Lema x Norm Architects interweave functionality and sustainability with Soffio

Founded in 1970 by the Meroni family, Lema is a flagbearer of Italian style around the world. The Italian brand has, through the years, realised products with sophisticated appeal, all distinguished by a wide range of customisation options to respond to the various aesthetic and functional needs of the clientele. Their product designs cater to a lifestyle vision centred around the concept of dialogue—dialogue as an idea of home and as the fusion of form and materials, of aesthetics and function. In collaboration with seminal architects, such as Piero Lissoni and Neri & Hu, Lema combines various design styles in its harmonious collection. Each individual furniture design interacts with the other while also existing independently—having been devised to adapt to personal styles and lifestyles in homes all over the world.

With Soffio, Lema weaves the marquee tenants of Denmark-based Norm Architects, namely their approach to functionality and sustainability into their own harmonious detail oriented language. Soffio is the result of a long design process that has given life to a unique design and a living room created according to an eco-sustainable perspective. The collection is made with recycled and recyclable materials that put sustainable design at its forefront. The passepartout piece of furniture whose structure is made up of FSC® plywood supports the soft cushions filled with a fibre made from recycled materials. In the vast range of textile collections, two new proposals for low environmental impact upholstery have also been introduced. The first, Ofelia, is made from GRS (Global Recycled Standard) certified recycled cotton, while Ariel is soft to the touch and a particularly resistant fabric—a chenille made with recycled PET yarn. The armchair and sofa design are designed to be easily disassembled and properly disposed of at the end of their life cycle.

Architecture and design studio Norm Architects was founded in Copenhagen in 2008 and immediately began working in the fields of industrial design, residential architecture, interior design, photography and art direction. The ethos of their work revolves around balance: between richness and moderation, between order and complexity. Norm Architects’ association with Lema began in 2022, with the Francis coffee tables, the Fred chairs and the Claire lounge chair. This led to several of the company’s projects being designed by the studio since then.

Soffio is conceived by the furniture designers as an entirely eco-friendly seating system. The result of a thorough process that caters to its entire life cycle, each piece of furniture goes from serving a function to being recycled when it no longer can. A thin yet solid wooden base welcomes and supports the backrest and seat cushions with soft and generous volumes. The cover, in 100 per cent cotton canvas, encloses recycled fibre padding.

With designs such as Soffio, Lema reiterates its commitment to innovation and tradition based on the central tenets of quality and customisation. The strength of the company lies in its manufacturing capacity that is buttressed by a combination of traditional craftsmanship and innovative technologies. Strengthening their association with Norm Architects even further, Lema presents a design that is a culmination of great care and a close collaborative relationship—from the design’s inception to the final product.