Porta Romana

Founded in 1988 by Andrew and Sarah Hills, Porta Romana has continuously grown and evolved. From humble beginnings in a small UK workshop, to creating a lighting installation for the Royal Academy of Arts in London. The brand has been involved in high profile hospitality projects around the world including Rosewood, Four Seasons, Ritz Carlton and many more — creating unique products that are ‘destined for the world’s most beautiful interiors’.

Image credit: Porta Romana

“Including Porta Romana in a project is like adding a piece of jewellery to the room.” – Tim Young, Senior Designer, Rocco Forte Hotels.

Inspired by beauty in the natural world, the team at Porta Romana transform the ordinary into the extraordinary. Striving to create a unique design language that pushes boundaries through its use of innovative techniques and materials, while using only the finest craftspeople and production methods to shape every detail.

At Porta Romana, every piece is handcrafted and unique. Whether a client selects from one of the existing designs, or customises their own, every product is made to order. This means that every detail can be tailored to work perfectly with a project — from finishes and fabrics, to creating something completely bespoke.

Image credit: Porta Romana

Craftspeople are at the heart of the brand and the company is fortunate enough to work with exceptional artists and makers from across the British Isles. Every glassblower, ceramicist, metalworker or sculptor it collaborates with, bring their expert knowledge and craft to the fabrication of the designs, imprinting each one with a unique character.

In nurturing relationships with both established and emerging British artisans, the team at Porta Romana work tirelessly to retain local production wherever possible. This is an important part of the brand ethos and ensures these skilled traditions are nurtured and upheld for future generations.

Image credit: Porta Romana

In a world where products are rarely made to last, the company prides itself on creating objects to be loved for a lifetime and more. Refurbishment is an important aspect of hospitality design and adopting sustainable practices is more important than ever.

Porta Romana is proud to support this approach with its Upcycling Club, which allows clients to update or part-exchange existing pieces, avoiding unnecessary waste. Whether rewiring, touching up a tired piece, updating the finish of a lamp or changing a lampshade, the Upcycling Club is the perfect opportunity to breathe new life into any piece from the Porta Romana collection.

Image credit: Porta Romana

Since first starting 35 years ago, the Painting Studio has been central to the design process. It is here that over three decades have been spent, building on the craft of hand-painted finishes, developing a library that is unique to the brand. Each patination takes weeks to develop by the skilled team. Sampling layer upon layer of colour in search of the perfect Porta Romana finish.

The Porta Romana lampshades are made in-house, allowing the client to make the perfect choice. From the shape and fabric, to the lining and trim, lampshades can be built to suit a project requirements. The studio is adept at working with different textiles and can produce lampshades in a customer’s own material if something outside of the Porta Romana fabric range is specified. The made-to-order lampshade service is available on a one-week lead time.

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