A new sofa for Dienne Salotti

Rome, February 11, 2026

With more than twenty years of experience, Dienne Salotti is now a leading company in the upholstered furniture sector. Its products, 100% Made in Italy, are designed for contemporary, design-oriented living spaces and draw inspiration from the history of the company’s hometown, Altamura, internationally recognized as the “Capital of the Sofa.”

An encounter between quality, beauty, and comfort—three core values that define the brand and its products—which students were asked to reinterpret in this new project. Dienne Salotti redefines the classic concept of the sofa bed, traditionally conceived to meet purely functional and practical needs, elevating it to a design-driven furnishing element with a sophisticated aesthetic. The result is a product capable of fitting seamlessly into modern urban living solutions, offering style, comfort, and uniqueness.

Some of the key aspects addressed by the students reflect the company’s values of tradition, innovation, and sustainability: the optimization of living spaces, as well as the efficiency and dynamism of mechanisms, which for the company represent a guarantee of quality and comfort. Equally important is the research into sustainable or 100% recycled materials.

With these premises, students from both programs developed a concept for a sofa bed designed for outdoor environments, as well as a sofa bed intended for hospitality settings such as hotels, B&Bs, and waiting areas.

The project selected as the winner by the company is Giorgia Fabbriziani’s design, who with Onigiri created a sofa with a fold-down, protective bed that brings the comfort of home into outdoor spaces. The sofa easily converts into a bed thanks to a handle integrated into the upper part of the backrest. The curvature of the underlying wood supports and guides the movement, making the transformation smooth and natural. The upper section features a double roller-blind system, allowing for the creation of shade and privacy.

The company also wished to acknowledge the great value of five other projects: from the three-year undergraduate program, the projects by Giulia Albertini and Antonio Marzo, and by Lars Lattacher, Bar Eshel, and Beatrice Miklasaviciute; and from the two-year master’s program, the three projects by Giuseppe Martinisi, Silvia Petrucci, and Daria Trimboli.

Following the collaboration, the company will evaluate the possibility of prototyping the selected sofa, offering the winning student the opportunity to personally take part in the production of her project within the company’s facilities. A great opportunity to see one’s idea realized in a concrete way and to engage with industry professionals and the world of work.

Congratulations, Giorgia!