Fresh from its launch at Milan Design Week, Paola Lenti’s Chromatic Alphabet made its Australian debut at dedece Sydney, where CEO Anna Lenti led architects and designers through the brand’s latest approach to colour.
More than a palette, the Chromatic Alphabet organises over 30 years of Paola Lenti‘s material research into 44 colour families spanning textiles, ceramics, concrete and woven fibres. During the workshop, guests were encouraged to handle samples, build combinations and see how colour shifts across different materials.
For Anna Lenti, the workshop was just as important as the system itself. “We wanted people to experience it because it’s a way of working that’s very easy,” she said. “Sometimes people are a little afraid of colour. This helps them understand they can mix and match and be creative.”
That hands-on approach was evident throughout the afternoon. Rather than presenting fixed palettes, the workshop encouraged experimentation, showing how colours within a family could move across furniture, rugs and architectural finishes while maintaining a sense of cohesion.
The Sydney presentation also followed another milestone for the Italian company. Earlier this month, founder Paola Lenti received the XXIX Compasso d’Oro Career Award, recognising more than three decades of innovation in colour, materials and manufacturing.
Speaking after the presentation, Anna reflected on working alongside her sister, who founded the company in 1994. “We love each other,” she laughed. “She’s very demanding. She’s very precise.”
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The comment made me smile, but it also hinted at the relationship behind one of Italy’s most distinctive furniture brands. Paola leads the creative direction while Anna has guided the business as CEO for more than two decades, helping transform years of material research into an international design company.
Available through dedece’s Sydney and Melbourne showrooms, the Chromatic Alphabet gives Australian designers a practical way to navigate the breadth of Paola Lenti’s collections — and perhaps a little more confidence to embrace colour.
Paola Lenti
paolalenti.it
dedece
dedece.com
Photography
Sergio Chimenti
Maurizio Natta
