For a process-oriented designer whose signature veers towards understated, sculptural luxury, Molteni & C is a dream collaborator.
‘For me, [they are] a living history of Italian design, with a very solid cultural and productive foundation. They represent an idea of Italian design that is rigorous, precise, and deeply connected to contemporary architecture and interior design,’ says Argentinian designer Cristián Mohaded. Salone del Mobile 2026 marks his debut project for the Italian company, a sculptural armchair dubbed ‘Corsetto’.
‘Corsetto’: Cristián Mohaded for Molteni & C
Fully upholstered and resting on a solid base, the armchair’s generous forms are seemingly held together by a leather frame, from which the textile-covered seat, back, and armrest balloon out. ‘Corsetto was born from the gesture of soft yet bold volumes, with strength, pressed into a very clean and defined form,’ explains the designer. ‘I was interested in creating a silent tension between something that feels generous and welcoming, yet contained within a structure. I wanted the piece to feel alive, breathing, and to be perceived as a living element in its entirety.’
‘Molteni are a living history of Italian design, they represent an idea of design that is rigorous, precise, and deeply connected to contemporary architecture and interiors’
Cristián Mohaded
The chair’s volumes are imagined to embrace the body, an effect enhanced by the material composition of the design. ‘Material was present from the very beginning,’ observes Mohaded, explaining that the two elements were essential for his concept to come to life. ‘Leather had to be present as that symbolic “corset”, more rigid, and from there we were able to enter into dialogue with a softer, complementary textile. Without being excessively complex, the beauty of the piece lies in the quality of its details: the leather craftsmanship, the stitching, and the joints, something in which Molteni especially excels.’
Mohaded’s work exists somewhere between art and design, with a strong sculptural quality pervading his pieces, whether functional furniture and objects or artworks. ‘Both begin from the same place,’ he concedes. ‘Furniture introduces use. It asks the form to respond to ergonomics and its context of use. But the thinking is continuous. My work as a product designer often carries a sculptural quality, and conversely, my works are constructed with a symbolic, cultural, and territorial depth.’