Porada: Sculpting Time in Solid Wood
Porada is an enduring voice in Italian furniture-making — an atelier where solid wood is shaped into architectural forms and flowing silhouettes. Founded in 1948 in Cabiate, Italy, this family-run business blends generational skill with a contemporary design vocabulary, creating furniture that feels both timeless and resonant.
From the sinuous loop of the Infinity table to the poised geometry of its dining chairs, every Porada piece carries a quiet authority: tactile, balanced, and made to last for decades without losing relevance. “Everything’s born from the love of wood” is more than a motto — it is the workshop’s guiding instinct, shaping each design from sapling to salon.
A Legacy in Brianza Woodcraft
Porada’s origins lie in the workshop of Luigi Allievi, whose carved wooden chairs embodied the region’s woodworking tradition. In 1968, the Allievi family adopted the name Porada, signalling a broader design ambition while preserving the integrity of its craft.
Three generations later, the atelier remains rooted in Brianza — a region long regarded as the cradle of Italian furniture-making — where access to fine timber, expert joinery, and deep cultural knowledge continue to shape its work.
Material Mastery and Sculptural Form
Porada’s signature lies in its sculptural approach to solid wood furniture. Canaletto walnut, prized for its warmth and grain, is often paired with marble, glass, or brushed metal, creating compositions that are both architectural and fluid.
Iconic pieces such as Stefano Bigi’s Infinity table exemplify this ethos: a continuous ribbon of wood engineered with millimetre precision, yet imbued with the grace of a hand-drawn curve. Dining tables, coffee tables, and armchairs emerge from the same design discipline — balancing proportion, rhythm, and tactile beauty.
Collaboration and the Porada Design Culture
Porada has built its distinguished identity through long-standing collaborations with a roster of celebrated designers and studios, including Gabriele & Oscar Buratti, Carlo Ballabio, David Dolcini, Umberto Asnago and Dainelli Studio. These relationships are founded on mutual respect for material integrity, ergonomic intelligence, and sculptural form.
Collaboration is not limited to established names. The Porada International Design Award — launched with POLI.design (the Politecnico di Milano’s design consortium) and under the aegis of ADI (Association for Industrial Design) — is an annual competition inviting designers worldwide to reimagine furniture in solid wood.
In 2024, the theme centred on beds; in 2025, the focus turns to sofas, challenging entrants to explore creativity, innovation, ergonomics, sustainability, and Porada’s signature values. Several winning concepts have gone on to influence Porada’s actual collections, unveiled at events such as Salone del Mobile and on Porada’s official website.
Sustainability as Design Integrity
For Porada, working in wood is a privilege bound by responsibility. Its Porada Forest initiative, in partnership with Treedom, plants trees across global reforestation projects, offsetting environmental impact and preserving the natural resources that inspire its designs.
This sustainable approach runs parallel to its craftsmanship: materials are selected for longevity, and finishes are developed to enhance rather than disguise the natural character of the wood.
A Global Signature of Italian Craft
Porada’s work inhabits private residences, architectural interiors, and luxury hospitality projects worldwide. In every setting, the pieces retain the intimacy of their origin: the touch of a hand-sanded edge, the balance of a precisely turned leg, the grain of walnut chosen for its unique story.
Rooted in Brianza yet fluent on the global stage, Porada continues to shape the future of luxury interiors — one timeless, sculptural form at a time.
