Zest for life

Under the leadership of forward-thinking, fourth generation family member Maria Porro, Italian furniture brand Porro has an exciting and innovative future

- MARIA CRISTINA DIDERO

Porro is a brand that has been ingrained in the Italian design industry for nearly a century. Founded in 1925 by Giulio Porro in Brianza, the company has since been passed down through generations, always keeping its focus on innovation and craftsmanship. Giulio’s great-granddaughter, Maria Porro, is now its marketing and communications director, leading the company into the future with a bold vision for design and sustainability. In 2021, Porro was also appointed president of Salone del Mobile, a historic moment as she became the first woman to hold this position at the Milanese fair, a place she used to visit as a child. As a pioneering figure, she embodies a new wave of design industry leaders dedicated to promoting values of diversity, inclusiveness and sustainability.

Under Maria Porro’s leadership, Porro continues to excel in the design world, with numerous prestigious collaborations, exhibitions and awards to its name. Her vision for the company is to create designs that are not only innovative and functional but also, and most of all, sustainable, eco-friendly and environmentally responsible. One of the most exciting and recent developments for the firm is the upcoming unveiling of its new Milan showroom on Via Visconti di Modrone, after 18 years in Via Durini. ‘My father discovered Via Durini. I was with him. [The space] was a hair salon. At the time, nobody could believe it could become our representative store,’ says Porro.