Sotto Living

A four-decades long passion for fine craftsmanship and a partnership with a designer famed for daring and beautiful designs has resulted in the creation of Sotto: exclusive, alluring and unique. Sotto is a new and exciting addition to the current landscape of ultra-luxurious leather furniture, borne out of a 40-year passion for creating only the very best. From this pedigree background, the founder of Sotto dreamed of creating a line of recliners which reflected a desire for high craftsmanship, for innovative and contemporary design, and for individuality away from the hordes of mass-designed furniture. A carefully considered collaboration with Parisian designer Sylvain Joly has brought about the realisation of that dream. The son of an artist, after high school Sylvain studied at ENSAD (École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs) where he studied under industrial designer Roger Tallon, a household name in the world of furniture and interior design. Upon graduation from ENSAD, Sylvain joined Steiner, synonymous with contemporary French design, and gained acclaim just one year later with the Swany sofa. Building on this success, he spent ten years managing the design studio at sofa behemoth GMC, before creating his own studio – Joly Design. Now employing around 16 people, the studio enjoys an enviable position on the international market, taking inspiration from the worlds of fashion, boats, cars and nature. Sylvain was named Designer of the Year in 2007; however, he says: “The only pride of a designer should be to lead a product toward success rather than seek fame for the creator.” We are immensely proud to be working with Sylvain in our mission to bring you the very finest leather recliners, as original and unique as you are.