Poltrona Frau Showroom

The concept for Poltrona Frau showrooms transforms the shop into an environment that invites customers to explore and experience design in a fluid, dynamic context that transcends the functional confines of the spaces, with the awareness that, in a world under continuous transformation, every place can become a domestic environment. The project also introduces a renewed visual identity, characterized by the distinctive grey-green band that envelops the façade of the points-of-purchase, a sign of recognition and visual cohesion.
Subverting the classic image of the showroom inspired by the domestic environment, the concept draws architectural elements from the world of hospitality, fashion boutiques and industrial spaces, configuring unexpected and flexible environments. The architecture creates a dialogue with the furnishings of the brand: armchairs, sofas, beds and furnishings are presented in scenographies characterized by multiple combinations of details, colours and materials, enabling them to be imagined in any context. Metal or wood grid ceilings are combined with oak or grès porcelain floors with original steel inserts, shaping a variety of atmospheres with neutral tones of white and black that are constantly reconfigurable through a system of self-supporting mobile wooden backdrops.
In the heart of the showroom is the Library, conceived as a Haute Couture studio. Here, samples of materials are exhibited on black metal bookcases, offering an interactive space to touch, explore and freely combine the various options, thereby stimulating visitors’ creativity.
The first showroom based on this concept was inaugurated in Shanghai in October 2023: a 2,000-square-metre space on three floors inside the East Hengtong Road shopping centre, in the Jing’An District, the beating heart of luxury in the Chinese megalopolis. In May 2024 there followed the showroom in New York, located on the historic Madison Avenue in an Art Déco building from the early 20^th century, with three levels and 2,000 square metres of display space. The project has also been applied in Dubai, inside the Mall of Emirates, to the Poltrona Frau showroom that opened in the first months of 2024.
The concept maintains a strong stylistic identity but is adapted to suit the locations concerned, shaping the architectural elements to emphasize the particular characteristics of the various spaces. Self-supporting staircases and ceilings with exposed fittings in the showroom in New York reflect the city’s industrial style; the large void opened up in the central area of the space in Shanghai connects up the three floors of the showroom visually, also making the environment scenographic and distinctive from the outside.