The new layout of the Lema showroom, inside the corporate headquarters at Alzate Brianza, plays with volumes, light and history. The project is by Piero Lissoni, art director of the company since 1994, and it is organized on two levels.
The space has large full-height partitions to create a sequence of settings, separated but in communication with each other. The path extends through daytime and night zones, formulating an idea of the home where the furnishings have volumes that are essential and soft at the same time, while the storage elements – bookcases or entire closets – convey a ‘warm’ idea of order and efficiency.
The staircase connecting the two levels has an industrial character, attenuated by custom wooden facings. On the upper level the spaces are smaller, enhanced by the sculptural volumes of the roof (the building was designed in 1969 by Angelo Mangiarotti), which Lissoni has painted in an intense, relaxing shade of gray. Here, besides a bedroom zone with closet and a living area, there are also a selection of the seats that represent Lema best, displayed in a backlit setting, and a meeting room.
“It is a way to tell the story of the company without proclamations, but with understatement. It is the image we want to convey to the world: the combination of different cultures, thoughts, designers, narrated in a simple way,” Lissoni says. And there are truly many designers whose work can be seen in this space: Analogia Project, Chiara Andreatti, Federica Biasi, Gabriele and Oscar Buratti, Dainelli Studio, Alessandro Durini, Gordon Guillaumier, Roberto Lazzaroni, Steve Leung, Ximi Li, Johan Lindsten, David Lopez Quincoces, Norm Architects, Ludovica and Roberto Palomba, Christophe Pillet, Raw Edges, Francesco Rota, Studio Kairos. As well as Officinadesign Lema and Lissoni himself.
Angelo Meroni, president of the company, hails the project as follows: “Piero Lissoni has been able once again to update the image of our showroom, reflecting the new language of Lema with a complete restyling of the display area, where the furnishings that have made the history of our company establish a harmonious dialogue with the latest new creations. This space fully represents our idea of habitation, where architects, interior designers and clients can experience the warm, welcoming atmosphere of an ideal Lema home.” A place that can also be explored online, at the company’s website.
All photographs © Marco Reggi
