Design educator Antonio Larosa has returned to the manufacturing side of the business to help furniture and furnishings companies with design and promotional services.
Furniture Promotion, the consulting arm of Larosa Design , is a specialized company that promotes and develops branding strategies for the furniture design industry in the American and European markets.
"I believe that today, more than ever, the U.S. furniture industry needs knowledgeable and passionate professionals to help manufacturers get back to the golden age of furniture," Larosa said.
"Furniture Promotion is committed to support companies in all aspects of promotion, marketing and product development," he said. "We have to convince U.S. manufacturers that they need new designs and the right promotion if they want to be more successful and competitive. I grew up in Italy idolizing American design! Florence Knoll, Charles Eames, Harry Bertoia -- these were my heroes. And when I got here, I saw that it was gone, vanished. I want to help bring it back," Larosa said.
Born and raised in Italy, Larosa has worked in the American residential and contract furniture industry for more than 20 years, assisting manufacturers, government agencies, trade shows organizers, design offices and developers. He studied architecture and design at the Milan Polytechnic University and has been a consultant for several major American and Italian manufacturers, showrooms, importers and design firms. In the mid-'90s, Larosa was a manager for the Italian Trade where he was responsible for the development, promotion and marketing of Italian furnishings and design, and assisted and counseled U.S. companies, designers, manufacturers on products and design trends.
Larosa is a frequent judge for design competitions, a lecturer on broad-ranging design topics, and creator of the Furniture Design Summit, as well as the Furniture Revolution Gallery at NeoCon.
He was most recently the successful chairman of the furniture design department at the Savannah College of Art and Design.
Furniture Promotion is based in Phoenix, working with clients based in the US and Europe. More information is available at www.FurniturePromotion.com.