Warmth, materiality, tradition, experimentation, research, personalization. For Porro, wood is a natural attitude, a long-standing passion, an elective affinity, which is consecrated on the occasion of the Salone del Mobile 2014 both in the fair set up and in the installation curated by Piero Lissoni within the Porro Showroom at via Durini 15.
In fact the brand, known throughout the world for the very high quality of its systems and its own collections, stands out for its innate capacity to select, manipulate, and interpret wood, offering a particularly broad range of finishes. The Italian company was the first one to introduce with success in its collection an expressive finishing such as Mongoi, also adopted in a widespread manner by other entreprises, and continues on a continuous, constant path of study of the chromatic declinations of wood. The extralight stains and the rough texture of Hemlock, evoking refined Nordic interiors, as opposed to the dark notes and smooth surface of Eucalyptus, for a warm and enveloping environment, are only some of the essences added over the years to the Porro sample collection: a precious material palette which this year will be enriched with new offerings such as National Walnut, heat treated Elm, Canaletto Walnut, original essences of the unique aesthetic and technical qualities which have been selected to obtain the spatial effect and the sensations desired in each setting.
The unique skills with materials also translate to the ability to articulate it in an always-new manner, calling upon the most recent technologies for glossy and matt lacquers, or rather rediscovering prized manufacturing techniques from the past. Traditions which are reinterpreted in a modern and abstract vision such as the curved wood for the Gentle chair combined with the leather that softens it, the inlay of the Inlay containers translated into lively material patterns, the matching of wooden rods in the Mikado chest, slanted and staggered to let the interior peek through, three of the projects created by the company together with the Swedish Front designers with the goal of reconciling the seriality of production with the uniqueness of a handmade piece.
Starting from this richness—which already is the patrimony of the company—Porro is working to offer its customers an ever broader range of wood personalizations, introducing an almost sartorial approach to the product, a made-to-order service which will allow the customer to use the essences at will, not only on systems but also in part of the collection to articulate the product in a unique manner according to one’s own taste.
This savoir-faire filters through in a conceptual manner in the “Woodenland” installation by Piero Lissoni in the Porro duriniquindici showroom: a path-itinerary where the regular grid of the System bookcase is transformed into a natural labyrinth engaged in the discovery of diverse essences and manufacturing techniques. A file rouge will accompany the visitor, helping to orient him- or herself through the finishes.
Woodenland, installation by Lissoni 2014
The new Porro wood creations will be presented at the Salone del Mobile fair display.
Among these are Loop Mirror, the poetic oval mirror designed by the Front designers who celebrate their sixth year of collaboration with the company. With their visionary look, the delicate feminine touch and the capacity to envision new uses of the material, the designers knot its wooden frame to create a loop, a protruding shelf which becomes a refined decorative detail tracing in the space the symbol of infinity. A contemporary reinterpretation of the art of wood carving, Loop Mirror is a true wooden sculpture, a precious object in which one can reflect oneself and which one can contemplate, rendered unique by the small imperfections of handcrafting which lends it value. Cultured inspirations, arts&crafts influences, the magic of the impossible, a play of infinite distortions and reflexes for a product which recalls slower rhythms outside time, involving the senses and the sentiments.
Salone Internazionale del Mobile
PAD 7 STAND D15-E18
Installation: Piero Lissoni