Promemoria’s new furniture takes you from London to Lake Como, with love

In the late 18th century, the poet William Wordsworth embarked on a meandering trek along the serpentine shores of Lake Como, rhapsodising about the landscape as ‘a treasure whom the earth keeps to herself’. Wordsworth was one among a cadre of Romantics – Lord Byron, Percy Bysshe Shelley, and John Keats – who travelled from England to the northern Italian region and felt compelled to immortalise its landscapes in verse.

It is against this picturesque and storied backdrop that another English artistic force, London’s David Collins Studio, best known for its meticulously designed restaurants and sumptuously appointed luxury hotels, has similarly found a creative outlet thanks to Promemoria, the Italian artisan furniture brand based in the Lake Como-side town of Valmadrera. Together, they are launching their latest collaboration: a stunning new collection of furniture, crafted in Como yet inspired by the English capital.

Nearly in its 40th year, Promemoria is known as the paragon of Italian artisan furniture. Every object the brand produces – from the ‘Bacco’ cabinet, with its wooden inlay that recalls a patchwork quilt, to the monumental ‘Andalù’ table, distinguished by its streak of bronze inlay and curving legs, as well as the made-to-measure custom projects for clients – is produced locally, entirely by hand by one of the 100-strong team of craftspeople.

The new collection, titled ‘London Collection- Act II’, comprises nine distinct pieces – a sofa, a loveseat, a chaise longue, an armchair, a cabinet, side tables, a desk, plus a dining table and coordinating chairs – each a balance between classical craftsmanship and modern sensibility. The ‘Chiswick’ modular sofa, for instance, is bookended by two curved oak armrests with integrated, suede-lined shelving that evoke a Scandinavian purity of form. The ‘Fulham’ chaise longue bears a slightly more traditional profile. A square backrest – crafted from the same textured oak as the sofa – runs along part of two sides, forming a sharp, architectural corner on the rectangular frame. A cylindrical bolster nestles into the seat cushion, upholstered in a wool bouclé, ensuring it remains in place without disrupting the carefully calibrated proportions.

Though the collection draws inspiration from London – each piece named after one of the many bridges spanning the River Thames – the muted shades of lilac and earthy browns, bronze detailing and glass elements seem to recall the shimmering hues that dance across the lake each spring. Or perhaps, even, the climbing wisteria that drapes itself in a shaggy cascade over the façade of Promemoria founder Romero Sozzi’s grand lakeside villa – which, unsurprisingly, is filled with hand-crafted treasures.

Villa Mapelli, as it is known, is best viewed from the water. Approaching the shore, its lemon-yellow façade rises from the sprawling terraced garden, shaded by towering cypress trees, umbrella pines, and a single, statuesque Japanese maple. Sozzi purchased the property in 2001 and spent the next five years resuscitating the dilapidated 17th-century manse, located in Varenna, a picturesque town clinging to the hillside on the lake’s eastern shore.

Much like the collections Sozzi releases annually with Promemoria, the house is exquisitely tailored – though achieving such refinement was no small feat. 'It was a complete disaster,' Sozzi recalls of the house’s state when he found it. 'The roof was collapsing, the floors were falling through. The previous owners lived in a tiny corner so as not to have to pay for restoration work.' With a combination of time, effort, and access to the region’s most skilled craftspeople, Sozzi was able to bring the villa back to life.

One enters Villa Mapelli directly from the street – a long and winding thoroughfare that circles the lakeshore in its entirety. The house wastes no time introducing guests to its charms, after passing through a narrow entrance hall, you reach the living room, with its three floor-to-ceiling windows that frame Como like a postcard. Overhead, an elaborate fresco depicting village scenes and nearby landscapes competes for attention from the eye.

In the bedrooms, the meticulously carved millwork, stained a dark chocolate brown, cocoons the spacious beds, imbuing the cavernous chambers with a sense of warmth and intimacy. The oversized oak doors are lined with dove-grey velvet, effectively quieting their imposing character. Within its rooms, art and furniture from Italian visionaries – sofas by Gio Ponti, armchairs by Ico Parisi – mingle with pieces from Promemoria’s past collections.

Sozzi can trace his family’s presence on Lake Como’s shores nearly as far back as Wordsworth’s visit. In the 1800s, his grandfather ran a workshop restoring wooden carriages for the local aristocracy. When automobiles rendered horse-drawn transport obsolete, Sozzi’s father turned to fixing antique furniture, abundant in the grand villas and regal palaces that surround the lake.

It was in his father’s workshop, among the artisans and ancient tools, that he was first confronted with the possibilities of craft. 'It was like leafing through an encyclopaedia,' says the designer and entrepreneur, recalling the wealth of historical objects that would pass through the atelier’s doors. With each piece of furniture came a different expert: the man from Padua, a master of wooden inlay; a woman so skilled in repairing fabric, that tears in decades-old upholstery would vanish completely; and the craftsman from Brianza – very short, Sozzi remembers – who often travelled the handful of miles north when a bit of gold leaf was in need of touching up.

Sozzi, who studied painting at the Brera Academy, began working with his father at a young age, yet his tastes always skewed modern. He was enamoured with the organic lines of Alvar Aalto and Ico Parisi’s bold yet intuitive forms. When he founded Promemoria in 1988, it naturally became a confluence of the fascinations he had nurtured up until that point. An eye for colour and composition honed at art school, an appreciation for the functionality championed by the modernists, and a reverence for craft, learned first-hand at his father’s workbench.

It was this dedication to craftsmanship that has sustained the company’s longstanding relationship with David Collins Studio. 'The commitment Promemoria has to quality is really inspiring,' says Lewis Taylor, the studio’s design director. 'The time and care that goes into each piece is incredible.'

Sozzi’s discovery of David Collins’ work happened almost by accident, yet that moment of serendipity is still providing creative fodder for the brand over a decade later. As the story goes, Sozzi was dining at London’s The Wolseley – designed by the late David Collins in 2003 –and was immediately taken by the elegance of the restaurant’s interiors. 'I fell in love with the atmosphere,' remembers Sozzi. 'I said to the manager: find out who the architect is.'

That encounter was the beginning of a long and fruitful relationship for the two companies, even long after Collins' passing in 2013. Their first collection, released in 2015, featured gracefully sculpted seating, refined cabinetry, and tables fit for the most distinguished of interiors. It was inspired by a subtle curve in one of The Wolseley dining chair’s backrests, an element that can also be found in the ‘London Collection - Act II’. 'We wanted to nod to the previous pieces,' Taylor says of the collaboration, 'but evolve them, and push forward some new ideas.'

Indeed, the same sensibility underpins the dialogue between these two worlds – one steeped in the quiet elegance of Como’s artisan heritage, the other shaped by the refined modernity of British design. Like Villa Mapelli, it is a testament to craftsmanship as a living tradition, one that evolves with each generation while remaining anchored in a deep reverence for place.

‘London Collection - Act II’ by David Collins Studio for Promemoria is available from April 2025, and will be on show during Milan Design Week at Promemoria's showroom, Via Bagutta 13, Via Monte Napoleone, 8.

Promemoria.com, Davidcollins.studio

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