Furniture brand Lema, one of the protagonists of ‘Made in Italy’ worldwide, will take centre stage in London this spring with the opening of its first company-owned flagship store, located at 183 Kings Road.
Founded in 1970 by the Meroni family, who remain at the helm to this day, Lema has a strong tradition of Italian manufacturing. A regular exhibitor at the Milan Furniture Fair, Lema, under the art direction of designer Piero Lissoni since 1994, specialises in high quality, design-led furniture with a precision of construction and a timeless, understated design aesthetic.
The Kings Road flagship store is designed by Piero Lissoni and has been conceived to stage the two main identities of the group, Lema Casa and Lema Contract. These two manufacturing realities represent two separate but interconnected pillars of the Lema brand, united by a common thread – the culture of know-how, tradition and innovation that has always defined the essence of Italian design and the unique world inhabited by Lema’s collections.
Distributed over two floors and occupying an area of 400 square metres, the Lema flagship store embodies the elegant style and relaxing Mediterranean atmosphere that define this brand's character.
The ground floor, with large street-level windows overlooking Kings Road, houses Lema Casa collections, showcasing the company's philosophy, based on slow-living. The brand’s iconic modular systems - which have always been its crowning achievement - and free-standing furniture, are the result of Lema’s enviable roster of design collaborations, which features products by international designers including Gordon Guillaumier, Francesco Rota, Neri & Hu, Raw Edges, Nendo, Werner Aisslinger, and Christopher Pillet – among others.
The showroom display flows organically to the lower floor, where Lema Contract is located - a bespoke-atelier for architects and interior designers, where a dedicated team is on hand to develop custom-made solutions for large-scale projects. A made-to-measure service, also encompassing the Lema Casa collections, is available to suit every need. Lema’s key presence on the contract market - currently registering a volume equal to 50% of its turnover – sees the brand involved in significant multi-apartment and hospitality projects, such as the London Bulgari Knightsbridge Hotel and other prestigious chains such as Hilton and Kempinski. Among the latest projects, Lema products are present in Cheyne Terrace, Fulham Reach, Neo Bankside and Park House developments.
The London flagship store marks a significant international investment that follows other recent openings in New York, Miami, Los Angeles, Beijing, Taiwan and Melbourne, markets in which ‘Made in Italy’ is recognised and appreciated, and where Lema’s quality and style are attracting a large number of design enthusiasts.
“London is a crucial location on the international market right now, with its concentration of key players – the contract market; the most influential architectural practices working around the world; property developers involved in major projects – our presence here represents a strategic investment for the Group, one that aims at increasing Lema’s partnerships on the international market and establishing the brand firmly on the international high-end furniture scene,” says president Angelo Meroni.
