Maria Porro wears many hats in the design industry, acting as President of Assarredo since being unanimously elected in September 2020, as well as Director of Marketing and Communication at Porro S.p.A., an old-established Italian design brand, set up by her great-grandfather Giulio in 1925. She joined the company permanently in 2014, with responsibility for bolstering the company’s international trade network and strengthening its communication strategies, before taking on her current role, with sustainable development very much to the forefront. Maria has always maintained strong ties to the family firm and the design world, collaborating with her father, Lorenzo Porro, and with the Lissoni Associati studio in particular, in the field of stylistic research and new product development, and personally overseeing the company’s presentations at the Salone del Mobile. Additionally, in 2021, she became the President of Salone del Mobile.Milano design fair, which will hold its 64th edition April 8th – 13th of this year. Learn more about Maria and Salone del Mobile in today’s Maker Monday.
Salone del Mobile 2025 sets the stage for the future of design, with over 2,000 brands and creatives transforming Milan into a global design capital.
Andrew Joseph: Can you describe your design philosophy in three words
Maria Porro: Quality, innovative, sustainable
AJ: Can you tell us about a design trend you are excited about?
MP: I do not like to speak about trends because I prefer designs that transcend them and remain relevant, functional, and aesthetically pleasing across generations. However, there is a trend that I believe should not be a trend: sustainability. In a world that is collapsing, where the climate has changed so drastically, sustainable design is essential. Sustainability is a driver in the search for new aesthetic and technological solutions. Issues such as regeneration, reuse, circularity, planet-centricity, energy saving, and attention to people and communities have always stood at the heart of the Salone del Mobile.Milano’s mission, vision, and long-term strategy, ethical and transparent dealings, and people’s wellbeing. Euroluce — the biennial of lighting, which runs this year within Salone del Mobile.Milano — throughout its first International Lighting Forum, will explore different issues, including sustainability in the lighting world. The first masterclass in the program will host, in fact, the Solar Designer Marjan van Aubel, who has always observed sunlight and wondered how this form of democratic energy could be used widely.
From sculptural furniture to sustainable materials, this year’s launches pushed the boundaries of form and function — redefining how we live with design.
AJ: Can you describe a part of this year’s Salone del Mobile.Milano that you’re particularly proud of/excited about?
MP: I cannot mention only one project because the ones we propose this year are all dear to me, like children for a mother. I can group all of them under the umbrella title of Cultural Program. Salone, this year more than ever, is a cultural laboratory that attracts international creative talents and addresses a wide audience. Business and culture is the formula that Salone del Mobile.Milano has developed over the years, combining the purely commercial offer with cultural proposals of strong visual impact and high-quality value. A formula that has proven to be absolutely successful for all those who have lived and live as protagonists in the world of design.
Salone will present four major artistic installations — two at Salone and two downtown Milan signed by renowned figures of the international cultural panorama like visual artist Robert Wilson, interior designer Pierre-Yves Rochon, Oscar winner Paolo Sorrentino and British artist Es Devlin — and a palimpsest of talks, masterclasses and workshops related to light and cross-cultural topics with names like Lesley Lokko, Stefano Mancuso, Valeria Segovia, Rogier van der Heide, Kaoru Mende to name a few, which will take place at the fairground in Rho.
AJ: What was the last book you read and how did it inspire you?
MP: This year, Salone will have a rich cultural program: Drafting Futures: Conversations about Next Perspectives, a four-day conversation on projects and visions, plus two round tables on business opportunities. There will be many incredible speakers, including: Lesley Lokko Architect, Curator of the 18th International Architecture Exhibition of Biennale di Venezia, Founder of the African Futures Institute; the Oscar-winning filmmaker Paolo Sorrentino; Valeria Segovia, Principal, Design Director Gensler London. There will also be Bjarke Ingles, the acclaimed Danish architect. Which is why I picked out his book BIG. Yes is More. An Archicomic on Architectural Evolution, out of my library recently. The desire to read this radical manifesto again is linked to the idea of seeing things with a fresh look and new eyes. The volume is an atypical architectural monograph because it uses the comic book format to express his groundbreaking agenda for contemporary architecture.
Design spills into the streets during Fuorisalone, as Milan’s showrooms, galleries, and pop-ups bring immersive installations and unexpected moments to life.
AJ: What is your favorite place to find inspiration?
MP: My favorite places are theatres. I studied scenography and this explains it. I adore La Scala, for instance, where this year, for the fifth year, we will celebrate the official opening of Salone with Robert Wilson and his The Night Before. Object Chairs Opera, a journey through some of the most famous pieces of operatic repertoire that he has directed over the years. Another of my favorite theatres is Piccolo Teatro, an international cultural institution which hosts theatre directors like Giorgio Strehler, Luca Ronconi, or scenographers like Margherita Palli- who was chosen this year by Paolo Sorrentino as a set designer for his installation La dolce attesa, one of the side cultural events of Salone del Mobile.Milano in pavilions 22-24, which is a metaphor for existence. Piccolo Teatro has also hosted many Salone Press Conferences and the presentation of the “Milan Design (Eco) System”, a research project conducted under the scientific supervision of Politecnico di Milano, offering a prototype analysis of the impact of an event that is unique worldwide: Milano Design Week, of which the Salone is an international catalyst, together with the increasingly full agenda of events that transforms the city into a global stage in April.
AJ: What is your favorite aspect of your job?
MP: Aside from working in a team because it brings so much energy, I like the opportunity to preview the SaloneSatellite, the international platform of under 35 designers. A place of great energy, too. Founded in 1998 by Marva Griffin Wilshire and curated by her to provide space, visibility, and professional opportunities, this 26th edition looks at both the past and the future of design, celebrating the meeting of tradition and innovation, exploring the potential of craft processes and materials to interpret contemporary cultural, digital, ecological and social transformations. The theme NUOVO ARTIGIANATO: UN MONDO NUOVO//NEW CRAFTSMANSHIP: A NEW WORLD, activates a bridge between heritage and contemporary vision, fundamental for preserving and reinventing craft practices, ensuring their relevance in the modern world.
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