Borea, Piero Lissoni's recyclable outdoor system for B&B Italia
An aluminium-framed terrace collection in recycled and recyclable materials, drawn by Piero Lissoni and presented in Milan in 2021.
Borea is B&B Italia's outdoor collection, designed by Piero Lissoni and presented in Milan in 2021. Where many terrace lines lean on heavy timber, Borea starts from the opposite instinct: a slim, almost seamless tubular aluminium frame, light to move and quiet to look at.
The surfaces tell the rest of the story. Tabletops are finished in glazed lava stone, a material chosen to hold colour and weather outdoors, while cushions are upholstered in performance polyester spun from recycled bottles. The collection runs across two sofas, a set of armchairs, a dining chair, a dining table and several side tables.
Designed to be roughly 95 per cent recycled and recyclable — sustainability as the brief, not the footnote.
Sustainability as the brief
Borea was conceived to be roughly 95 per cent recycled and recyclable, and the approach was recognised with a 2022 Green Good Design Award. For the buyer that means a terrace system that can be re-covered and, eventually, taken apart for recycling rather than landfill.
For the American home the practical notes are lead times and finishes. Pieces shown in Milan reach US dealers months later, and the lava-stone tops and recycled-polyester covers are the parts built to weather a real terrace. B&B Italia is an Italian house from Novedrate, in the Como province; a full profile is in preparation.