Think globally act locally: Porro presents the Shanghai store designed by Kevin Hsu

10.12.20

China’s “manifesto” showroom of the Italian brand renovated by the prestigious Chinese firm KRT Architecture.
Porro closes 2020 looking to the East. Three years after the official opening of its Shanghai monobrand store in partnership with Fuyicasa, the historic Italian design brand has completely renovated its “manifesto” showroom in China, entrusting the architectural design project to Asian architect and interior designer Kevin Hsu.


Kevin Hsu is design director and partner of one of Shanghai’s most influential design firms, KRT Architecture, known for its approach that blends design, local culture, attention to detail and excellent craftsmanship; he designed the new layout together with Porro, reinterpreting the home concept with a taste and a style that are very close to the Asian public.

At the entrance, visitors are welcomed in the area dedicated to Storage, Porro’s wardrobe and dressing-room system by Piero Lissoni + Porro Research Centre, which epitomizes the quintessence of the brand’s customisation possibilities and is its best-seller on the market. Here the company’s bespoke service materialises not only in the ingenious and innovative space solutions and in the accuracy of door and interior finishes, but also in the streamlining and optimisation of interior space so that the objects stored – your preferred shirts, clothes and accessories - are not only protected and in perfect order but also displayed and enhanced, with an obsessive care for hidden details that makes Porro’s wardrobe different from all the others – a world apart.

With a graphic timeline showing the values, milestones, icons and protagonists that have characterised Porro’s history for 95 years, an office space with an industrial and contemporary charm focuses on the plain and sculptural shapes of Piero Lissoni’s Metallico table in burnished brass with an extraordinary textured look and feel. Around it, the Neve chairs by Piero Lissoni in black stained ash wood. Rational and organised, the System bookcase by Piero Lissoni + Porro Research Centre in black-stained hemlock shows the entire set of options at Porro: an incredible selection of finishes to embellish any environment.

A lighted tunnel marked by wooden beams and uprights and red painted ceilings leads to the second part of the showroom, in a museum-like itinerary where some Porro’s signature products are displayed, like the Shahan coffee table and the Jade armchair by Christophe Pillet, featuring a crossed wood supporting structure on which the leather seat harmoniously lies, the Gap hanging bookcase by Carlo Tamborini in grigio piombo and rosso cina and the Ipercolore chest of drawers by Piero Lissoni, boasting a fine contrast between the black-stained hemlock frame and rigorous fronts and the top and side panels brightly lacquered in shades ranging from orange to red.

In the living area, featuring Palladio coffee tables and Kite Sofas and armchairs by GamFratesi, a Modern + Load-it composition by Piero Lissoni and Wolfgang Tolk focuses on the delicate visual effect provided by the wall panels in natural canneté textures..On the wall, the System bookcase in eucalyptus is an unconventional architectural presence, running from floor to ceiling and promoting different uses.

In the dining room, the eye is caught by the purity of the Materic table by Piero Lissoni, with a thin round top in Calacatta oro marble with a tapered base in solid black-stained ash. A Modern floor-to-ceiling composition by Piero Lissoni + Porro Research Centre for the dining area plays with the emptying of its central part featuring a marble shelf.The Gallery Low Cupboard by Gabriele and Oscar Buratti adds to the fascination of the room, with its Calacatta oro marble top. A plain, rational architectural volume closed by a single pale moon door, which slides downwards to reveal a sand lacquered interior with a mirrored back panel, suitable for storing dishes and as a bar cabinet.

In the bedroom, slightly suspended with its welcoming and inviting shape, the Makura bed by Piero Lissoni is proposed in coarse woven natural linen.
A symbol of relaxation, Traveller is an elegant daybed by GamFratesi with a black painted metal trestle, where the back support is ensured by side backrests on which “saddle-like” leather is stretched.
Finally, the Boutique Mast dressing room is back but in the “night” version, with burnished brass tubes and hangers, a large side mirror and Modern cabinets and shelves in eucalyptus, highlighting its great visual lightness and expressive freedom.

A dining room with a strong character features the Jeff table by Gabriele and Oscar Buratti with tabletop in solid chestnut and curvilinear, glossy blue steel bases alongside the Voyage chairs by GamFratesi with black-stained maple frame and tightly-fitted leather covering, skilfully cut and sewn.
A Storage Battente seasonal wardrobe with eucalyptus frame features compartments closed by powder blue glossy lacquered doors, with the new Block metal handle painted in the same colour as the doors, alongside a glass cabinet and the new Bento open box: 2 signs, a horizontal and a vertical one, which break the continuity of the coloured surface.

SHANGHAI FUYI BUILDING MATERIALS CO.,LTD
Room 3037, CIMEN International Brand Center. No.407 Yishan Rd, Xuhui District, Shanghai.
Tel: +86 21 64388127 Email: tony@fuyicasa.com
Opening hours: 09:30-18:30