Luxury heritage department store Harrods has been retailing furniture since the 1880s. Starting with cots and beds, it has developed an elegant library featuring the likes of design stalwarts Vitra, Gubi and B&B Italia; but now, for the first time, the British brand is launching its very own in-house furniture line.
Under the Harrods of London brand, the store has long been creating womenswear, menswear and luxury linens imbued with its own aesthetic. It is now growing this with the inaugural furniture launch, created in collaboration with Italian brand Porada and British upholsterers Artistic.
Harrods’ Carraway Drinks Cabinet
‘Designing a furniture collection in-house was the next step after the re-launch of Harrods Home four years ago,’ says Annalise Fard, director of home at Harrods. ‘We wanted to create a range which we could truly trust the quality of – and saw no better way to achieve this than working with two of our longest standing partners.’
The unique collaboration with Porada was an interesting choice. Working from the beginning on the initial design concepts, the Italian company sought to stay authentic to the materials used. ‘We wanted to combine artisanal craftsmanship with advanced processes; to treat the raw materials with the utmost respect,’ says Porada’s Mauro Nastri.
‘Simpson’ coffee table
The range of sofas, tables, cabinetry and upholstery harks back to Harrods’ 1930s heritage, with accents of ziricote, maple and sycamore for the deep woods, combined with satin brass to allude to art deco influences. Marble features also enhance the collection’s decadence, particularly in the statement ‘Sayre’ console.
The quality is undeniable, and further heightens the design cachet Harrods has been developing over the years. ’I think the real synergy between Porada and Harrods is the love of quality and the emphasis placed on respect for natural materials,’ stresses Nastri. Wallpaper* itself has collaborated with the store, showing designs from the annual Wallpaper* Handmade expo in its windows. In recent years, Harrods has become a destination during the London Design Festival, all the while hosting exclusive design collaborations and coveted pop-ups.
