Marche: Where design takes shape

If you happen to drive along the road that leads inland from Pesaro, try looking at those warehouses with fresh eyes. Behind their simple façades are created the kitchens you have seen in homes all over the world. This is where brands such as Ernestomeda and Scavolini have transformed a modest region into one of the beating hearts of Italian interior design. You would never imagine that, right here among these streets, solutions were tested that later became international standards: modular units, integrated systems, and new combinations of materials.

Moving into the Macerata hinterland, in Treia, you will discover one of the area's most significant entrepreneurial stories. This is where Cucine LUBE was established in 1967, a company that is now one of Italy's leading groups in the kitchen furniture sector. From an artisan workshop to a cutting-edge company with a well-structured and innovative production system, over time, the company has established a strong presence on the national and international markets, now boasting more than 1,650 stores, while always keeping its production hub in the Marche region. This is a concrete example of how local expertise can be transformed into a globally leading industry.

And if you venture even further south, to the Ascoli area, you will discover that a kitchen can almost become a bespoke suit: this is precisely how TM Italia operates, designing spaces tailored to the people who use them on a daily basis.

As you travel through these regions, you are not merely changing provinces: you are following the invisible thread of an area that shapes the Italian home, room by room.

When you arrive in Pesaro, it's easy to think of the sea straight away. It is hard to imagine that, right here, glass has taken on such a central role in interior design. Yet that is the case. In the Pesaro district, glass is not just a surface: it becomes a curve, a structure, a load-bearing form.

Since 1973, FIAM Italia, based in Tavullia, has been transforming a material perceived fragile material into a key element of contemporary interior design. Tables, mirrors and seating made from curved glass that seem to be suspended in space, but which are the result of a deep-rooted understanding of the material: a vision that combines craftsmanship and industrial research, tradition and experimentation. For FIAM, glass becomes structure, volume and presence. It goes beyond its decorative function and establishes itself as an element capable of defining identity. The company's connection with the local area is equally tangible: in Pesaro, the historic Villa Miralfiore has been restored and transformed into an exhibition space, reflecting a company that also invests in urban heritage.

Also in Pesaro, Tonelli Design creates glass furniture and accessories, developing technical solutions that have expanded the use of this material in interior design over time. But glass is only part of the story. This same region is also home to technologies that enable the processing of not only glass, but also wood, stone, composite materials and metal. One example is Biesse, an international group that develops production lines and machinery for a wide range of sectors, from furniture to construction to the automotive industry. This is a less visible but equally crucial aspect: not only are design objects created here, but also the tools that make them possible.

It is this interweaving of materials and technology that makes the Pesaro area so special. A lightness born of research, precision and craftsmanship. And, looking at the sea not far away, you would not expect to find it right here.

Still in Pesaro, there is another story worth discovering: the story of comfort. Here, sofas and armchairs are created that are designed to stand the test of time, the result of a tradition built on skilled hands and attention to detail. This is the case of Domingo Salotti, a company deeply rooted in the local area, which also gave rise to the Adrenalina brand, which offers more unconstrained lines, bold colours and shapes that break the mould. It is the same expertise that changes in tone but retains its essence.

Continuing into the Macerata hinterland, leather takes centre stage. The story of Poltrona Frau began in Turin in 1912, but today, the brand's production hub is located in Tolentino. Here, the work on the leather is carried out with slow, confident movements: clean cuts, almost invisible stitching, and surfaces that change in the light depending on how they are touched. The armchairs created in these hills adorn theatres, hotels, yachts and car interiors all over the world, but it all begins with an almost silent craftsmanship. In Tolentino, you can also visit the Poltrona Frau Museum, a space that tells this story through objects and materials, allowing you to gain a close-up understanding of how an icon of Italian living is created.

If you stop to touch these surfaces, you will realise that it is not just a matter of comfort. It is balance, proportion and identity. It is the Marche region's way of transforming comfort into something that endures.

In Recanati, matter becomes invisible. This is the home of iGuzzini Illuminazione, a company founded in the Marche region that has grown to become an international benchmark in architectural lighting. Its research focuses not only on how much light to provide, but also on how to provide it: how to distribute light, how to enhance a work of art, and how to make a public space welcoming without overpowering it.

Many places you may have visited are illuminated by systems designed right here in these hills: from the spaces of the Vatican Museums to the Colosseum, and museums, theatres and squares all over the world. It is a discreet endeavour: you do not notice the light fitting; you notice what becomes brighter. A fresco that reveals new details, a façade that takes on depth, a square whose atmosphere changes as the sun sets. Here, lighting is conceived as part of the architecture, with a focus on energy efficiency and respect for historic spaces. As you stroll through Recanati, you will realise that even the things you cannot see can make a difference.

After wood, glass and leather, what remains is light. The light that makes everything visible.