A benchmark of Italian design since 1925, Porro was selected to bring character and identity to the renovation of journalist Chris Force’s loft in Chicago, a project curated by the studio PROjECT Interiors. At the heart of the space stands a signature piece from the Brianza-based brand, embodying formal elegance, material strength, and functional clarity: the Materic Ovale table, the true protagonist of the living area.
Chris Force, editor-in-chief of Sixtysix magazine, is a key figure in the American editorial and creative scene. Always in search of objects and environments with deep meaning, he envisioned the renovation of his loft as a personal and expressive project. The residence is located in Printers Row, the former publishing district in Chicago’s historic downtown, inside an industrial building designed in 1916 by George C. Nimmons. For Force, whose career has always been rooted in print, living in this space was a symbolic gesture—a return to his origins, yet with a vision firmly set on the future. Almost 15 years after the initial move, Chris Force’s loft has grown alongside him, evolving from a wall-less blank canvas into a warm, functional, and meaningful home. Whether it’s for hosting, working, or enjoying a quiet evening with family, every corner is designed to embrace the life that unfolds within it. A project that reveals how personal identity can be reflected in the way we inhabit space and where design, like that of Porro, becomes the visible form of a conscious and authentic choice.
At the heart of the living area, the Materic Ovale table by Piero Lissoni for Porro perfectly embodies the tension between past and present. Featuring a black stained ash top and a burnished brass base, the piece stands out for its sculptural presence and its balance between essential design and material richness. Generous and solid, it comfortably seats 10 to 12 people and becomes the focal point of daily life: a place to share, work, and live. “It’s from the Italian company Porro, and in my opinion no one makes a better table”, says Force. “The craftsmanship is unbelievable.” Porro’s continuous research into materials, craftsmanship, and forms capable of generating emotion is expressed here through Materic, a project conceived in 2017 by Piero Lissoni with the intention of exploring the versatility of matter through elementary geometries. The oval version of this iconic table is characterized by the contrast between the elliptical top and the truncated cone base, in a sculptural balance that captures the eye with discretion. Materic Ovale is available in a monofinish version with both top and base in brushed solid ash, accompanied by precious finishes for the base in satin stainless steel or brushed brass, both of which can be combined with any of the available top finishes. A silent object, marked by visual harmony, poetically minimal, that vibrates in the space, enchanting through the delicate nuances of nature and the balance of its proportions.

PROJECT SHEET
Destination: Chris Force’s loft.
Location: Printers Row, Chicago.
Year of completion: 2025. Client: Chris Force.
Interior Design: PROjECT Interiors.
Home Builder: Chavez Carpentry.
Porro Products: Materic Ovale table with black stained ash top and burnished brass base.
Photography credits: Sixtysix (ph Daniel Peter).

https://projectinteriors.com/