Is The Soffi Lamp By Poltrona Frau Worth It? An Honest Review

I have had a Poltrona Frau Soffi Lamp in my home in Hong Kong for a few months now. It is a three-pendant cluster, and it hangs in a rented flat. Most people don’t buy expensive lighting for a place they don’t own. I did, and I’d like to explain why, and whether I think it was a good decision.

I didn’t buy my Poltrona Frau Soffi Lamp new. I found it secondhand on Facebook Marketplace in the UK. The seller had it boxed up, and I collected it in person. Then I had to get it to Hong Kong.

I didn’t trust a courier with blown glass, so I carried it on the plane myself. I was flying Cathay Pacific business class on an award ticket, which gave me enough space to keep the box close and stop it from getting knocked around. It made the trip a little stressful, but it arrived in one piece. Once I was home, I had it installed in the flat.

About the Light and Brand

The Soffi is a pendant lamp designed by GamFratesi, a Danish-Italian design duo, for Poltrona Frau. It came to the U.S. market in 2020.

Each globe is made of two pieces of glass. The outer globe is thin and comes in a faded milk white or smoky grey. Inside it sits a second, matt white glass globe that holds the bulb and looks more solid. The glass is blown by craftsmen in Venice.

The part that I really noticed first is the leather strap around each of the pendants. Each glass globe hangs from a loop of Cuoio Saddle Extra leather, in either Camel or Taupe, with contrast stitching. A small leather loop covers the joint, and the inside metal parts are brushed brass. Poltrona Frau is best known for leather furniture, and you can see that in the strap. It is well made and feels like a proper piece of leather goods, not an afterthought.

The lamp comes in small, medium and large. You can hang one on its own, put three in a straight line, or group three or five together. Mine is a cluster of three which I thought was absolutely beautiful.

What it’s like to own one

I’d say is that it looks good whether it is on or off- but actually I prefer it with the lights off! During the day, with the light off, it still reads as a piece of design in the room. 

When it is on, the light is quite soft. The bulb sits inside the inner globe, and that sits inside the outer one, so the light passes through two layers of glass before it reaches the room. There is no glare, and you can look straight at it without squinting. In the evening it makes the room feel calm and warm. Each piece is different so the milky white part may vary in size and length depending on the orb. 

The downside is that this not a bright ceiling lamp. If you need strong light for reading or working, the Soffi light isn't super suitable, so I supplement the ceiling light with a floor lamp. I treat it as mood lighting and rely on other lights when I need to read or do work in the living room. It's more of an art piece than a functional light. 

Installation was really easy to do and didn't take long. The clear cable can be adjusted up to 2.5 metres including the lamp, so you have room to set the height you want, whether that is low over a table or higher in a living area.

Because the glass is blown by hand, Poltrona Frau says each lamp has its own small differences in tone and shape. In a cluster, you can see this. The globes are not copies of each other.

I actually really like this. It makes the lamp feel handmade and you can visibly see the difference between this and factory-produced lighting. But if you want three pendants that match exactly, for example in a row over a kitchen island, you should probably buy the lamps in person and select a showroom piece rather than a secondhand one.

The price

New, the Soffi is really expensive. On Poltrona Frau’s website, prices start from €1,405 in some European countries and from 1250 GBP in the UK, and that is for one of the smallest lights. A cluster like mine, or the larger sizes, costs a lot more- around 8000 GBP before discount. Waiting times can also be long.

I paid far less than retail. The lamp has no moving parts and nothing that wears out quickly except the bulbs, so a used one in good condition is close to the same product. If you are patient and willing to collect in person, the secondhand market is worth it. 

Disadvantages with the light

To be fair and honest in this review, here are the things I’d note:

• It costs a lot for the amount of light you get.
• The glass is fragile. Moving it, as I did, takes care. A broken globe would be VERY expensive to replace.
• It is a statement piece. In a large room, and you will still need other lighting.
• The leather is natural, so it can change colour over time, especially near heat or sunlight.
• It isn't as heavy as other chandeliers- the chrome top is quite light and a little flimsy. 
• You have to replace the original bulbs with LED as the electrician said that the old bulbs would melt the lamp over time, as the glass orbs trap heat. So I actually paid around 50-70 GBP to have the bulbs replaced. 

Overall: Is the Soffi Light worth it?

I believe that the light is worth it since I got it at a great discount. 

If you care about how a lamp looks when it is switched off, and you like handmade objects, then I think yes it's definitely a great addition to your house. Personally, I think it's a statement piece and people who visit my house always ask about it. 

A few months in, I still notice it everyday and still like it. The materials are excellent and the design will not become outdated at all even for the next 50 years.