageways like entrances, bathrooms, kitchens, it is also a great solution to scenically light up all the parts of a house, choosing between 2 precious metallic finishes: rosso antico and grigio piombo.
Finally, material research rethinks some Porro’s icons with sophisticated details: from the new millerighe canneté wooden finishing for the Load-it bookshelf which dematerializes the boundaries of each of the panels giving life to a single enchanting 3D surface, to the new wooden tray shelves with lacquered interiors and the new Black Sugi melamine with pronounced veining for the Ex-Libris glass cabinet baseboards, up to the new candid conjugation of the Materic table, with its natural sandblasted ash base and calacatta oro marble top: the keyword is a design consisting of memory and artisanal values whose classic and modern elements confront each other in harmony. That’s what they passed by at ISaloni 2018.
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