NEW PORRO MONOBRAND IN SEOUL

Images courtesy of Porro

Its Vision of Living and Modular Systems Together

Porro design expands its reach to the Orient and arrives in Gangnam, Seoul’s most exclusive district located on the south of the Han River, a dynamic area where the latest trends in South Korea can be found.

On the ground floor of a multi-storey building, that develops vertically like a white ribbon, the exhibition space reserved for the Italian furniture brand is inside the new You & Us multistore shop: an interior with an architectural spatiality marked by partition walls, where Porro tells its vision on living and modular systems together with collections of products define pure spaces, to be invented in everyday use.

“Here in Seoul, we have shifted the usual display concept found in our stores worldwide. For the first time, we are testing abroad what we have so far only used in our Flagship Store in Milan: a theatrical space, where the idea of home is barely outlined. We believe that the Korean public, accustomed to abstraction with a strong contemporary aesthetic, will see in this rarefied space the opportunity to shape their ideal home, through a custom-made project capable of giving voice to different tastes and cultures,”  explains Maria Porro, Marketing and Communication Director of the family company.

The dining room features the Materic table by Piero Lissoni with a calacatta green marble top and a conical base skilfully made of black stained ash. Around it, the Frank chairs by Piero Lissoni in white fabric, freely inspired by a French-styled déco, bring new comfort and expressive possibilities.

The relaxation area focuses on the superior comfort of the Jade lounge armchair by Christophe Pillet with a white leather seat, elegantly suspended on a Canaletto walnut cross-shaped base, matched with the iconic Balancing Boxes by Front, composed of a series of irregularly overlapping Tineo wooden boxes, finding a balance in the space.

Presented by Melandas Indonesia

The Gap hanging bookcases designed by Carlo Tamborini in the sophisticated rosso cina metal finish highlight their eye-striking allure the ambiance. With their strong visual impact, they act at the same time both as bookends and as a light source, thanks to the embedded LED light around their perimeter.

For a glamorous bar area, the Gallery Low Cupboard by Gabriele and Oscar Buratti is characterised by a vertically sliding door in a black river finish, which slides downwards to reveal a sand-coloured lacquered interior with a calacatta oro marble top, transforming it into a treasure chest/storage unit.

The very heart of the Porro home is the dressing room Storage, designed by Piero Lissoni + Porro Research Centre, which combines transparent compartments, fully open or closed by glass doors, with the transparent corner solution.

The structure and the metal parts, with their thin 25x25mm profile, contribute to making the composition look even lighter and allow it to perfectly match the different types of systems, coming in the cuvée finish, a sophisticated and precious colour. The back panels and fittings are instead in white cherry, a Scandinavian-inspired light finishing that mimics the cherry wood grain, softening the rosy nuance with more neutral and universal tones.

At the centre of the room, the Hub central unit with drawer by Gabriele and Oscar Buratti in white cherry wood combine the wooden drawers on one side and a Corda leather bench solution with a large drawer on the other, to sit and quietly contemplate the wardrobe, the heart of the house and a must of Porro’s offering.

Designing spaces through clear and elegant signs, defined by the rigour of the lines, the premium finishes, and the design quality: in the hallway, the Load-it bookcase with steel wall panels and shelves creates a wall-mounted boiserie. The Modern black stained ash wood desktop, transforms it into a functional home-working space, perfectly matching the Romby chair by GamFratesi, whose truncated cone base in solid ash wood, with an exquisite flared shape, is connected to a swivel upholstered seat, soft and compact, covered in red fabric.

Porro brings its very personal style to the bedroom as well. A textile bed with an intimate and compact shape, the Byron bed by Piero Lissoni consists of 3 elements: the padded bed frame slightly raised from the floor, the soft headboard cushions where you can linger reading before falling asleep, and the screen at the bottom of the bed that seems to embrace the space and protect the rest. The lines are soft, the edges rounded, with the sophisticated detail of the screen with a black stained solid ash frame that encloses a straw weave, in a balance between contemporaneity and memory. Behind the bed, the Hinged Storage closet with thick 32S doors in heat-treated oak and Oslo recessed handle made entirely of wood in an exercise of cabinet making, encases interiors in black sugi melamine with gray fabric covered backs. Next to the bed, the Lullaby armchair designed by Nicola Gallizia is an object of desire with an unusual shape that, behind its apparent simplicity, reveals sophisticated details, such as the black stained curved solid ash wood structure and the cuvée supporting foot.

On the background, through Glide Shanghai sliding partitions featuring heat-treated oak slats, the Boiserie Storage in black sugi melamine with a straw backdrop is a solution midway between the minimalism of the walk-in-closet and the wardrobe, combining interior vision and warmth of the panelling. In the middle of the room appears the Acquario glass drawer unit with burnished brass finishes, divided into 3 shelves and customizable with low-height wooden trays that leave the contents visible.

Enclosed by a C glass screen, the Boutique Mast dressing room conveys a feeling of harmony in the bedroom, featuring thin round uprights in Iron metal hosting the mirror, cantilevered shelves in black stained hemlock and an Arancio Siena lacquered open element that vibrates in a soft contrast.

The journey continues under the banner of Storage, Porro’s system of cabinets, dressing rooms, and open wardrobes, a bestseller, and emblem of Porro furniture’s customization possibilities. The Hinged Storage wardrobe features thick sabbia lacquered 32S doors with Clip handles, that enclose interiors in cenere hemlock with taupe fabric upholstery shelves.

In the living area, a large Modern hanging composition designed by Piero Lissoni + CRS Porro raised from the floor and combined with a travertine Roc board catches the eye, its dynamism arises from the nice graphic interplay of the taupe lacquered doors, contrasting with a black river, a strongly textured wood type chosen for the interiors of the glass cabinets with glass side panels that surrounds the tv module.

A pleasant conversation takes place on the Kite Sofa by GamFratesi which fits perfectly into the living space with its plastic fan shape. Wide and compact volume, Kite Sofa reveals to a careful eye its refined details: calibrated thicknesses, accurate proportions, and the elegant curvature of the tubular structure that surrounds the internal padding, a sort of coat with a raised collar of haute couture spirit. The fabric Kite armchairs are accompanied by the Ferro coffee table by Piero Lissoni with bronze finish.

Besides the Glide Shanghai partitions with a rosso antico frame, a meeting room/office with a strong character features a System bookshelf in black river with a transparent glass cabinet, with an Iron frame in the centre, to store the most valuable objects, highlighted by the new spotlights that can be freely adjusted in their position, completed by the functional ladder, giving rhythm to the space with its irregular layout.

The Metallico table by Piero Lissoni is characterized by the lightness of the top and legs, made from 12mm-thick solid aluminum, and by the particular rosso antico finishing, obtained by a catalysed high thickness painting and by following stages of polishing and waxing by hand. Next to it, are the Voyage chairs by GamFratesi with a natural or black stained maple structure and a close-fitting dress in saddle leather.

YOU&US

226, hakdong-ro, Gangnam-gu, SEOUL, 06104