This is the latest instalment of The Inside Story, Wallpaper’s series spotlighting intriguing, innovative and industry-leading interior design.

Talk of New York's real estate scene currently centres on 262 Fifth Avenue, a new residential tower rising on one of Manhattan's most famous streets. Standing 860 feet and 52 storeys tall, the project marks the first New York collaboration between Meganom and Norm Architects, with Five Points Development Group behind its delivery. Italian design house Molteni&C was tapped to furnish the interiors; today, Wallpaper* takes a look inside.

In a skyline increasingly defined by its density, 262 Fifth Avenue takes a more restrained approach. The building comprises just 26 full-floor and duplex residences, allowing generosity of space to become its defining luxury. That sense of deliberation continues in the architecture itself: each home is column-free, creating uninterrupted living spaces – and uninterrupted views of Manhattan.

Norm Architects, responsible for the interiors, describe each residence as a ‘sanctuary in the sky’ – places of calm that sit above the city's tumult while remaining intrinsically connected to it. The Copenhagen studio draws on its understated vocabulary of natural materials, fine craftsmanship and muted tones, producing spaces that feel subtly luxurious rather than ostentatious.

Molteni&C contributes two of the home's defining architectural elements: the 'Prime' kitchen and the 'Gliss Master Filo Door' wardrobe system. Installed throughout every residence, the kitchen combines natural stone and wood veneers which harmonise with the palette of tactile, understated finishes. Its pared-back geometry lends the living spaces a soothing architectural rhythm, balancing New York's metropolitan sensibility with the material rigour of Italian craftsmanship.

The partnership builds on Molteni&C's longstanding history of collaborating with architects and developers on landmark residential buildings. At 262 Fifth Avenue, the brand showcases a level of craftsmanship that has room to breathe, helping the tower stand apart in an increasingly homogeneous landscape of Manhattan luxury developments.

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.’

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.’

cristianmohaded.com
molteni.it

We’ve had our first teasing hints of spring here in the UK, and suddenly we’re swept up in reveries of sun-warmed afternoons and long, lingering evenings. Our thoughts turn immediately to readying our outdoor spaces for the season ahead – and, more specifically, to furnishing them with the 2026 offerings from some of our favourite design brands here at Wallpaper*.

There was a time when outdoor furniture felt like an afterthought – functional, but stylistically lacking. That is no longer the case. Today’s design houses are unveiling collections that marry elegance with innovation, combining refined aesthetics with advanced technologies that make outdoor furniture more durable and versatile than ever.

Below, we present our favourite spring launches of 2026 – pieces we’re itching to put through their paces on the patio as the season turns.

Tectona

Tectona presents ‘Cicala’, conceived by designer Julie Richoz as a meditation on balance – between strength and delicacy, tradition and innovation. A graduate of ECAL who went on to collaborate with Pierre Charpin before establishing her Paris studio in 2012, Richoz is celebrated for her materially driven approach.

With ‘Cicala’, she orchestrates a dialogue between warm teak and polished stainless steel, pairing the tactile depth of wood with the precision of metal. Soft curves meet crisp lines in compositions that feel both architectural and light. For 2026, the collection expands to include a lounge set crafted through traditional cabinetmaking techniques enhanced by advanced metal technologies. Generous proportions and stackable elements define a line that embodies sobriety, elegance and comfort.

RH

RH’s Outdoor 2026 collection explores the intersection of contemporary vision and archival revival. In collaboration with Australian duo Harrison Condos and Nicholas Condos, the American brand unveils the ‘Brera Teak’ line – sculptural barrel-back forms anchored by tulip-shaped plinths, crafted from solid teak and detailed with handwoven all-weather rope. An alternative blackened teak finish further accentuates the natural grain.

Alongside these new introductions, RH reissues emblematic collections including ‘Antibes’, ‘Klismos’ and ‘Catalina’, each rendered in all-weather cast aluminium. Drawing from classical Greek precedents and neoclassical English garden traditions, the silhouettes balance sweeping curves with architectural clarity.

Molteni & C

Under the creative direction of Vincent Van Duysen, Molteni & C’s 2026 outdoor collection unfolds as a cohesive architectural narrative. Developed with long-standing collaborators Yabu Pushelberg and Studio Dordoni, and complemented by lighting created with Vibia, the collection integrates furniture, accessories and illumination.

At its centre is ‘Soleva’, a system spanning seating, dining and lounge pieces, characterised by slender tubular aluminium frames and vertical marine plywood slats softened with EVA coating. Powder-coated finishes in ‘Nuvia White’ and ‘Selva Green’ feel measured and elegant, while concrete and gres accents introduce sculptural depth. Modular sofas, stackable sun beds and adaptable tables underscore structural lightness and durability. Complementary lines – including ‘Chelsea Outdoor’ and the foldable ‘Club’ chair – extend the architectural coherence of the offering.

Cassina

For 2026, Cassina expands its outdoor universe with new systems and archival re-editions that, again, merge innovation with legacy. At its core is ‘Vidalenta’ by Patricia Urquiola, a modular collection conceived as a tranquil counterpoint to the fast pace of contemporary life. Voluminous cushions – made using recycled materials – rest on slender stainless-steel tubing, achieving a balance between rigour and warmth. Fluted tables in travertine, enamelled glass or iroko wood echo the structural cadence of the seating. Fully disassemblable, the system reflects Cassina’s research-driven approach.

The brand also introduces ‘Eloro Outdoor’ by Rodolfo Dordoni and the ‘Torei Outdoor’ tables by Luca Nichetto, alongside re-editions such as ‘Dalila’ by Gaetano Pesce and ‘Novetrenta’ by Vico Magistretti – extending an ongoing dialogue between past and present.

B&B Italia

B&B Italia marks 2026 with the outdoor debut of ‘Tufty-Time 20’ by Patricia Urquiola, celebrating two decades of the iconic modular sofa system. Reimagined for exterior settings, the design preserves its distinctive tufted geometry while adopting a sustainable, fully disassemblable structure suited to open-air environments. Ten modules – including a new curved element – enable fluid, convivial compositions.

Alongside it, the ‘Erica’ collection by Antonio Citterio evolves with expanded seating typologies, from curved sofas designed for sociability to high-backed versions offering intimacy and retreat. With corrosion-resistant frames, recyclable padding and generous proportions, the 2026 proposals reaffirm B&B Italia’s quest for continuity between indoors and out.

Meteorological spring has officially begun in the Northern Hemisphere, and with it comes the return of outdoor living. Few launches capture the mood of the season quite like the new outdoor collection from Molteni & C. Faithful to the furniture brand’s philosophy, the collection does not treat exterior spaces as separate from the home, but as a natural extension of it – rooted in comfort, functionality and design excellence.

The 2026 collection is led by creative director Vincent Van Duysen, alongside long-standing collaborators Yabu Pushelberg and Studio Dordoni, and enriched by lighting developed in partnership with Spanish brand Vibia.

Conceived as a complete system of furnishings and accessories, the collection merges architecture, materials and light to form a cohesive, refined narrative. From modular seating to dining pieces and sculptural tables, each element balances structural lightness with formal rigour and meticulous detailing.

At the heart of the collection lies ‘Soleva’ by Vincent Van Duysen. ‘Rooted in the word sun, with ‘Soleva’ I wanted to evoke the warmth of daylight, the slow rhythm of light moving through space and tracing patterns across surfaces,’ he explains.

Spanning armchairs, dining pieces and a chaise longue, ‘Soleva’s’ architectural language is defined by a slender, continuous tubular frame that establishes precise proportions. Powder-coated in ‘Nuvia White’ or ‘Selva Green’, the lightweight yet durable aluminium structures are paired with vertical marine plywood slats finished with a soft-touch EVA coating. Concrete accents, seen in the ‘Louisa’ side tables and ‘Dalia’ tables, introduce a sculptural counterpoint.

The ‘Soleva’ sofa, available in two- and three-seat versions, combines supportive comfort with refined posture. Its rounded tubular aluminium frame is matched with vertical marine plywood slats in ‘Olive Green’ or ‘Siena Brown’, coordinated with ‘Selva Green’ or ‘Nuvia White’ structures. Cushions feature recyclable polyurethane inserts and water-repellent covers, while optional loose armrest cushions add flexibility.

The armchair and dining chair reinterpret the same architectural language in more compact proportions. A stackable sun bed, complete with adjustable mattress thickness and a linen-coloured Batyline backrest, is designed for both relaxation and practical storage. Completing the line, stools and tables combine aluminium frames with tops in gres or technical lava stone.

Elsewhere, the ‘Chelsea' outdoor collection extends Studio Dordoni’s interior aesthetic into exterior settings. Aluminium structures with die-cast legs are paired with distinctive woven polypropylene rope backrests. A modular sofa system, armchair, dining chair and side tables create flexible, convivial configurations.

Yabu Pushelberg introduces the foldable ‘Club’ chair – a lightweight, nomadic piece crafted in painted steel with a linen Batyline seat. Accessories complete the offering: ‘Dalia’ high and low tables in gres or cement; the ‘Fronda’ parasol in multiple technical configurations; and portable lighting pieces including ‘Closer’, ‘Meridiano’ and ‘Out’, developed with Vibia.

With these pieces, Molteni & C demonstrates that exterior living need not compromise on refinement or performance. The collection feels enduring: a sophisticated framework for living well, indoors and out.

molteni.it

This is the latest instalment of The Inside Story, Wallpaper’s series spotlighting intriguing, innovative and industry-leading interior design.

As temperatures plummet across Europe, indulge in a winter reverie with a tour of this chalet in the Swiss Alps. Designed by M2P Associati in collaboration with architect Matteo Tartufoli, the property offers a contemporary twist on the traditional Alpine home. It is furnished entirely by Molteni&C, and, needless to say, we’re coveting every piece.

The vision behind the design was to create a villa that feels at one with its surroundings. This is achieved, says the chalet’s owner, ‘through a careful calibration of openness and shelter’: ‘The architecture frames the surroundings through carefully positioned openings and seating spots, allowing the mountains, light and seasonal changes to become part of the experience.’

‘The restrained palette of natural materials, warm wood surfaces and soft textures echoes the tones of the Engadin environment, reinforcing a sense of calm and permanence,’ they continue. Minimalist and sophisticated interiors capture the essence of a pristine snow-covered mountain, blending purity, comfort and high-quality. ‘In selecting the objects and furnishings by Molteni&C, I was guided by the search for pieces that could be both essential in design and warm in feeling,’ adds the owner.

The living room is anchored by two ‘Paul’ sofas by Molteni&C’s creative director Vincent Van Duysen: ‘The ones placed near the arched windows echo the shape of the openings and, in their green tone, recall the colours of the mountain landscape; the others, in a soft cream shade, pair with the warm walls and the more neutral tones that I personally love.’

Elsewhere, Ron Gilad’s ‘45°’ coffee tables – geometric, light and sculptural – add a visual counterpoint, meeting with unique pieces such as a custom-made iron dining table and a straw lamp, as well as Engadine antiques personally selected by the owner.

Molteni&C’s design language extends outdoors, where the terrace becomes an open-air extension of the interiors. Yabu Pushelberg’s ‘Sway’ sofa and matching coffee tables create a relaxed lounge feel, complemented by Van Duysen’s ‘Petalo’ armchairs and their matching pouffes, ‘Fairmount’ table and ‘Boboli’ chairs. Elisa Ossino’s ‘Pantalica’ collection of daybeds, coffee tables and rugs, alongside Van Duysen’s ‘Picea’ side table, create quiet nooks in which to relax and soak in the panoramic views.

While the chalet nods to traditional Alpine architecture through its use of warm wood and stone, it doesn’t feel rustic. Instead, furnishings imbue the space with a sleek, urban sensibility. Minimalist lines meet familiar Alpine cues, producing an interior that feels both welcoming and modern.

Whenever he was given free rein to create, Italian architect Gio Ponti would deliver a Gesamtkunstwerk (total work of art), taking care of every element with a mix of rigour and humour that came to define his work. Using colour and geometry, he would tell a complete story that encompassed architecture, furniture and décor.

To celebrate his legacy, Molteni & C has launched a new collection of objects that honours Ponti’s small-scale work, and the way he was able to blend irony and history into his pieces.

Molteni&C unveils Gio Ponti Objects

Over the years, Molteni&C’s ongoing partnership with the Gio Ponti Archives has delivered some exquisite Ponti reissues, including armchairs and tables. Taking this collaboration down to a more intimate scale seemed like the next step, explains Francesca Molteni, who works with her family’s company as well as being an independent curator and filmmaker. ‘After more than ten years of collaboration with Ponti’s heirs on the reissue of his furniture, it seemed natural to continue the work of enhancing his design legacy, exploring an extraordinarily evocative part of his oeuvre: objects,’ she says.

The eight-piece collection, faithfully reproduced from the Gio Ponti Archives, features classic Ponti motifs: animals, hands and geometries in stainless steel and wood. These objects are ‘veritable microcosms of his architectural ideas, characterised by a profound artisanal and design value,’ says Molteni. ‘Each object, whether sculptural or functional, reflects the interplay of geometry and spatial reinterpretation that defined his work. These are objects capable of sparking the imagination, evoking memories, and bringing beauty to everyday gestures. They are poetic instruments that reflect Ponti’s belief that even the domestic dimension can become a theatre of fantasy.’

The ‘Gio Ponti Objects’ collection includes an origami-like horse and two doves, masterfully recreated in metal and reflecting Ponti’s ability to shape entire worlds from simple materials. Also made of stainless steel is ‘La Mano’, a hand motif that Ponti used throughout his career in drawings and sculptures. The starting point of its design is a freehand drawing made by the architect, in response to which silversmith Lino Sabattini sculpted an object that recreated the playful six-fingered hand.

‘The hand embodies the mimicry of error, an impossible hand in honour of fantasy, while remaining the symbol of human measure and expression, of concrete intervention and creation,’ says Molteni.

Among the collection’s functional objects are ‘7 Tubi’ (seven tubes) and ‘Pompei’, two stainless steel designs that can be used as vases or candleholders, and the ‘Architettura’ tray, based on the hexagonal module that often served as the starting point for Ponti’s architectural blueprints. It signals his mission to bring architecture into all facets of daily life, and this domestic object calls to mind Milan’s Pirelli skyscraper, one of Ponti’s most memorable and impactful designs.

The collection also veers towards the theatrical with a series of wooden bottle sculptures, originally created as part of a scenography and reproduced in ash and robinia. Completing the set is ‘Bucchero’, an Etruscan-inspired object made using a rare clay-firing technique. ‘The vessel, with its shiny black material, handcrafted using an ancient Etruscan technique, connects the ancient to the modern, representing Ponti’s ability to reinvent the past with a contemporary spirit,’ adds Molteni.

The collection was assembled with the help of Salvatore Licitra, Gio Ponti’s grandson and the keeper of his creative legacy. ‘As you journey through 60 years of Gio Ponti’s creativity, it may happen that the seemingly chaotic, kaleidoscopic wealth of his creative universe suddenly reveals itself as a balanced and clear whole, where every element responds to a single vision,’ he says.

‘It is a vast landscape, which embraces architecture, interiors, façades, materials, decor, colours, fabrics, ceramics, metals, wood, glass. Within this harmonious tableau, [...] we’ll find objects that promote a new way of life, vibrant domestic sentinels, tools to be kept close at hand, ready to set the stage for the theatre of imagination, across space and time. These are objects that are both beautiful and impossible.’

See molteni.it for your nearest store or shop online in the USA at shop.molteni.it

A version of this article appears in the December 2025 Entertaining Issue of Wallpaper*, available in print on newsstands, on the Wallpaper* app on Apple iOS, and to subscribers of Apple News + from 6 November. Subscribe to Wallpaper* today

Haircare brand Davines, whose sleek, design-forward headquarters lie just outside Parma in Italy’s Emilia-Romagna region, has been advocating for regenerative farming since 2021. In fact, since its founding in 1983, the salon-first brand has been at the forefront of authentic, sustainable beauty, often outpacing its rivals. (Zero-waste plastics? Yesterday’s news. The cladding on Davines Village buildings actively absorbs emissions from the nearby road.)

‘For us, science and tradition aren’t in conflict – they inform and strengthen each other,’ Dr Simon Jackson, Davines’ global head of botanical research, says. ‘We respect the centuries of knowledge held in traditional systems and use modern science to measure, refine and scale those practices in meaningful, data-driven ways.’

Davines

Wallpaper* was among the first to visit the ‘Davines Village’, the nickname of Davines HQ, shortly after it opened. And on returning four years later, its standout architecture by Matteo Thun & Partners and Molteni&C|Dada, its carbon-neutral manufacturing processes, and its botanical gardens housing more than 4,500 plant species remain standouts. But in 2025, attention has turned to its European Regenerative Organic Centre (EROC), a 17-hectare hub of agricultural research poised to influence sectors far beyond beauty.

This push forms part of a broader agricultural shift underway in northern Italy, where increasing areas of arable land are being turned over to regenerative methods – a contemporary term for what is, at its core, an age-old practice. Rooted in principles drawn from centuries of agricultural wisdom, regenerative farming has long been overlooked in favour of industrial systems that prioritise profit and scale over environmental health.

The approach isn’t without its challenges. Yields can be inconsistent, the process is more labour-intensive, and widespread consumer education is needed before its full value is recognised. Yet the benefits are clear. Crops grown regeneratively can be sold across a wider range of industries, and over time, with reduced reliance on fertilisers and seeds, the method proves cost-effective, not to mention its environmental value, which is harder to quantify, but increasingly vital.

In partnership with the Rodale Institute, a non-profit US-based organisation that supports research into organic farming, Davines has been working to bring local farmers on board, offering training and award programmes. ‘The response has been overwhelmingly positive – and, in many cases, transformational,’ says Jackson. ‘Farmers often begin with cautious curiosity, but once they witness the tangible benefits to soil health, biodiversity and crop resilience, there’s a real sense of renewal. Many speak of reconnecting with the land – farming not just for yield, but with care and long-term stewardship.’

None of this, of course, would count for much if the products didn’t deliver. But with access to top-tier ingredients, it’s little wonder Davines – whose lines include the blonde-focused Heart of Glass, sun-protective SU, and cult favourite OI range – is beloved by professionals and consumers alike.

Regenerative farming promotes biodiversity through the introduction of pollinators and hedgerows, employs cover crops and rotation, and minimises soil disturbance. Natural fertilisers, such as clover, increase nitrogen levels in the soil, leading to healthier, more productive crops. At Davines – a certified B Corp since 2016 – these harvests now also feed into products such as WE STAND/for regeneration, a multi-use butter for hair, body and face, formulated with regenerative organic calendula.

At Davines HQ, in true Italian style, food is never far from mind. The staff ‘canteen’ – though the term hardly does it justice – features a standing-only espresso bar and indulgent multi-course lunches. It’s no accident that EROC’s mission includes strengthening national food supply chains, further enhancing Italy’s already stellar produce.

Wander the village grounds and the connection to food resurfaces time and again: rosemary, caper berry, bergamot, ginger leaf and liquorice flourish in the gardens; Parma violet drifts on the breeze; alfalfa and wheat grow in fields destined for Parmesan and pasta. In its mission and execution, Davines Village feels like the Noma of haircare.

Davines visionary approach to producing haircare products stands out in the beauty sphere, where ‘sustainability’ is so often reduced to a mere buzzword. ‘For consumers, choosing products made with regenerative ingredients means supporting soil health, climate resilience and farming communities,’ says Jackson. ‘It’s a simple but powerful act – one that connects beauty to a much deeper global impact.’

davines.com

The reissue of our dreams, no less. Afra & Tobia Scarpa originally designed the ‘Monk’ chair for Angelo Molteni in 1973. It was the first step of what would become a rich and fruitful relationship between the couple and the family manufacturer, and the chair quickly acquired legendary appeal among the design cognoscenti.

The ‘Monk’ is a proudly handsome creature – with leather (or canvas) back and seat stretched over a tubular steel frame, resting on wooden legs, arranged perpendicularly. The Scarpas felt it had a monastic simplicity, hence the name; we wouldn’t mind living in their monastery.

In its re-edition, Molteni is presenting the ‘Monk’ with a solid wood frame in American walnut, black oak or coffee oak, and with the addition of a lower, wider armchair version.

Musing on the reissue, Tobia Scarpa said: ‘We must allow what the past gifts us to continue expressing itself, to continue living; sometimes we must allow it to resonate in the present, to sing, in order to grasp all its potential and magic.’ Hallelujah.

molteni.it

Salone del Mobile 2025 takes place 8-13 April. Check our full Milan Design Week 2025 guide for the must-sees

This article appears in the May 2025 issue of Wallpaper*, available in print on newsstands from 3 April, on the Wallpaper* app on Apple iOS, and to subscribers of Apple News +. Subscribe to Wallpaper* today

Italian brand Molteni&C has teamed with Belgian architect and interior designer Vincent Van Duysen – its creative director since 2016 and the designer of a new pavilion at Molteni&C HQ in 2022 – to overhaul a historic palazzo in Milan. It's important to note that this is not a flagship store, showroom, or shop. Instead, Palazzo Molteni will serve as an open and flexible location – an 'urban pavilion', as Molteni&C puts it – that embodies its identity and values.

Situated in the heart of Milan, next to Piazza della Scala, Molteni&C's new address at 9 Via Manzoni combines neoclassical architecture with refined, modernist design elements. Van Duysen designed the interior as if it were the home of an art and design collector – an experience that unfolds over the building's seven floors and more than 3,000 sq m.

Since his appointment as creative director in 2016, Van Duysen has overseen the brand's global image, including the design of numerous flagship stores, exhibition stands, and new product lines. His influence has played a key role in defining Molteni&C's aesthetic and solidifying its standing in the design industry.

The opening rounds off what has been a busy year of 90th anniversary celebrations for Molteni & Co spearheaded by the release of 'Molteni Mondo: an Italian Design Story', a comprehensive monograph published by Rizzoli New York that showcases the brand's rich history, collaborations, and design philosophy.

Creating immersive 'brand experiences' rather than conventional retail stores is an approach that has gained popularity in the design sector in recent years, with companies such as Restoration Hardware, MetroEighteen and Vipp developing domestic or hospitality spaces that don’t sell so aggressively, but instead offer an opportunity to experience a lifestyle with room to relax, eat, drink, and enjoy art and design.

Palazzo Molteni at 9 Via Manzoni, Milan, is open now and will be officially inaugurated in April 2025, molteni.it

It can feel a little trite attempting to parse trends in design. Design is a slower industry than fashion, and developments tend to be more gradual, with incremental change from year-to-year. This is why we talk about decades having a readable personality as movements, rather than seasons. That said, design responds to the present and heralds the future, and it is always an interesting lens through which to view the forces and values that shape our lives and lifestyles at any given moment in time. In place of trends, it feels more appropriate to call these shifts.

Watch: global design director Hugo Macdonald and head of interiors Olly Mason on design worth celebrating

The shifts we’ve noticed in the past year stem from a combination of factors that are symbiotically connected. The world is a pretty scary place at the moment, and the sanctuary or sanctity of home is keenly felt. Comfort is hardly a trend, but we note the abundance of generously upholstered furniture entering the market. Examples that caught our eye include Hannes Peer’s ‘Pillow’ chair for Baxter, an outrageously cosy piece of furniture, as its name suggests. Faye Toogood’s ‘Squash’ collection for Poltrona Frau is playful, comfortable and utterly delightful.

Cassina returned Carlo Scarpa’s 1973 ‘Cornaro’ armchair to production – a beautifully bouncy padded room within a frame. We welcome this great ensoftening of seating; our busy minds and tired bodies deserve some plush pliability in place of the sharper forms and harder edges that we inherited from modernism and its offspring.

For all of their louche appeal, there is a resounding elegance to these pieces, and this handsome mood was prevalent in more structured furniture, too. Michael Anastassiades’ richly lacquered ‘123’ chair for Molteni & C has an almost liquid quality to it. The exquisite stone surface of Jean-Marie Massaud’s ‘Adrien’ table for Poliform is a strikingly smart, grown-up anchor for any space. Meanwhile, Giampiero Tagliaferri’s ‘Ethan’ coffee table for Minotti has an organically shaped surface that appears to float on its chrome-plated base. Jialun Xiong’s ‘Kaleidoscope’ side table, in tempered glass and aluminium, has an Eileen Gray-level of industrial sophistication.

To call these works ‘timeless’ would be lazy, but they definitely have a contemporary heirloom quality that rises above fashion or trend. They achieve that rare balance of quiet charm and archetypal confidence with vivid material expression. Clever, beautiful and eminently easy to live with for a lifetime or two.

Intriguing material developments and applications were in plentiful supply this year, as the quest continues with ever-more commitment from the design industry to find better, smarter, healthier solutions to replace our wanton ways.

The ‘Gathering’ lamp, by Faber Futures, is a beguilingly brutalist object made from biomanufactured materials. Sheyang Li’s spectacular ‘Aluminium Cast Connection’ chair is made from an industrial construction component, with joints forged by melting and forming the same material.

One of the more stellar discoveries of the year for us was Raphael Kadid’s ‘Philae AL’ modular bookshelf. In collaboration with surface technology firm BWB, each aluminium panel was hand-anodised to form a surface treatment that resembles abstract landscapes. Kadid was inspired by aerial photographs of bauxite mining sites. Bauxite is the world’s primary source of aluminium and the humble bookshelf thus becomes an ode to its mineral origins. Ingenious, poetic, ethereal, otherworldly.

A current seam in design that we are particularly enjoying is the celebration of analogue qualities, surely in response to the overcomplication of our increasingly digitised lives. There’s an empowering quality to living with furniture when you can read how it has been constructed and – deep breath – perhaps even assemble, fix or repair it yourself. If Ikea immediately springs to mind, think again – this low-fi movement is increasingly high spec. Anastassiades’ ‘Card’ bookcase for Molteni & C is effortlessly assemblable, while Formafantasma’s mesmerising ‘Superwire’ collection for Flos is a genius component system of glass tubes, each containing an LED light source, which can simply be clipped in and out to allow easy repair.

We could play all day with Jamie Wolfond’s aluminium ‘Set’ table lamp for Muuto; the shade reflects the light source and can be rotated up and down like a hefty corkscrew to manage your desired light intensity.

We were similarly tickled by the easy joy of Anna Karlin’s ‘Post’ floor lamp, which comprises just an illuminated tube strapped to a steel base. Complexity can be overrated.

Objects of a ritualistic function abound at the moment, which we understand as a consequence of paying closer attention to the quotidian domestic acts, turning mundane activities into moments of more ceremonial enjoyment.

We have chosen to highlight Barber Osgerby’s magnificent ‘Pilotis’ candlesticks for Puiforcat and Soft-Geometry’s steel vase, inspired by the fluid curves of the Malayalam alphabet. Both have a soothing serenity and, though we cringe to discuss mindfulness in the realm of lighting candles, there’s no denying they bring a meditative presence to any tabletop.

If it’s all getting a little earnest, take note of Tom Fereday’s sand-cast aluminium speaker for Pitt & Giblin, a veritable beast that puts the woof in subwoofer. Devin Wilde’s sculptural ceramics have a similarly powerful presence with their ancient cosmic forms and tactile glazes.

We round out our hoard of awards with Giles Tettey Nartey’s ‘Serwaa’ chair, a reinterpretation of the West African Lobi stool, here made from welded aluminium.

The surfacing of stories, ideas and voices that have gone unheard by our Western-centric design industry is an ongoing endeavour. With ‘Serwaa’, Nartey has reimagined the Lobi stool as an industrial creation, taking it out of its vernacular craft context and inserting it into the canon of idolised 20th-century furniture. An extraordinary sculptural object in its own right, it encapsulates the special power of design to bridge time and place, inviting us to ask questions about where we have come from and where we want to go.

A version of this article appears in the February 2025 issue of Wallpaper* , available in print on international newsstands, on the Wallpaper* app on Apple iOS, and to subscribers of Apple News +. Subscribe to Wallpaper* today.

Browse our Design and Interiors Award Winners for 2025

Bill Prince, Editor-in-chief

'This week I was hosted by Van Cleef & Arpels for the launch of their latest high jewellery collection inspired by Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island at Vizcaya, an extraordinary, mock-Italianate villa on the outskirts of Miami. The work of early 20th century industrialist James Deering, the setting - on Biscayne Bay - and the architecture, faithfully reproducing the style of the Veneto region of northern Italy principally in reinforced concrete, served as the perfect backdrop to a lively evening of entertainment topped off with a hornpipe performed by an athletic troupe of brigands. Not your average high jewellery launch, then.'

Jack Moss, Fashion Features Editor

'Yesterday evening I celebrated the launch of JW Anderson’s somewhat unexpected collaboration with Guinness at a special dinner hosted by creative director Jonathan Anderson at The Devonshire in Soho. The reason for the location? The buzzy Denman Street pub is purportedly the best pint of Guinness in central London (though I’m sure there are plenty of claims to this title – I’m not getting involved). Comprising sweaters and T-shirts adorned with Guinness logos and historic branding, it was first revealed as part of the designer’s S/S 2025 menswear show in Milan this past June. ‘When I was younger, I was obsessed by the Guinness campaign, [the one with] the horses running,’ he said at the time. ‘Not to be cliché and Irish, but there’s something nice about the iconography of Guinness... It’s been the same forever.’ The four pieces are available now on jwanderson.com and the brand’s London store in Soho.'

Hannah Silver, Arts & Culture Editor

'This week I marked the opening of María Berrío's exhibition at Victoria Miro gallery with a special dinner at Michelin-starred Italian restaurant Luca. The art is surreal, the food, sublime - all in all, the perfect London night out.'

Nick Vinson, Contributing Editor

'I spent four days in Vienna, with Wallpaper* Alumni Matt Hranek and Hotel Sacher. We started with a private tour with Carl Auböck IV of the 400 objects on display at Iconic Auböck; A Workshop Shapes Austria’s Concept of Design at MAK Vienna. A visit to Lobmeyr included looking through original sketches by Joseph Hoffmann and Oswald Haerdtl from 1919 and 1925 respectively. That was followed by a dinner in their historic store put on by Hotel Sacher, who got out their special hand painted porcelain from Herend for the occasion, commissioned by Anna Sacher and last produced in 1959. After dinner a quick visit to the 1909 American Bar by Adolf Loos. Saturday we snuffled around the flea market, retuned to the MAK to see Adam Štěch's Elements exhibition, and the Biedermeier and Baroque rooms. Dinner was even more splendid than the night before; Hranek likes to dress up so I donned my Berluti black tie, sipped Ruinart from Hoffmann’s Patrician coupes from Lobmeyr (no stemware works better), ate Beef Wellington off another splendid service from Herend in The Sacher's Grüne Bar and went dancing at Eden, a club built in 1911 by architect Rudolf Erdös. Vienna at its very best.'

Jason Hughes, Creative Director

'Zen surrounding and modern Japanese cuisine at Yakumo Saryo in Tokyo. Owned by renowned designer Shinichiro Ogata, the restaurant is a former Japanese mansion that has been transformed into a dining retreat with tranquil garden view. '

Ellie Stathaki, Architecture & Environment Director

'Having had a sneak preview tour of the new home of Thames Distillers in South London before it opened, for our article, a couple of months ago, I was delighted to join COO George, his wife and Wallpaper* contributor Fiona, and architect Zoe there for a drink earlier this week. It was lovely to see the space alive with action and sample the company's delicious product.'

Hugo Macdonald, Global Design Director

'I’ve been in Milan this week, meeting the great and good of the local design brands. Even after two decades, visiting the HQs of these mighty manufacturers still takes your breath away; their legacies are so much more than furniture. This trip I was charmed by a photo of Giuseppina and Angelo Molteni (the founder of Molteni) on their wedding day in Giussano, 1941. Such cockle-warming happiness and humanity.'

Charlotte Gunn, Director of Digital Content

'On Monday night MJ Lenderman brought his brand of alt-Americana to London's Garage. Lenderman is a wonderful wordsmith. His second, album, Manning Fireworks – one of my favourite of the year – is packed with comic tales of tragic characters from his home in the American south ("Go rent a Ferrari, and sing the blues / Believe that Clapton was the second coming") but there was a sombreness to his performance on Monday. Lenderman's hometown of Asheville was recently hit by a devastating hurricane and he took a break from the 'hits' (see Wristwatch, above) to play an eight-minute charity track, released to raise money for Asheville's residents, and remind us they've been 53 days without water. His delivery is deadpan, he's flanked with a band who look like they'd be better placed in a hair-metal tribute act but, in my opinion, he's singlehandedly making male guitar music interesting again.'

Kris Bergfeldt, social media manager

'I recently visited The Mercer Hotel in New York to see its newly renovated rooms and attend Japanese contemporary artist Yaman Nkymn’s exhibition '(Atomi:)WHITE2BLACK∈division'.

On arrival, I was greeted with big smiles in the hotel's elegant lobby and guest library. The new rooms were minimalist but cosy, with an air of sophistication about them. For the exhibition, they transformed one such space into a traditional Japanese living room, complete with three vintage TVs on the coffee table and stacks of classic Japanese anime VHS tapes. Despite being in the heart of SoHo with the terrace doors wide open, a sense of calm prevailed.

The exhibition itself was fascinating. I learned about Shinto philosophy—a belief that everything in the world possesses a spiritual essence—while exploring the artist’s comparison of the Japanese tea ceremony with anime, separated by 450 years. Rare and valuable items, some dating as far back as 16th-century Japan, were also on display. All in all, a memorable experience.'

As names for residential developments go, 'The Rock' might not instantly bring to mind aspirational living. Yet, as with books and covers, never judge a project by its name; 'The Rock' is in fact a rather spectacular new development in the Uruguayan coastal resort of Punta del Este, scheduled to open in 2026. Designed by celebrated Uruguayan-Canadian architect Carlos Ott, with interior furnishings by Italian heritage design brand Molteni&C, 'The Rock' is definitely more diamond than cave.

The Rock, Punta del Este

The development sits away from the town on a promontory (hence the name) and is a symphony of cantilevered terraces and panoramic views over the Atlantic coast. 'The Rock' will be home to 25 residences and three penthouses, all boasting breezy, open-plan layouts with plenty of indoor-outdoor moments to maximise coastal living.

The interiors are being masterminded by Molteni&C, calling on their experience and expertise to bring domestic worlds of the finest quality to life with a compelling combination of craft and soul. In the case of 'The Rock', we find a range of tailor-made fitted furnishings and more familiar freestanding pieces from Molteni’s extensive archive.

Kitchens will be anchored by the linear 'Hi-Line 6' model kitchen. Bedrooms will feature Vincent Van Duysen’s 'Gliss Master’s' walk-in wardrobe systems. Inside and out, in private and public areas, furniture has been chosen to support comfort and relaxation, with the residences intended to be homes for year-round living.

This being a Molteni&C project of course there is an air of refined elegance and glamour that graces details throughout, from materials and finishes to the smallest touchpoints that will connect inhabitants to their interior environments. It might be some time before The Rock is hewn into reality but, when it opens its doors in 2026, we have no doubt it will sparkle.

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Molteni & C Shanghai showroom opens its doors in the heart of the city, marking a key moment for the Italian company's expansion in China. Set over two floors, the 3,500 square meters Shanghai Flagship is the new home for the Molteni Group, encompassing offices for the China-based team, a double offering of furniture by Molteni & C and UniFor, and an Art Gallery. On site is also Molteni & C's indoor-outdoor Restaurant to expand the guests' experience.

Molteni & C Shanghai showroom by Vincent Van Duysen

'When I started thinking about [Molteni & C Shanghai showroom], I wanted to create the atmosphere of a Palace, a succession of ordered rooms, perspectives that highlighted the grandeur of the building, being able to visually cross it on the two spatial axes, the longitudinal and the transverse one,' says Vincent Van Duysen, the company's creative director. 'Silent but refined spaces, always different from each other, in size and finishes connected by a sculptural staircase, with details that refer to Chinese culture, in the classic sober/elegant Molteni style.'

Van Duysen's concept was inspired by the existing Brutalist building where the showroom is located, creating a restrained industrial-style architecture that adapts to the company's evolving needs. The existing concrete columns were left exposed, in contrast with the refined interiors created by the architect featuring metal dividers and well-proportioned elements framing the furniture compositions, while a bronze spiral staircase connects the two floors. 

On the ground floor, the interiors are arranged like a sophisticated residence, with spaces for dining, sleeping, lounging and more, effectively demonstrating the breadth of Molteni & C's offering. Key pieces marking the showroom's opening are Van Duysen's Mateo Table,  the Porta Volta chair by Herzog & de Meuron and iconic Gio Ponti designs, including the D.154.2 armchair. Molteni & C's wardrobe and storage systems have a special role in the space, with Van Duysen's Gliss Master walk-in wardrobe in the bedroom offering an overview of the company's capabilities. 

Upstairs, the Art Gallery is dedicated to showcasing Molteni & C's 90 year-history with exhibitions on design icons including Gio Ponti and Ignazio Gardella. 

Through the gallery, guests can enter the UniFor space (passing through a large customized double-sided glass door of the RP partition system by Renzo Piano), conceived as a place for both displays and a workspace for architects to explore the possibilities of the company's application to large-scale bespoke projects. 

Finally, the Charcoal Restaurant becomes a place to showcase Molteni & C's outdoor furniture collections, curated by Van Duysen to reflect a contemporary Mediterranean approach to design, as well as timeless Gio Ponti furniture. 

Molteni & C, B3-B, No.19 Wangda Road, Huangpu District, Shanghai

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A new book published by Rizzoli celebrates the world of Molteni & C, as the Italian furniture company marks its 90th anniversary in 2024. Aptly titled ‘Molteni Mondo. An Italian Design Story’, the tome features photography by Jeff Burton, artistic direction of Zurich’s Studio Achermann and is edited by curator Spencer Bailey with further contributions by Jean Nouvel, Jacques Herzog and Molteni & C Creative Director, Vincent Van Duysen among others.

As the new season gets underway, the brand has embarked on a suitably epic world tour (the clue was in the book's title) to launch the tome and meet Molteni's many fans in person. From Paris design week at the start of September to London last week, the latest destination was New York where the book launched yesterday in the hometown of its publisher.

From New York, the team will travel onwards to Como, Milan, Valencia, Boston, Belgrade, Barcelona, Shanghai, Melbourne, Geneva, Vicenza, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Luxembourg, Hangzhou, Kunming, Washington, Bucharest, Chicago, Wenzhou, Tokyo and Dubai. Phew.

The book’s over 400 pages are a true celebration of the many forces that contribute to this company, from the global designers that behind its contemporary collections to the richness of its archives and the world-class quality that originates from its manufacturing facilities.

‘[This book] is an almost cinematic story that affords an unprecedented and authoritative look at the present, past and future of the company,’ says Giulia Molteni, chief marketing officer of Molteni Group and third-generation of the founding family. ‘It traces the identity, relationships with architects and designers, history, symbols and distinctive features of this company, founded in 1934 in Brianza, the heart of the design district, by my grandparents Angelo and Giuseppina Molteni and today an independent global industrial group and leader in high-end furniture.’

The universe of Molteni & C is unravelled through Burton’s photography, capturing the puzzle of parts that contribute to making the company into what it is today. The book opens with a section dedicated to the Molteni family, gathered at the company’s Giussano HQ and photographed as if they were on a Hollywood movie set. Posing alongside the company’s CEO, Marco Piscitelli are two generations of Molteni, representing the force that drives the company forward. Molteni Group president, Carlo Molteni, is also captured riding a red bicycle around the industrial Compound, against a backdrop of the distinctive brick towers of the factory and the white Molteni trucks.

The book offers a bigger look at the spaces that are key to the company’s industrial and cultural history, from the Ron Gilad-designed cube that hosts the Molteni museum to Vincent Van Duysen’s Pavilion, the most recent addition to the complex. But Burton also offers viewers a glimpse into the company’s factories, guided by some of its historical collaborators and detailing every aspect of the manufacturing, honing in on materials and processes but also the textures and light pervading the workspaces, so much that you feel you are right there, where the magic happens.

An important part of the book is dedicated to the company’s creative collaborations, and featuring portraits of van Duysen, as well as the designers who contributed to the company’s exceptional design identity. Photographed interacting with the making of their pieces at the Molteni & C HQ are Patricia Urquiola, Yabu Pushelberg, Tobia Scarpa, Michael Anastassiades and Ron Gilad among others. A special section that concludes the book is dedicated to the work of Gio Ponti, of which Molteni&C is the only contemporary manufacturer through a collaboration with the architect’s foundation.

‘We bring together designers’ ideas, tradition and innovation, art and technology – inspiring and pushing ourselves to think ahead,’ says Giulia Molteni. ‘We exist to promote an art of living that is high quality and healthy for people and the planet. To do so, we give people the possibility to experience, belong, and live moments that inspire authentic and creative self-expression.’

Van Duysen, who has been closely intertwined with the family since becoming creative director in 2016, has collaborated on putting together this manifesto of the company’s creative and industrial universes. ‘With Mondo, we want to show the world of Molteni&C, which is unique,’ he says. ‘For me it is amazing to be part of their 90-year history steeped in excellence, heritage, and outstanding craftsmanship. The book is meant to be a mirror and a journey back on memory lane, a testament to what the brand and the family stand for, and have been promoting for nine decades. The excursus goes from the masters behind the heritage of the brand all the way through the talent and craftsmanship of artisans and personnel, to today.’

A true celebration of Molteni’s contribution to the Italian and global furniture panorama, the book is visually arresting and a successful mix of design history, celebration of the industry’s key players and a story of human success. ‘It’s a story that recognizes people, and human talent, as the greatest form of capital, not only the added value of an innovative company, but its highest and most lasting challenge,’ says Molteni. ‘At the centre is the representation of a world of objects and thoughts, ambitions and imperfections, rooted in the desire to continue to cultivate a deep knowing of how to do and how to be.'

‘Molteni Mondo. An Italian Design Story’, edited by Spencer Bailey, published by Rizzoli

$95 at rizzoliusa.com. Also available from Amazon
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For our 2024 horoscope, we asked Italian astrologist Lumpa for a detailed reading of each star sign's fortunes, and the design objects that identify them:

Lumpa: Happy 2024 everyone! Before proceeding to the annual destinies of the individual signs, I’d like to say something about the year ahead. 2024 is a leap year, and 29 February will be a day full of lucky surprises for some (and unlucky for others). It is a year marked by the transit of Saturn in the sign of Pisces, like in 1994, 1995 and 1996, so it will be easy to notice similarities with those years. So if you were born with Saturn in Pisces, or in the years mentioned above (but also between 1964 and 1966), watch out, as you might easily enter into crisis.

Unlike 2023, which was a very slow year, 2024 will seem to pass very quickly, because Mars and Venus will not retrograde (well, at least until December, let's say). It is a condition that can result in new love, and that makes couples thrive.

It will also be a Chinese Year of the Dragon, which according to tradition should bring rain after periods of drought (and possibly more children).

Wallpaper* 2024 horoscope by Lumpa

Aries

Even if early January is a bit annoying, a very important and beautiful year is about to begin for Aries. It could even be the first of a series, because future years will bring more growth. The year will be defined by a great life change and the beginning of a new cycle of luck. A wish is about to come true, in your emotional or professional life: you saw the first signs of it in 2023, even if that was still a tiring, stressful year. In 2024, you are going to consolidate a new step – it could be a new life, a new career, an important family event, or something in your private sphere. Children are on the way for many Aries. Signs of improvement will be noticed as early as February and March, with a peak in the birthday season. One of the happiest months will be August.

Design for Aries: Aries enjoy bold and colourful pieces – sometimes their choices can be playful or flashy. We picked a classic of Sottsass' Memphis era, a cacophony of colours and shapes. 

Taurus

Many Taureans will feel that just making it to 2024 is an achievement. Recent years have been difficult on many fronts: at work, as a couple, even in health. For many, self-esteem and personal power need to be recovered. The new year ushers in greater strength, physical health and even a bit of luck: the recovery begins. This is a year in which Jupiter will be in your sign and Saturn in your favour, a perfect condition for recovering energy. However, there are also changes to be made; in work, it is necessary to take a new direction and leave your comfort zone, something that is always a little difficult at first, but which will then succeed well. Overall, it is a good year for finances. Even in the area of affection, there is greater wellbeing – anyone looking for a partner, or just wanting someone alongside them, will find what they need.

Design for Taurus: When it comes to interior design, Taureans are big spenders. Always enjoying the most expensive pieces, their style is very classy and sober. Gio Ponti's classic designs feel like a natural fit for this discerning star sign. 

Gemini

2024 will be a memorable year for Geminis, mostly a lucky year, but not entirely easy to manage. Saturn in Pisces is in a critical position and the bearer of changes that are not always easy to implement. Saturn usually brings break-ups, at work and in love, and more generally, challenges personal growth. It is the planet that makes us age, as it brings mental heaviness. This year's events are somehow related to what happened in 2016/17, two critical years. However, there is also good news: the changes brought by Saturn can prove difficult to live with, but positive for your career, and indicate the moment in which you can make a real leap forward. Of course, nothing is free; it all depends on how serious and responsible you have been in recent years. What guarantees that things will go well is mostly the presence of Jupiter in Gemini, always a carrier of luck (and often new love). Those who have the courage to change will be rewarded.

Design for Gemini: Geminis discover new trends and embrace new concepts before everyone else: they fall in love with ideas and stories and their style is in constant evolution. Among the past year's design innovations that they would love is Samuel Ross' bathroom faucet evolution for Kohler. 

Cancer

The beginning of the year might not seem exciting, just as the arrival of the previous autumn was already stressful. 2024, however, is a lucky year, even very lucky for some Cancerians. Saturn and Jupiter are in favourable signs, indicating that there will be important positive news for feelings and finances. For many it is the beginning of a new life – perhaps they have changed jobs, cities, or have become parents (or are about to!), and sometimes the adjustment will be the cause of stress. There is some difficulty in January, and towards April and May. This is a very eventful year, in which there will be a lot of work and a lot of positive feedback. It will often be easy to lose patience, and the commitments will be many.

Design for Cancer: Cancerians love their homes; they're the couch potatoes of the zodiac and surround themselves with cosy and comfortable pieces. We've been eyeing this collaboration between Italian mill Lanerossi and Milan Triennale, resulting in a series of blankets that are a perfect mix of craft, culture and comfort. 

Leo

Leos will find that the future is easier to manage compared to the past couple of years. People of this sign have matured a lot, thanks to complex events and situations that have undermined much of their proverbial personal security. 2024 brings a comeback, but there are still issues to settle, and unexpected events. There will be periods that are not easy to manage, such as February/March and July/August, defined by great impatience. As soon as you understand what is limiting your freedom and find a way to resolve it (perhaps by changing your home, job, or partner), everything will be resolved. Some problems could come from someone you consider a friend, and I recommend you be careful not to take the trust you place in others for granted, because there is the risk of feeling betrayed and disappointed.

Design for Leo: Leos love to show off. They are allergic to mediocrity and choose objects and furniture that express their sense of grandeur. One of modern design's most impressive pieces, the Albero bookcase is both ingenious and sophisticated. 

Virgo

2023 was a tough year for many Virgos. There might have been physical tiredness, health problems, and a multitude of conflicts to manage. 2024 is less belligerent, less tiring, but nevertheless, there will still be things to manage. Saturn is in the sign of Pisces, therefore in opposition. There is a big change that must be faced to regain serenity. It is most likely to do with work, and Virgo is a sign that is always very slow to resign, tending to feel paralysed when faced with risks. The advice is not to wait until you are at your limit to abandon a suffocating situation. In other cases, problems may concern your love life; with Saturn opposite, we often break up. 2023 put relationships through a great stress test, so those who find themselves in a critical emotional situation are probably already aware of it. In 2024, there should be no bad surprises, only important issues to react to.

Design for Virgo: Virgos do a lot of thinking and rethinking before buying. They hate aesthetic arrogance and prefer a minimalist style. Their love for all things vintage made us pick this Ikea cabinet, timeless, modern and essential.  

Libra

I am optimistic for Librans in 2024. I have seen people of the sign mature a lot in recent times and become less self-centred, more aware and wise. There have been many changes in the relationships field, among partners and friends, resulting in a restyling of personal networks. In late 2023, Librans entered a new cycle of life; they have new goals, new allies and a newfound mental independence, and getting to this point wasn't easy (in many cases, relationships ended with suffering). 2024 is a carte blanche on which to begin reimagining your life. There will be new partnerships, in work, in love, and in the world of friendships. Rewriting your life requires great energy, first at the beginning of the year, and again in spring, times which will be intense. In short, 2024 will be a beautiful, but also tiring, year of construction, when important loves can blossom.

Design for Libra: Librans are known for their good taste in design, leaning towards sophisticated minimalism, and enjoy unique pieces known only to the few. They'd appreciate how special this chess set is, designed in 1950 by Carl Auböck and meticulously crafted by hand by the legend's descendants in their Vienna workshop. 

Scorpio

I am happy to be able to write a nice 2024 horoscope for Scorpios: you deserve it after some difficult years. The recent period has left you a little tired, from criticism and conflict at work, and disappointments in your love life. 2024 is the year when you feel more spirited, eager to show the world that difficulties stimulate you rather than take you down. There is a healthy desire to want more: more money, more love, more success – and you'll begin to see the results. The year begins well in January, with determination and planning, and generally continues well, but you will see cyclical setbacks in early March, early July, and even in August. These are useful in making you understand that to truly get more from life, you must also question parts of yourself that you didn't think you wanted to change. Pay attention when you feel impatient or suffocated – that’s when you will understand what you have to leave behind. Scorpios in their thirties must also pay attention to friendships: some people are not as good friends as they say they are.

Design for Scorpio: Scorpios love secrets and mysterious objects. Their taste can have an erotic touch, because they love to play with taboos. Fornasetti's expansive collection of ornate ceramics is their cup of tea, especially the designs at the more humorously kinky end of the spectrum. 

Sagittarius

2023 was a tiring year and Sagittarians will be hoping that 2024 helps them regain confidence. The year ahead will certainly be better, with less tiredness and fewer conflicts. However, Saturn is in a critical position, so there are still difficult issues to deal with. Saturn in Pisces brings a desire for solitude and, in some way, will dampen the enthusiasm and sociability of Sagittarians. It's a moment for introspection; trust this feeling and take advantage of it to look inside yourself. Other problems can come from the economic sphere; it would be better not to spend too much and to take good care of your accounts. At work, it is time to think about a change of direction and, for many, it will be easy to end professional relationships. Finally, the conditions in love are not the best and there could be crises, break-ups or, worse, the beginning of unhealthy relationships. A cycle that began around 2016 is about to end. March and April are the most difficult months.

Design for Sagittarius: Sagittarians don't think twice when it comes to buying, and they're heavy decorators. They enjoy dreamy objects with a history, and shy away from minimalism. We picked a Moroccan rug for them, a vintage piece featuring an abstract Berber design that is sure to be a showstopper in their home. 

Capricorn

2024 for Capricorns begins with great determination; there is a desire to do things and new projects are starting. A beautiful year begins with positive surprises and general growth; it's a good year for finances and for loved ones. The balance is very positive, but there will be moments of stress and tiredness. You seem committed to a new life project, and 2024 feels like a sort of year zero: everything will be under construction. A lucky event will surprise you towards the beginning of April, and its management will keep you very busy for the following two months. This will be trying on a physical level and will test your patience. As always, luck and prosperity never come free, and there will be a certain amount of effort to be made: it could be moving and even changing city. For others, there may be children on the way. Capricorn is not a sign that fears physical fatigue, but is more stressed when dealing with new things or doing something for the first time, in unknown territory. Arm yourself with patience: it will be a beautiful year.

Design for Capricorn: Extreme functionalism is key for Capricorns, who prefer old-school objects without ostentation. A contemporary turntable is the perfect match for them, utilitarian and nostalgic. 

Aquarius

Aquarians leave behind some difficult years, which have made them mature and acquire wisdom. From the birthday season, there will be a real restart. March and April will find you very busy, always at work. The second half of the year, from June, will be peaceful and bring some good news. There is the possibility of new loves, and those who find themselves in bad or unclear relationships will find the possibility of ‘jumping on a better train’, especially in June. Many understood what wasn't working in their lives in the summer of 2023, and 2024 is here to bring a turning point to that dissatisfaction. Aquarians are often slow to process changes, but this year, at a certain point, they will find an edge, greater confidence and therefore also the courage to assert themselves. Finances will also be positively affected by this change in attitude.

Design for Aquarius: Aquarians avoid the mainstream – they're the non-conformists of the zodiac. They enjoy concepts more than aesthetics and fall in love with designs with a twist – like these sunset lamps that add a mysterious glow to a room. 

Pisces

Everything that could have gone into crisis did so in 2023, a truly difficult year for Pisceans. There were conflicts, misunderstandings, physical exhaustion, and worry for yourself or others. 2024 will not reverse the situation 180 degrees, but it will be less trying on a psychophysical level. The problems that emerged in 2023 now need to be resolved. The first thing is to stop taking on other people's problems and emotions and put yourself first. Another important thing will be to ask for clarity and to always tell the truth; be transparent. You are in a period of personal growth, new developments in your career, and a general moment of maturation. However, none of this should be taken for granted, so the advice is to pay close attention to your mistakes, because they will not go unnoticed. The birthday season will be very important.

Design for Pisces: Pisceans have a particular sensitivity for beauty. They are very visual and imaginative, and feel the energy of spaces and objects. Sabine Marcelis' pastel resin and marble combo contributes to the soft atmosphere of their ideal interiors. 

Molteni&C announced an auction in support of the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF). For the occasion, the Italian furniture company has created a special edition of the ‘Porta Volta’ armchairs by Herzog & de Meuron, in a distinctive pink hue. The auction will be active on liveauctioneers.com until 31 October 2023, with 100 per cent of the proceeds being donated to BCRF. 

'The “Porta Volta” chair by Herzog & de Meuron marks a new chapter of collaboration between Molteni&C and the renowned international architectural firm, long-term partners of the Molteni Group,' reads a note from the company. The chair's design is defined by a solid wood frame, with a curved back whose enveloping forms stretch into armrests for added comfort.

Launched at Salone del Mobile 2023, the ‘Porta Volta’ armchair is connected to Herzog & de Meuron's Fondazione Feltrinelli at 327 Porta Volta, Milan, a location that also houses the Molteni Group's Unifor showroom in the city, whose interiors were designed by the Swiss architects. 

The Breast Cancer Research Foundation was founded by Evelyn H Lauder in 1993, and today it is the largest private funder of breast cancer research in the world. The foundation operates by investing in scientific research to examine all aspects of the disease, fostering cross-disciplinary collaborations between the best minds in science. 'BCRF is accelerating the entire field and moving us closer to the answers we urgently need to be the end of breast cancer.'

To learn more about the Breast Cancer Research foundation, visit BCRF.org

Bid for the ‘Porta Volta’ armchairs via liveauctioneers.com

Molteni & C's Salone del Mobile 2023 fair pavilion featured a hand-drawn intervention by Italian artist Roberto Ruspoli. Adding a new dimension to the classically sleek fair stand, the design combined the soft versatility of the company's new collections with the gentle trait of the artist's signature work.

The murals were part of artistic director Vincent Van Duysen's vision for the 2023 presentation, bringing to life his approach to the art of living and merging indoor and outdoor spaces within the fairground booth. 

The space is based on an ancient Roman Domus, whose living environments are developed around a central courtyard (featuring Molteni & C's outdoor collection, which made its debut earlier this year). Van Duysen was also inspired by the 1933 house by Pier Giulio Magistretti in Milan, whose architecture integrates modern and classic elements throughout.

The collection includes new designs by Van Duysen, such as the Mateo table and Augusto sofa, as well as pieces by Naoto Fukasawa including the Tuscany chaise longue, and Herzog & de Meuron's Porta Volta chair, originally conceived for the reading room of the Israel National Library in Jerusalem.

Watch: the making of Molteni & C's Roman Domus by Roberto Ruspoli

'I like being able to interact with contemporary design, creating something that somehow trascends time' says Ruspoli, whose work forms the backdrop for Molteni & C's sophisticated living sets.

Titled 'Virgilio's Dream', Ruspoli's intervention adds a poetic aura to the fairground pavilion. The space is created as the imaginary room of the young poet Virgil, a place where poetic visions are formed: hand-drawn in black chalk, the drawings feature classical stylised elements, including plants and stylized humans.

'Contours, lines, and anthropomorphic figures stand out in a monochromatic space, contaminated by ancient forms revisited with a modern twist,' adds Van Duysen. 'The classical gives way to the contemporary, in a stylistic ecstasy that breaks the patterns of space and time, to find itself in the here and now.'

'My work is like jazz, it usually comes into existence the moment I create it,' adds Ruspoli. 'The crucial part is a contemplation of the space: each space will tell me what it needs.'

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Discover the Wallpaper* guide to Salone del Mobile 2023 and Milan Design Week

For his debut offering for Molteni & C, Japanese designer Naoto Fukasawa has taken stylistic cues from his own heritage and merged it with shapes inspired by the Italian furniture brand’s native landscape to create the ‘Tuscany’ chaise lounge. 

With its undulations reminiscent of the region’s rolling hills, the lounger was designed, says Fukasawa, ‘so that you can lie on it and doze off while gazing at the hills in the distance. The soft and ergonomic cushions conform easily to the contours of your body.’ 

The lounger’s structure has been expertly moulded to follow the natural lines of the body, its fluid silhouette presenting a form that is both visually harmonious and deeply relaxing. The smooth, rounded legs are made from solid wood and are connected by a metal H-frame, providing a sturdy yet stylish base for the chaise longue, which is available in two versions: eucalyptus with satin brass or Sunrise oak with stainless steel. 

Six square cushions, which are available in materials from Molteni & C’s textile collection and are connected to one another by carefully hidden zippers, form an articulated whole that neatly hugs the structure.

Meanwhile, a rounded headrest moves independently and is balanced by a metal dowel held by adjustable straps to hold it in place. ‘Tuscany’ embodies the idea of comfort, seamlessly blending form and function to create a piece that captures the finest traits of both Japanese and Italian aesthetics.

As part of Molteni & C's new offering is also an armchair by Fukasawa and new designs by the company's creative director Vincent Van Duysen. 

Salone del Mobile, Fiera Milano Rho, Hall 4, Stand B06

Molteni & C, Corso Europa, 2, Milan

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Look out for more May 2023 issue of Wallpaper*, on sale 13 April, for more Salone del Mobile previews. Wallpaper* is available in print, on the Wallpaper* app on Apple iOS, and to subscribers of Apple News +. Subscribe to Wallpaper* today

Molteni & C makes its outdoor furniture debut this spring with two complementary collections celebrating our connection to nature and a refined approach to the home. Giulia Molteni, Molteni Group’s chief marketing officer, sees this as a natural progression for the brand. ‘Nature is an integral part of our life,’ she says. ‘It’s a connection that aims at rediscovering seasons, colours and the pleasure of the outdoors.’

Molteni outdoor furniture by Vincent Van Duysen: heritage meets contemporary aesthetic

Overseen by Belgian architect Vincent Van Duysen, the collections merge sophisticated contemporary silhouettes with noteworthy older designs, touching upon the design codes that have defined Molteni & C throughout its almost 90-year history. In his six years as creative director of Molteni & C, Van Duysen has combined his minimalist rigour with the company’s Mediterranean roots, creating products and interiors that reflect what he calls ‘a broader cultural aura’.

This concept was taken to the next level in late 2022, when Molteni & C unveiled a new pavilion at its Giussano HQ in Lombardy, designed by Van Duysen. Framing a new showroom and restaurant for the company, the pavilion is punctuated by two cloistered gardens cultivated by Italian landscape architect Marco Bay, mixing plants with different textures and heights to express the idea of nature evolving over time. This space provides the perfect backdrop for the launch of Molteni & C’s outdoor furniture, which feels perfectly at home within Van Duysen’s rigorous architecture.

‘It was important for me to create collections that are really Molteni products, where I could really feel not only the heritage but also the core aesthetic we have developed in those six years,’ says Van Duysen.

The new offering encompasses two collections: Landmark, featuring sinuous seating based on an unrealised 1994 design by Luca Meda (who served as creative director for the company from 1968 until his death in 1998), and Timeout, an aluminium furniture range that expresses Van Duysen’s affinity with modernism. The outdoor catalogue also pays tribute to design masters, past and present, who have contributed to Molteni’s history, including Gio Ponti, Ron Gilad and Foster + Partners, whose ‘Arc’ table from 2010 has been reissued in a new outdoor edition as part of the launch.

A contemporary take on Meda’s design, the Landmark collection has a softer edge, characterised by a fluid frame and woven teak construction (also available in olive green EVA polyurethane) that encases the textile upholstery. Molteni’s carpentry savoir-faire comes to life in this modular seating system that adapts to different approaches to outdoor living.

Contrasting in style and proportions, the Timeout collection is a modernist-inspired series that includes a two-seater sofa, armchair, dining chairs and table, a sunbed, stool, bench and low table. Van Duysen was inspired by fer forgé (wrought iron) traditions to create an elegant language through slim profiles. ‘I am modernist in heart and soul, so this collection is more architecturally oriented, rigorous and linear,’ he says. His usual rigour is expressed through a bent aluminium band, coated with burnished paint that was chosen for the colour’s connection to the natural world. Wooden tops, woven elements and upholstery lend a touch of softness to the collection.

The launch is completed by two Gio Ponti pieces that bring the Italian architect’s distinctive silhouettes to the new outdoor dimension. The classic ‘D.154.2’ armchair, borrowed from the indoor catalogue, becomes a sophisticated addition to an open-air space. Alongside, the company has reissued the ‘D.150.5’, a sun lounger originally designed by Ponti for the Andrea Doria cruise ship in 1952 – a testament to Molteni’s ability to mix design history with modernity.

While the collections are independently conceived, Van Duysen stresses that they are intended to be combined, thanks to the rich series of textiles. Designed by long-term collaborator Marta Ferri, these match Van Duysen’s desire to connect the pieces with nature, through a series of woven textures, as well as geometric and organic patterns with a subdued, warm palette.

‘The outdoors has become extremely important,’ says Van Duysen, whose vision for Molteni & C encompasses every area of living. ‘To create this collection, I searched for an idea of softness and wellbeing, of organic playfulness with an architectural vision. I was inspired by modernism to recall that idea of permeability and transparency between internal and external spaces, and that intimate connection with light and nature.’  

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A version of this article appears in the April 2023 issue of Wallpaper*, available in print, on the Wallpaper* app on Apple iOS, and to subscribers of Apple News +. Subscribe to Wallpaper* today

The Molteni & C compound in Giussano, 30km north of Milan, evolves constantly, making it a fitting representation of the furniture behemoth. Home to its HQ and factory since 1934, the compound is also an architectural treasure trove, where Molteni’s creative collaborators have left their marks over the years. Examples include Ron Gilad’s 2014 Glass Cube, which was recently transformed into the Molteni Museum, and Patricia Urquiola’s 2006 Spazio Q alla M (a multimedia centre dedicated to the company’s past and future), as well as a four-storey 1950s showroom, designed by Luca Meda with elements by Aldo Rossi, with whom he often collaborated.

‘The compound is a testament to the history of Molteni & C and the great names of design and architecture that have worked with the company,’ says Molteni’s chief marketing officer Giulia Molteni. 

Molteni & C has now unveiled a new chapter in the compound’s architectural history with a pavilion complex by its creative director, Belgian designer Vincent Van Duysen, adding a hospitality element to the brand experience. The starting point for the design, which is Van Duysen’s first architectural project for Molteni, was Meda and Rossi’s showroom, which is punctuated on one side by a discreet colonnade.

Those columns inspired the pavilion, which is designed to serve as a reception area and restaurant and hospitality space surrounded by cloistered gardens. The ground floor of the showroom has also been redesigned and has since been dubbed the Luca Meda Room, in honour of the designer’s work as Molteni’s creative director from 1968 until his death in 1998. Meda was instrumental in the company’s transformation from being a traditional maker of classic furniture to a global contemporary design brand.

Vincent Van Duysen and Molteni & C: minimalist rigour and Mediterranean flavour

When Van Duysen joined the company in 2016, the scope of the collaboration was to merge his minimalist rigour with a Mediterranean flavour, something he has demonstrated over the years with products and interiors. ‘Molteni is interested in seeing its pieces come alive in the context of architecture, placing them within a much broader cultural aura,’ says Van Duysen. ‘This interaction and synergy between architecture and furniture relates to the art of living in a very modern way.’

The designer feels that the new building blends well with the original 1950s architecture. ‘It’s a continuation of that language that I took over in a modern but not obstructive way. It has a lot of respect for the existing building. The extension represents Molteni’s determination to create a holistic, all-round experience.’

The design encompasses a series of covered walkways, lined with thin black columns, that lead visitors around the complex, from the security check-in area to the reception and restaurant and to the ground-floor showroom. The cloistered gardens are by Italian landscape architect Marco Bay, who created a discreet composition, mixing textures and heights to express the idea of nature evolving over time. The outdoor spaces will also be used to showcase the brand’s outdoor furniture collections, launching next year.

Molteni restaurant: redefining hospitality at the Giussano HQ

The restaurant will be a key aspect of the pavilion, and will form an innovative approach for Molteni & C: overlooking the gardens, the space is both minimal and warm, featuring glass and concrete, with light oak walls. ‘The collaboration with Vincent has always followed the evolution of living,’ says Giulia Molteni. ‘Since the pandemic, we have deemed it a necessity to reach a simplicity of forms, shedding the superfluous and looking to incorporate warmth, lightness and attention to detail.’

Everything in the space was designed by Van Duysen, from the benches inspired by his ‘Paul’ sofa to new tables designed for the occasion and the ‘Janet’ chairs, a 2022 addition to the Molteni & C catalogue. The architect also conceived the lighting in collaboration with Nemo Lighting.

The restaurant’s details create an atmosphere that reflects the Italian » approach to hosting, and its interiors ‘represent the soul of the company,’ explains Giulia Molteni. For the table settings, Molteni & C enlisted Italian food writer and television personality Csaba dalla Zorza, who worked closely with Van Duysen to select objects that connect with his aesthetic vision, while the food offering was entrusted to the Bergamo-based Vicook, a branch of local three-Michelin-starred restaurant Da Vittorio, whose gastronomic offerings include Italian classics such as paccheri al pomodoro (a pasta dish served with generous helpings of slow-cooked tomato sauce and Parmesan) and cotoletta alla Milanese (deep-fried breaded veal cutlets).

‘We are proud to host within our compound a piece of architecture designed by our creative director,’ says Molteni Group chairman Carlo Molteni. ‘A contemporary addition that is integrated into the historic site and signals the company’s path towards the future.’

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A version of this article appears in the December 2022 Entertaining Issue of Wallpaper*, available in print, on the Wallpaper* app on Apple iOS, and to subscribers of Apple News +. Subscribe to Wallpaper* today

Italian furniture company Molteni&C succeeds in a rare feat: promoting contemporary design through collaborations with the likes of Michael Anastassiades and Jasper Morrison, and preserving the legacy of design’s legends, from Gio Ponti to Aldo Rossi through its Heritage Collection. The company’s painstaking work in collaboration with foundations and archives has brought back to life icons of the past that have been lovingly revisited and seamlessly integrated into a contemporary design collection. 

Ignazio Gardella’s ‘Blevio’ table is the latest addition to this ongoing portfolio of reissues, in collaboration with the Gardella Historical Archive. Originally designed in 1930, the table was a unique piece conceived by the architect for his family home, Villa Usuelli in Blevio, on the shores of Lake Como. The design, which a note from the company fittingly describes as ‘harmonious and timeless, combining the purest features and intrinsic simplicity’, is simply characterised by an elongated top with curved edges, supported by semi-cylinders on each side.

While the original table was coated in copper (a material that would be difficult to use in contemporary furniture manufacturing), Molteni&C’s research and development team substituted it with a metal powder varnish to create the same shine achieved by Gardella, but with greater resistance. For the tabletop, two versions are available, a wood top with a metal powder varnish as well as Breccia Capraia marble.

The formal, sculptural simplicity of the ‘Blevio’ table looks surprisingly modern for a design created nearly a century ago. While at Villa Usuelli, the table was part of richly decorated environments, its new iteration imagines it as a transversal piece that can adapt to a multitude of spaces. 

‘The Heritage Collection is forward-looking, as it safeguards the group’s artistic and cultural heritage for future appreciation,’ continues the company’s statement. ‘A duty of choice, a legacy to be treasured and enhanced.’ 

INFORMATION

The ‘Blevio’ table is on view at the Molteni&C showroom during London Design Festival 2022

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ADDRESS

245-249 Brompton Rd
London SW3 2EP

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Set on a cliff on the Amalfi Coast, Borgo Santandrea reopens after a four-year restoration of the 1960s property, led by architect Rino Gambardella. The hotel combines classic Mediterranean style with a newly infused midcentury approach, featuring works by local artisans and furniture by Gio Ponti produced by Molteni&C that complements the hotel’s white and blue colour scheme.

For the project, Gambardella enlisted a local team that includes ceramicists, artisans working in wood and metal, as well as tile masters Cotto Vietri, who created a motif throughout the building inspired by a contemporary interpretation of decorations found in Pompeii and Herculaneum. Landscape designers Philip Adiutori and Gaetano Amato created a series of terraced gardens using local flora including olive, lemon and pomegranate trees, winter jasmine, and myrtle.

Throughout the hotel, arched passageways frame the sea view, with the serene atmosphere enhanced by the discreet colour palette and combination of ancient references and modern architecture. 

Gio Ponti’s furniture looks perfectly at ease in the space (his Parco dei Principi hotel in nearby Sorrento remains a legendary Amalfi Coast feature), with the relaxed forms of his ‘D.153.1’ and ‘D.156.3’ armchairs adorning the hotel’s lounge areas, while the more compact ‘D.151.4’ chairs, alongside the Italian architect’s coffee tables, complement the rooms’ living spaces overlooking the sea. 

Borgo Santandrea’s co-owner Maurizio Orlacchio stresses that the renovation of the hotel has been focused on making it feel like a home, with the strong collaboration with the local artisanal community a key part of the project. He says: ‘It has been a beautiful challenge over the past four years to restore the property and we feel proud to have brought so many talented artisans and iconic Italian brands together to create a one-of-a-kind hotel that is truly Made in Italy.’ 

INFORMATION

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The factory and the museum have become symbols of our age. They represent work and culture respectively, two apparently distinct fields of life. Today, though, this distinction is less clear-cut. Factories tell their stories through museums, explaining to the world how work itself produces culture and how culture affects industry. The Molteni Group is well aware of this relationship and invited Ron Gilad to rethink its museum at its HQ in Giussano, north of Milan, an exhibition space with a short but storied history.

Molteni Museum by Ron Gilad in Giussano

The original museum, designed by Jasper Morrison in a renovated factory building, was opened in 2015, bringing together 48 key Molteni Group designs. A year earlier, the company had opened the Glass Cube, a 400 sq m space designed by Gilad for temporary exhibitions. More recently, Morrison’s display was removed to make way for extra showroom space and Gilad was charged with repurposing his transparent pavilion, in the lush green of the company park, to provide a setting for the group’s permanent collection of historic furniture as well as for temporary exhibitions. 

The new museum is divided by angular walls that create a series of distinct spaces. Historic photographs and documents are presented on a system of wooden boards. What was an open courtyard at the heart of the building has been covered to create a central gallery, now with a large skylight and perfect for hanging two-dimensional pieces, whereas the spaces that make up the rest of the pavilion are much more agile and able to feature objects and large items of furniture. 

The series of right angles that make up the new layout give an idea of perspective from the outside and create movement. The perimeter of the perfectly square building is almost entirely transparent except for the solid walls that serve as the two external sides of a new enclosed courtyard positioned in one corner. What was space for electrics and services has now been opened up with internal glass walls apparently floating on the white gravel.

This part of the museum features designs by Gio Ponti, and Afra and Tobia Scarpa, and Aldo Rossi’s theatre seats designed in collaboration with Luca Meda. Another section explores the technological innovations that have resulted from collaborations with the likes of Norman Foster, Jean Nouvel, Rodolfo Dordoni and Vincent Van Duysen. 

As with any good contemporary museum, physical artefacts are given digital context. Molteni has produced documentaries and digital animations that chart the company’s history; these are screened within the new museum and available online. 

INFORMATION

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ADDRESS

Molteni Museum
via Gioacchino Rossini 50
Giussano

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Billed as a tribute to lightness, Jasper Morrison’s ‘Tea’ chair for Molteni & C is the British designer’s second creation for the Italian luxury brand – the first being the ‘Ink’ home office, a cosy bureau made entirely of American walnut. Morrison’s predilection for wood is key to this latest design, presented at Salone del Mobile 2021: the ‘Tea’ chair’s frame is made entirely of solid eucalyptus, black oak or natural oak, a simplicity that outlines and reveals the profile of the chair in its entirety. 

‘My intention with the “Tea” chair has been to update the traditional wooden-framed, upholstered dining chair,’ explains the London-based designer. ‘The upholstery has been reduced to a surface rather than a volume, which is hidden within the frame. So the comfort is a slight surprise and the visual heaviness that upholstery usually brings has been eliminated.’

The chair’s backrest is also precisely thought through: ‘I chose to give it a more rounded backrest shape and to keep the backrest relatively low, because I dislike the way tall-backed dining chairs hide the table,’ says Morrison.

Blending elegance and ergonomics, the ‘Tea’ chair’s seat and backrest are clad in cold-moulded polyurethane foam and available in the entire Molteni & C textile and leather collection, in a choice of nearly 150 colours. These include Andromeda canvas fabric in sandy hues; Kupido linen in earthy tones; a range of bouclé fabric in dark blues and browns; bright green velvets; deep purple Sunniva wool and grey textured Luxor leather.

‘Working with Molteni has been very smooth, they gave me a completely free rein,’ says Morrison. ‘The development took quite a long time due to the pandemic, and the complicated part was integrating the upholstery into the frame and maintaining a good level of comfort, but I’m satisfied we achieved that.’

We’re inclined to agree – the elegant result, more of a light green tea than a builder’s cuppa, is certainly to our taste.

INFORMATION

From £1,258

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George Yabu and Glenn Pushelberg on their ‘Surf’ sofa for Molteni & C. The company has released a video interview with the Canadian designers, discussing their work and inspirations

Yabu Pushelberg discuss their inspiration and design journey

From their beach retreat, Yabu Pushelberg discuss the origins of their collaborative practice and their design ethos, based on a ‘building block’ system, starting with simple ideas and essential concepts and adding visual complexity from there.

‘It’s curiosity that drives us,’ says Yabu, noting how growing up in Canada helped develop their aesthetic from something humble that ‘resonates with people around the world.’ Starting out as a two-person company, Yabu Pushelberg have gone on to design some of the most sophisticated interiors as well as elegant furniture, lighting and objects. ‘Our passion is not business, our passion is design,’ adds Pushelberg, noting how this passion has become the driving force that helped them achieve more complex projects since the studio’s founding in the 1980s. 

‘Growing up in Toronto, at that time it was pure modernism, that really inspired us,’ says Yabu: the relationship between design and architecture has been very important to the duo, who, as Pushelberg puts it, their focus has been on ‘making things that are complete and this is part of the symphony of music of architecture and design.’

The designers mention their ‘Surf’ sofa, designed for Molteni & C, as a perfect embodiment of the current flexibility around life and work. ‘People want options for where they live, flexibility, and so that’s how we came up with ‘Surf’,’ says Yabu. ‘We live in a more fluid way, this is really like a piece of sculpture,’ echoes Pushelberg. 

The sofa is perfectly at home in their beach house: designed in collaboration with Stelle Lamont Rouhani Architects, the seafront home is nestled within the dunes of Napeague Beach and is defined by custom wood cladding that submerges the house in the natural landscape.

INFORMATION

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‘Imagination and fantasy can only blossom from the knowledge of the real,’ said the architect Aldo Rossi. The epigram appears in the Blue Notebooks, a personal and professional journal Rossi started in the late 1960s. It was a discipline he maintained over three decades, filling 47 volumes, which continue to offer an insight into his unique take on the poetry and practicalities of architecture and a wider creative life.

Born in 1931, he died just before the turn of the century. In that time, he established a reputation as one of the 20th century’s leading architectural voices, and was the first Italian to win the Pritzker Prize, in 1990. Rossi cut a distinctive figure with his expansive creativity, passion for any kind of talent and virtuosity, and solid belief in the vital role of the architect within society. He had an appreciation for film, theatre and books, which informed his take on architecture and the city as an organic environment. ‘One cannot make architecture without studying the condition of life in the city,’ he stated.

He is now the subject of an extensive retrospective exhibition at the MAXXI National Museum of 21st Century Arts in Rome, while his iconic ‘Piroscafo’ bookcase is being reissued in a new edition by Molteni & C, one of his longstanding collaborators. 

‘Aldo Rossi, The Architect and the Cities’ at MAXXI Museum in Rome

In 2001, the museum acquired 2,000 graphics and drawings, 1,895 photographs, 11 models and 30 files of documents from his archive for its permanent  collection, which now form the backbone of the retrospective. ‘We are proud that such an extensive and comprehensive exhibition is presented in Rome’, says the museum’s president Giovanna Melandri.

‘Aldo Rossi, The Architect and the Cities’, curated by Alberto Ferlenga, is born of a collective effort involving the museum, heirs Vera and Fausto Rossi, and Aldo Rossi Foundation curator, Chiara Spangaro, as well as various international institutions. Spangaro says: ‘Rossi had always been an intellectual and a designer with an articulated vision without borders, and he continued to investigate the connection between past and future, to bring his historical and theoretical reflections and his architecture from Milan to Italy and the world.’ 

The exhibition explores Rossi’s extraordinary influence, both practical and theoretical, and particularly of his ideas around urban vitality and renewal. His 1966 masterpiece, The Architecture of the City, is still a canonical text for architects and urban planners. Rossi had a special sense for cities: having experienced the horrifying destruction of the Second World War, he felt a real commitment to rebuilding his country – but applied the same passion and ideas all over the world and in diverse cultural contexts. Ferlenga adds that Rossi had ‘the sensitivity of a poet and the depth of a scholar’. 

The exhibition has been divided into two main sections, one covering Rossi’s work in his own country (including the San Cataldo cemetery in Modena, designed with Gianni Braghieri in 1971 and still unfinished, and the Theatre of the World in Venice, designed in 1979), while the second explores his work abroad (including the Bonnefanten Museum in Maastricht, Disney’s Celebration Place in Florida, the Hotel Il Palazzo in Fukuoka, and the Quartier Schützenstrasse in Berlin). Rossi was a committed traveller and passionate about the value of travel, as witnessed in his theoretical approach and his activity as a designer; the Theatre of the World, conceived for  Paolo Portoghesi’s 1980 Venice Architecture Biennale, was a floating theatre, positioned in front of Punta della Dogana for the duration of the event, and then sailed to and from Dubrovnik before being dismounted. 

‘Piroscafo’ bookcase by Aldo Rossi for Molteni & C

Rossi’s ability to think in big and small scales is clear in furniture designs such as the ‘Piroscafo’ bookcase (the name meaning ‘steamship’ in Italian), conceived in 1991 for Molteni & C, with his friend Luca Meda, who then served as art director of the Italian company. Molteni & C and its sister company, UniFor, are sponsoring the exhibition, and contributed original pieces from its archives as well as creating the museum’s display cases.

The ‘Piroscafo’ could be regarded as a floating palace in which imagination and fantasy can sail free. Its design, featuring long, unbroken, windowed walls of wood and glass, references the houses on the rocky, windy Atlantic coasts of Portugal and Galicia, which Rossi discovered during one of his trips. The idea of a boat interested the architect, who, in his creations, was keen on abstract associations: a charming object in the middle of the ocean, able to move people and things. Conceived like a building, it becomes host to objects, clothes, displaced memories, dreams and hopes. After 30 years, Molteni & C is now re-editing it in a warm spice colour with eucalyptus interiors.

The idea for the bookcase came during a winter walk in Perugia. One cold afternoon, Rossi and Meda were walking through the Centro Fontivegge, the headquarters of Umbria’s regional council, which Rossi had designed. Construction had begun on the building in 1982 but had then been partly terminated in 1989, leaving numerous parts unfinished. Carlo Molteni, owner of Molteni & C and UniFor recalls, ‘The two were deep in conversation, but suddenly they stood still, their gaze fixed on the building’s large green glass façade, next to a chimney from the former Perugina chocolate factory. And here comes the stroke of genius: turn the façade of the building into a glass-fronted display cabinet! In just a few months, their intuition took concrete form and, at the 1991 Salone del Mobile in Milan, four large compositions were presented, two featuring white façades and two with Prussian green, in a place of pride at our stand.’

Rossi became close to the Molteni family, even advising Molteni’s daughter Francesca on her choice of university subject (she is now a leading director of design films). Recalls Carlo Molteni: ‘Aldo Rossi has been crucial for us, he was a guide. His legacy is very important to Molteni & C and UniFor, and he defined the company’s history for almost 20 years. Today, our intention is to re-edit some of his most significant pieces to be part of the Heritage Collection, which includes other masterpieces, among them Gio Ponti and Afra and Tobia Scarpa.’

INFORMATION

‘Aldo Rossi, The Architect and the Cities’, until 17 October 2021 at MAXXI

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For the past few years, Molteni&C has been quietly working on a radical digital revolution, which culminated in recent initiatives such as a virtual experience of their Giussano showroom, the Off the Record series of design webinars connecting with its design community, and the Molteni @ Home digital design service. Now the Italian furniture company takes this further with a new e-commerce platform, debuting in the US this week before being rolled out globally in 2021. 

The timely retail venture features iconic Gio Ponti designs (previously available online through a partnership with 1stDibs), as well as new pieces by the company’s creative director, Belgian architect Vincent Van Duysen, and designers such as Rodolfo Dordoni and Michael Anastassiades. Milan-based curator Caroline Corbetta (a long-term collaborator of the company) has selected a series of contemporary artworks and sculptures from emerging Italian artists, placing the furniture collections at the centre of an ecosystem where design, interiors and culture collide. The project offers white glove delivery and installation and is supported by Molteni’s vast US retail network to offer localised customer service.

‘We chose a hybrid mix, with ready-to-buy products from stock as well as a catalogue of pieces that can be configured and made to order,’ says Giulia Molteni. The platform will offer a fully customisable collection, with modular configurations and hundreds of variants of textiles, leathers and finishes available thanks to a especially-developed 3D configurator. An online consultation service will act as a real-time buying guide, with the option of scheduling an interior design consultation.

‘More than ever, we believe that the digitalisation of our processes is a fundamental way to reach our global customers. Smart, dynamic and flexible initiatives allow us to refine and accelerate our dialogue and guarantee quality and functionality – two core elements of our business,’ Giulia Molteni continues. ‘Our company has always looked to the future with an innovative approach; this is one of our main assets and the reason why we set this process of digitalization in motion. Molteni&C considers innovation as our main resource, and with this in mind we have become more and more digitally-minded, to be able to approach our customers’ needs more efficiently.’

INFORMATION

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Molteni&C has unveiled a virtual portal that offers guests an immersive experience of its new showroom, designed by the company’s creative director Vincent Van Duysen at the Giussano headquarters and now available through an online portal.

‘Daily life pushes us to perceive the spaces also in a virtual way, dreaming and imagining of crossing the two worlds,’ comments Van Duysen, who was tasked to imagine a multifunctional space that represented a domestic environment and gave a context to the company’s timeless design collections. 

‘We thought of creating a house, alternating all the domestic spaces, such as kitchen, living area and sleeping area, in the same way as we design private homes,’ says Van Duysen. ‘The central theme was the transition between one room to the next: just like in the Milanese palaces, we emphasized the doors as portals between the rooms, working with metal finishes and a sober and elegant design.’ His approach is apparent in the showroom’s entrance, a sort of visual manifesto for his work at Molteni&C: ‘for me it is important to enter and feel immediately in a safe and welcoming space, it is from here that you start taking in Molteni’s soul and house.’

The inspiration for the project, the architect explains, came from his several talks with the Molteni family, and from their desire to open to new horizons and markets, while looking at the cultures of the world. ‘We worked on the spatial hierarchy of environments, with architectural elements such as columns or fireplaces, stairs and double heights to enrich the visual and sensory experience,’ continues the architect. Each room is discreetly designed to represent different interpretations of living and being, as he calls them, ‘different souls’.

One of the key pieces from this year’s collections which features in the space is Van Duysen’s Hector bookcase. ‘For me this is definitely the protagonist, a versatile system with infinite configurations designed to be a room divider or wall mounted, that lends itself well to become an integral part of new environments.’ The space also includes the new Half a Square table by Michael Anastassiades, characterized by a minimal design based on a triangular shape that gives structure to the piece. 

Just as important as the physical visit, the immersive virtual tour (available via molteniexperience.com) discreetly guides visitors through the showroom, allowing them to explore its rooms freely or through a floorplan – replicating the experience of navigating a space in person and understanding its context. Clicking on the rooms’ contents opens up a detailed guide which includes accurate information on each piece complete with information on the design, technical drawings and data sheets. The virtual showroom is developed on the fine line between experiential and informative, becoming an escape as well as a practical tool to explore the furniture collections by Molteni and Dada kitchens. 

The experience of a global pandemic and working in isolation has informed Van Duysen’s design as well as the dual fruition of the space. ‘It was a reflective and introspective moment, during which we thought about the essence of design and the importance of wellness and wellbeing, sustainability and the beauty of inner peace.’

INFORMATION

A tour of Molteni's new showroom is available through molteniexperience.com

‘From the beginning, we tried to bring a contemporary interpretation of an Italian Villa to LA,’ says Molteni&C’s creative director, Vincent Van Duysen of the furniture brand’s new Californian showroom that opens its doors today. Settled within the design district of West Hollywood, the 7,600 sq ft space melds the Antwerp-based architect’s purist flair with the warm Californian energy of midcentury history.

Rubbing shoulders with fashion boutiques like Stella McCartney, and design players RH Modern and Ligne Roset, the new Molteni&C flagship is an understated addition to Robertson Boulevard – ‘the showroom does not reveal much on the street side,’ Van Duysen tells Wallpaper*, when describing the discreet and muted tones on the storefront. ‘The discovery mainly happens when you enter the store and the first encounter is a living space with a fireplace as focal point.’

Inside, a balanced villa-style arrangement is made using the Italian brand’s wares, which Van Duysen describes as a mix of ‘introvert and intimate spaces.’ Hallmarks of Italian 20th-century architecture and allure invite the visitor into the Molteni&C world, as with many of its flagships, with highlights including the Slide Armani Dada kitchen and the Master Dressing system that together elevate the charming west coast environment.

Textures like the raw complexion of travertine marble and black oak create the foundations, allowing for collections by the likes of Rodolfo Dordoni, Ron Gilad, Foster+Partners, Jean Nouvel and Patricia Urquiola to thrive. Framing the space are Molteni&C’s historical pieces by Gio Ponti – a motif across many of its showrooms. ‘The same DNA of Molteni&C has been applied in terms of colours, materials and structure. There is always a reference present to the company’s Italian heritage, translated in an architectural way,’ Van Duysen explains.

Walking along the boulevard and into the flagship, you can’t miss that conceptual ebullience that infiltrates Moteni&C spaces – ‘[they have the] same red thread everywhere,’ Van Duysen describes the empire of Molteni&C stores that now harbour in New York, Singapore and beyond.

ADDRESS

147 N Robertson Blvd
West Hollywood
CA
90048

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‘I’ll sleep when I’m dead,’ they used to say. It’s becoming increasingly clear, though, that sleep deprivation can hurtle you towards the ultimate lights-out, and bedtime has never been more important. Design duo Neri & Hu would agree. Their new project for Molteni & C, the Twelve AM collection, launching at Salone del Mobile, has a bed at its heart. ‘We designed this bed as the ultimate resting place, but we also wanted it to be more than that,’ says Rossana Hu, who founded the studio with her work and life partner Lyndon Neri.

Indeed, by combining the bed with accessories and add-ons, ranging from side tables to a desk or shelf attachment, the designers have elevated the simple mattress and frame to a multifunctional hub.

The bed’s smooth eucalyptus frame sits upon slim steel legs, while colours remain relatively neutral, with accents provided by small leather details. A curving headboard adds an element of privacy, but also supports a long cushion upholstered in either fabric or leather.

If you wake up in the middle of the night with the burning desire to sketch your next design or pen your new novel, the desk attachment tacked onto the back of the headboard provides the perfect spot. Need a place to put your glass of water? The two circular side tables that hook over the top of the bed have it covered. The bed can be equipped with a bench at its foot for additional seating, while there is also a separate, tall-backed valet bench.

Part of Neri & Hu’s research process saw the pair travel to Molteni & C’s HQ on the outskirts of Milan to study the brand’s archive, which includes classic pieces by the likes of Aldo Rossi and Gio Ponti, alongside more recent collections by Vincent Van Duysen, Michele De Lucchi and Jasper Morrison.

‘The most important brief Molteni & C gave us was to make sure we respect its heritage with our sight to the future,’ say the designers. ‘We decided to design a piece of furniture that initially could be seen as one-dimensional but ultimately can be used during the day and at night.’

When it launches at this year’s Salone del Mobile, the collection will mark the first partnership between Molteni & C and the Shanghai-based designers, who established their practice in 2004 and seem to have never taken a day off since.

During the week of the Milan fair alone, the pair will also be launching a host of other collections – for Artemide, Paola C, Poltrona Frau and Stellar Works. Given their prolific output, you might think the pair had designed this multitasking bed with their own needs in mind. But as for their own resting habits? ‘We definitely need more sleep,’ they say.

As originally featured in the May 2019 issue of Wallpaper* (W*242)

INFORMATION

Twelve AM by Neri & Hu is on view 9-14 April. For more information, visit the Molteni & C website and the Neri & Hu website

ADDRESS

Molteni & C
Fiera Milano Rho
Hall 20
Stand A01 B04

Molteni & C
Corso Europa 2
Milan

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A design heavyweight arrives on London’s Brompton Road in the form of Molteni&C | Dada’s latest flagship shop. Spanning five windows stretching over a prime corner spot across from the V&A, this latest locale offers up a refined backdrop to showcase the Italian brand’s sophisticated designs. Dreamed up by creative director Vincent Van Duysen, the new flagship pulls from Molteni&C | Dada’s long history as a stalwart of Milanese style. Following long-standing locations in Fitzrovia and Covent Garden, Brompton Road clocks in as their third destination in the city.

‘The Molteni&C | Dada stores have to follow the same principle as my architecture,’ explains Van Duysen of his process in arriving at the shop’s design, ‘pure, getting to the core, while achieving an authenticity. The store is in synergy with the architecture, the location surrounding it and the brand interacting with it.’

Made up of 700 sq m spread over two storeys, the shop’s upper level is articulated by a series of imposing arches left in situ from the original architecture, a typical Knightsbridge-area home. Van Duysen then washed the plaster walls with a sober palette of roughly stuccoed grey, diffusing the space with a staid Milanese elegance that brings to mind the city’s stone-lined streets. Laid out like a lush apartment covering kitchen, living room and bedroom concepts, projects including the ‘VDD’ kitchen, the ‘Gliss Master’ wardrobe system and collections by Jean Nouvel and Patricia Urquiola, all sit pride-of-place in the shop’s vast picture windows.

‘We use noble materials,’ explains Van Duysen of the sublime interiors, ‘[they] refer to the earth tones and colour palettes that are reflected in the frescoes of northern Italy.’ This reference carries seamlessly through from Molteni&C | Dada’s New York flagship, newly opened in May. Both locations speak largely with the same vocabulary, drawing on opulent materials like marble-travertine and richly hued walnut sourced from the brand’s northern Italian home base.

A grand walnut wood staircase leads to the shop’s lower floor, an intimate space that makes excellent use of a series of small, structural alcoves and striking spotlighting to create a series of mise-en-scènes showing off some of the brand’s most celebrated collections. Here, Gio Ponti’s covetable ‘D.156.3’ armchairs, part of Molteni&C | Dada’s heritage collection, sit alongside a ‘Turner’ sofa in grey and Foster + Partners sleek ‘AVA’ bookcase.

Adding an ounce of colour amongst all the tranquillity, Milanese art curator Caroline Corbetta devised a selection of contemporary paintings for the flagship, part of The Collector’s House project that launched last year at Salone del Mobile. Six budding painters from Rome’s Galleria Operativa were chosen to line the walls, lending an experimental flourish to the well-polished space.

INFORMATION

For more information, visit the Molteni&C Group website

ADDRESS

245-249 Brompton Road
London
SW3 2EP

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It would be easy to imagine the Molteni family living in a sort of show home, a homage to sleek modernity surrounded by all their factory’s latest pieces. In reality, while Casa Molteni has iconic qualities (it is, after all, the work of Tobia Scarpa, son of Carlo Scarpa and a major Italian architect in his own right), it is a much-lived-in, much loved, 30-year-old home. The three-storey house is located near the family business in Brianza, the furniture capital of Italy, where the brand rubs shoulders with the nation’s other big names – Cassina, Cappellini, Minotti, Flexform, Poliform and B&B Italia.

Casa Molteni sits in a lush sloping garden in a gated community, just outside the village of Carimate. But this is no over-manicured development. The gate-keeper at the main entrance operates out of a cavern-like office embedded into the landscape and covered in vines, and on the Moltenis’ own gate, their surname has been written below the buzzer in pencil.

The land – originally the local castle’s vineyards and orchards – was sold in the 1960s and turned into a golf course and housing plots. Of the Moltenis’ neighbouring houses, around a dozen are by noted architects of the 1960s and 1970s, including Vico Magistretti's Casa Cassina. But while many other residents treat their houses as weekend retreats, the Moltenis have lived here full time since the house was completed in 1986 – this is where Molteni & C’s president Carlo and his wife Luisella brought up their three children, Francesca, Giulia and Giovanni.

Molteni&C had been working with Scarpa since 1972, and as well as designing furniture, the architect had revamped Molteni’s showrooms in Milan, Rome and Paris. So Carlo felt confident in giving him a pretty open brief.

‘The Scarpas (Tobia and architect wife Afra) had built themselves a very simple but interesting house in Trevignano,' says Carlo. 'It was very dramatic and without any doors. I wanted ours to be similar to that, but a little bit more normal.' Casa Molteni does have some doors – all floor to ceiling in birch with iroco trim – but not many, so the eating and sitting spaces segue into one another.

In fact the Scarpas' own house, rather than being replicated, served as inspiration. For a start, it was on a very different sort of site – flat and surrounded by vineyards – whereas, says the architect, who is now in his late seventies: 'this house is on a hill and the light plays a particular role. I remember that during the conversations with the family I discovered that 
Mrs Molteni was a great lover of gardens and flowers.' The idea of the house in Trevignano was left in the background as a leitmotif, allowing Scarpa to work on creating a building that would take advantage of the plot and make allowances for a large Japanese cherry tree and other existing flora.

The result is an L-shaped plan, with a basement for car parking, services and staff quarters; extensive communal living spaces, inside and out, on the ground floor; five bedrooms on the first floor arranged around a balcony; and a roof terrace with views to the Alps, Lake Como and Milan. Journeys between floors are made up and down an unobtrusive, space-saving staircase – there are no big sweeping, mansion-style gestures here.

The entrance is just as unassuming. Once through the gate, visitors make their way up a winding brick stairway to a low-key front door. This opens onto one of several living rooms, and immediately you know you’re in a special place, furnished with many of the newly reissued Gio Ponti collection for Molteni & C.

Off this living room is a small study with a multi-hued Vitra sideboard – Molteni distributes the Swiss manufacturer in Italy. This is the only ground floor room with a curtain rail at the window, but Luisella never got round to putting curtains up as she likes to be able to see her garden, created by landscape architect Margheriti Piante.

The main living space is an informal dining room that leads straight on to a sitting room with a fireplace that stretches the full length of one wall. The family is keen to point out the Venetian stucco detailing on the curved mantelpiece, and Guilia has no qualms about homing in on a small portion where the paint is missing. As a child, she would fashion her own awning out of a sheet to keep the sun out of the room. This sheet was then stuck to the stucco causing the paint to come away.

The family takes their casual meals at a long 1980s Luca Meda prototype dining table, sitting on Aldo Rossi chairs from the same period. From here they can see straight out to the covered patio through a pair of double-height French windows. 'These doors are always open in the summer and it’s like living outside,' says Carlo. Above this space is the balcony, and Guilia has fond memories as a child of hanging over it to listen in on the adults’ conversation.

Off the large kitchen, with its Molteni units and Carrara marble work surface, is the more formal dining room, dominated by a heavy 1940s oval table that used to sit in the president of the Bank of Italy’s boardroom. Luisella admits that when the children were young it was a noisy house – hardly surprising given all the Venetian-style cement-and-gravel flooring (with not a single rug in sight on the ground floor), brick and cement walls and iron beams. But she likes the industrial chic of the shell, which reminds her of the sparse interiors of the art galleries of Manhattan in the 1970s.

Yet because these materials are offset by the warm wooden doors and window frames, the colourful artwork and the eclectic mix of wood and upholstered furniture, the Casa Molteni never feels cold or unwelcoming. It's also rich with design invention from earlier decades. 'With all the prototypes around, the house is like an archive,' says Carlo. 'Sometimes I surprise myself with the good pieces we made in the past.'

As originally featured in the December 2012 issue of Wallpaper* (W*165)

INFORMATION

For more information, visit the Molteni & C website

Although it has a home in almost every port, Molteni & C’s newly opened New York showroom knows no comparison. As the largest of the Molteni Group’s spaces, the Madison Avenue flagship brings Molteni & C, Dada and UniFor together under one roof for the very first, and only, time.

Designed by Vincent Van Duysen, the new jewel in Molteni’s crown brings extra sparkle to an already chic stretch in Manhattan’s NoMad district. Surrounded by furniture and kitchen showrooms, Molteni’s concept to create an elegant Italian home assures that it stands out.

‘From the beginning, we tried to bring a contemporary interpretation of an Italian palazzo to Madison Avenue, with a reference to the company’s Italian heritage,’ says Van Duysen. ‘You feel like you are not in New York anymore. The store transports you to an Italian environment through the use of materials and the mixture of textiles, all based on the perception of a real Italian palazzo. The travertine on the floors and the monumental arcades emphasises the rigorous architectural aspect without forgetting the warm and welcoming environment. Throughout the space, the colour palette refers to old frescos found in the Lombardy region.’

With over 12,500 square feet at its disposal, the flagship boasts four storefront windows and two levels that are connected by an elegant wood-hewn staircase inlaid with travertine marble. Peppered by luscious, glass-enclosed gardens, the space has been carved into areas dedicated to the living room, office, bedroom, kitchen and dining room, which seamlessly transition from one to another at a natural rhythm.

‘The central walnut staircase is the masterpiece of the whole store [and] the most prominent architectural element within the space,’ states Van Duysen, who is also the creative mastermind behind the brand’s memorable booths at Salone del Mobile and several other retail locations. ‘Although the existing retail spaces were very generous in scale, the presence of very large round concrete columns from the tower building above created an extra difficulty since these structural elements were located in very random positions.’

He adds, ‘The challenge was to work around these elements in order to create an interesting flow of different rooms and experiences. In most cases these columns are hidden [but] in some rooms we assumed their presence as part of the design becoming a feature within the space and the result is very interesting.’

In such environs, Molteni not only showcases its newest and most celebrated designs, but also the fruit of its cultural initiatives that also adorn the space. Curator Caroline Corbetta has assembled an assortment of artworks by young artists born in the 1970s and 80s, together with sculptures by Santo Tolone and pop hieroglyphics by Stephen Felton.

INFORMATION

For more information, visit the Molteni & C website

ADDRESS

160 Madison Avenue
New York
NY 10016

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Gio Ponti’s ‘D.859.1’ table was originally designed to sit atop a Manhattan skyscraper. It was the centerpiece of the Milanese master’s most extensive project in New York: an auditorium perched on the eighth-floor terrace of Harrison & Abramovitz’s Time & Life Building. When it first opened its doors in 1959, Ponti’s auditorium was the ultimate gathering place for the sharply suited businessman. Indeed, it was intended to woo advertisers and facilitate high-powered business meetings for Henry Luce’s Time Inc, then at the apex of a mighty media industry. Hoping to beef up his profile in the Big Apple, Ponti had rained down on that little space all the lustre of Italian luxury he could muster.

A 1960 issue of Architectural Forum describes the chapel-like space as bordering on the Baroque, its floors ‘a grand lava flow of marbleised sheet rubber in yellow with streaks of green, and dark blue’. Its walls were ‘punched with luminous-colored glass block’, and its furniture ‘neo-art-nouveau, [with] as many joints as a praying mantis’. The table, at 3.6m, was long enough to comfortably fit ten people. Originally made of solid ash, with curving splayed legs like flying buttresses, it held an impressive tabletop tapered at either end that felt years ahead of its time.

The Time & Life auditorium was met initially with breathless regard, but gradually fell out of favour. As time went on and styles evolved, the space was locked up. It was unceremoniously gutted in 1981 and its pieces sold off at international auctions. Happily, 60 years later, a piece of this crown jewel has been revived for a wider audience.

Launching at Salone del Mobile, the ‘D.859.1’ table is the latest project to emerge from Italian furniture giant Molteni & C’s ten-year exclusive licence with the Gio Ponti Archives. The collaboration began in 2010 during a visit by Carlo Molteni, the company’s president, to the studio of photographer Paolo Rosselli, Ponti’s grandson. A bookcase caught the furniture magnate’s eye. ‘He was immediately drawn to it,’ says Francesca Molteni, Carlo’s daughter and the company’s director of special projects. ‘He didn’t immediately know it was by Ponti, but he knew there was something special about it. It turned out to be a piece that had never been widely produced.’

The bookcase in question was the ‘D.357.1’, designed for Ponti’s family home on Milan’s via Dezza. Like much of Ponti’s furniture, it was a one-off piece created only for that particular space. Astounded that a major design by one of the greatest midcentury architects could live hidden for years, Carlo hatched a plan to let Ponti’s forgotten gems see the light of day.

‘We did a lot of research with the Gio Ponti Archives,’ says Francesca. ‘We found pieces that hadn’t been produced industrially, or had just been produced for one-off projects.’ Following the green light from Ponti’s heirs, Molteni & C got to work recreating and preserving the designer’s lesser-known works. ‘We need to sustain the strong legacy of Italian masters,’ explains Francesca.

Salvatore Licitra, another of Ponti’s grandsons, oversees the archive and works with Francesca to decide which pieces will go into production. Having already released pieces including an armchair from the Ponti-designed Villa Planchart in Caracas and a side table from Ponti’s via Dezza home, both parties agreed it was time to add a showstopper table. The ‘D.859.1’ table hadn’t had much of a life beyond the Time & Life building. Molteni & C had to rely on the vast trove of technical drawings in Ponti’s archive to recreate it.

‘Ponti invented furniture like this because he would have liked to have made it widely available,’ says Licitra, ‘but the industry wasn’t sophisticated enough to produce such pieces.’ The Architectural Forum review describes the curves of Ponti’s furniture as ‘beyond the capacity of American mechanical civilization’. Though he often worked with American company Singer, more complicated designs, including the ‘D.859.1’ table, were made by artisans in Italy. Now, with the advent of machines capable of shaping wood into Ponti’s fluid lines, Molteni & C is able to produce the table on a larger scale. ‘He was always ahead of his time’, says Licitra.

As originally featured in the May 2018 issue of Wallpaper* (W*230)

INFORMATION

The ‘D.859.1’ table is at the Molteni & C booth from 17 – 22 April at Salone del Mobile. For more information, visit the Molteni & C website

ADDRESS

Hall 20, Rho Fiera
Strada Statale Sempion, 28
20017
Milan

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Left, Lemaire

A jolt of colour contributed to Christophe Lemaire and Sarah-Linh Tran’s ode to German aesthetics of the 1970s and 1980s.

Shirt, £270; trousers, £395; shoes, £340, all by Lemaire


Right, Christopher Kane

The designer’s saccharine yet sensual domestic goddess favoured frothy ruffled details and scarlet shades.

Coat, £3,995, by Christopher Kane. Earrings, £225, by Fay Andrada

As originally featured in the February 2018 issue of Wallpaper* (W*227)

Far left, Céline

Powerful proportions informed Phoebe Philo’s collection, like this draped dress with an accentuating leather waistline.

Dress, €4,500, by Céline. Earrings, €635, by Proenza Schouler. Tights, £35, by Wolford


Left, Lanvin

In a collection inspired by our fragmented digital age, different looks were spliced together, such as this utility-focused boiler suit and jacket.

Coat, £2,250; jumpsuit, £2,650; collar, £280, all by Lanvin


Right, Jil Sander

As part of their debut for the German house, Luke and Lucie Meier offset monastic shapes against skin-baring chequered fabrics.

Dress, £2,220; culottes, £560, both by Jil Sander. Earrings, £240, by Ambush. ‘Stromboli’ table, €5,800, by India Mahdavi

Left, Dior Homme

Sharp tailoring was offset by a soft nostalgia, evoked by ribbon scarves bearing the Rue de Marignan address of the Dior men’s studio in Paris.

Jacket, £1,600; trousers, £590; scarf, £230, all by Dior Homme. Shoes, £387, by Pierre Hardy


Right, Dior

Maria Grazia Chiuri paid homage to Niki de Saint Phalle, this trench coat nodding to the French-American sculptor’s bold use of colour.

Coat, £4,700; boots, £1,150, both by Dior

Left, Raf Simons

There were Japanese elements to the Belgian designer’s offering, which featured oversized blazers buttoned across the chest in homage to the cut of a kimono.

Blazer, €1,239, by Raf Simons


Right, Hermès

Workwear stitching and movement-friendly shapes did the heavy lifting in Véronique Nichanian’s relaxed offering.

Shirt, £590; trousers, £540, both by Hermès. Scarf, vintage, from Kiliwatch Paris. ‘CH23’ dining chair, £569, by Hans J Wegner, for Carl Hansen & Søn

Left, Saint Laurent

Anthony Vaccarello continued his love affair with the 1980s with voluminous puffball silhouettes inspired by vintage haute couture.

Dress, £12,855, by Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello. Earrings, €635, by Proenza Schouler


Right, Louis Vuitton

For his Hawaii-inspired collection, menswear director Kim Jones juxtaposed monogrammed surfer tops with oversized Wall Street suiting.

Jacket, £1,950; shirt, £600; top, £440; trousers, £650, all by Louis Vuitton. ‘D.156.3’ armchair, €4,524, by Gio Ponti, for Molteni & C


Far right, Louis Vuitton

Meanwhile, head of womenswear Nicolas Ghesquière used leather to add a modern edge to the high necks and wide collars of regimental frock coats.

Coat, £7,500, by Louis Vuitton. Earrings, £225, by Fay Andrada

Left, Gucci

Part of a catwalk collection that blended gender, genre and decade, Alessandro Michele’s gently flaring suit has real retro flair.

Jacket, £1,310; shirt, £355; trousers, £435; shoes, £2,070, all by Gucci


Right, Loewe

The Madrid-based house celebrates contemporary craft in this reinterpretation of the trench coat, shredded into curling streams of fabric.

Coat, £4,890; boots, £725, both by Loewe. Earrings, €635, by Proenza Schouler. ‘Henri’ bench, €4,860, by India Mahdavi

Far left, Prada

The women’s collection sported polka dots, plastics and fake folds, emphasising Miuccia Prada’s fascination with punk, 1950s fashion and trompe-l’oeil. 

Coat, £1,810, by Prada. Earrings, €635, by Proenza Schouler


Left, Prada

For menswear, her triple-layered silhouettes looked to comic strips, retro spacesuits and colour-blocked bowling shirts.

Coat, £3,005; shirt (tan), £435; boiler suit (red), £1,030, all by Prada


Right, Ermenegildo Zegna

Alessandro Sartori matched sports-luxe silhouettes with organic shades, as seen in this combo of caramel overcoat and trousers with jogging bottom detail.

Coat, £2,860; trousers, £800, both by Ermenegildo Zegna Couture. Shoes, £340, by Lemaire. Scarf, vintage, from Kiliwatch Paris. ‘Henri’ table, €11,880, by India Mahdavi

Left, Proenza Schouler

With this corset-detail overcoat, Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez gave outerwear silhouettes an eveningwear vibe.

Coat, €3,170, by Proenza Schouler. ‘D.156.3’ armchair, as before


Right, Chanel

Karl Lagerfeld took on the elements with plastic fantastic double-breasted coats, rain hats and gloves.

Coat, £11,740, by Chanel. Earrings, €635, by Proenza Schouler. Tights, £35, by Wolford. ‘Henri’ bench, as before

‘Kite’ armchair, from €1,733, by GamFratesi, for Porro. ‘Formakami’ lamps, from £133, by Jaime Hayon, for &Tradition. ‘Woodlines’ rug, from £652, by Naja Utzon Popov, for Carl Hansen & Søn. ‘Offset’ coffee table, £1,485; stool/side table, £308, both by Philippe Malouin, for Resident. ‘Pin’ bowls, from $27, by Jonas Wagell, for From the Bay. ‘Chrysalis Cocoon’ floor lamp, from £2,099, by Marcel Wanders, for Flos. ‘Bonsai’ sofa, from €3,676, by Claesson Koivisto Rune, for Arflex. ‘Fondale’ vase, £284, by Office for Product Design, for Rosenthal. ‘Jeu de Signes’ fabric panels, part of the Voyage à Kyõto-Shi collection, £161 per m, by Misia

‘Alfred’ table, price on request, by David Dolcini, for Porada. ‘Jens’ chairs, from £1,173 each, by Antonio Citterio, for B&B Italia. Pinch pot, £40, by Constantinos Hoursoglou, for Shibui. ‘Piippu’ pot with filter holder, €165, by Kaksikko, for Skagerak. ‘Ceramics’ pot, SEK3,320 (€340), by Carina Seth Andersson, for Fogia. ‘Taranto’ rug, part of the Fresco & Nimbus collection, £1,367 per sq m, by Luke Irwin. ‘Bankside’ sofa, from £1,888, by Jasper Morrison, for B&B Italia. ‘T’ lamp, £2,121, by Marcel Wanders, for Moooi. ‘Salix’ fabric, £135 per m, by Sahco

‘Sign Filo’ chair, €1,409, by Piergiorgio Cazzaniga, for MDF Italia. ‘Kanji’ lamps, from £430, by Denis Guidone, for Fontana Arte. ‘Blau’ low table, from €1,050, by Fran Silvestre, for Gandia Blasco. ‘Yixing’ ceramics (scattered throughout), from £40, by Christopher Jenner. ‘Ren’ magazine rack, £1,404; side table, £1,536, both by Neri & Hu, for Poltrona Frau. ‘Cato Blues’ rug, part of the Mosaic collection, from £15,783, by Luke Irwin. ‘Torii-S’ stool, £179, by Satoshi Seto, for Karimoku New Standard. ‘20.Venti’ desk, from €4,494, by 967Arch, for MDF Italia. ‘Hven’ armchair, DKK3,995 (€537), by Anton Björsing, for Skagerak. ‘Wander’ light, $250, by Jonas Wagell, for From the Bay. ‘Pensée Masaï’ fabric, part of the Rêve de Burchell collection, £147 per m, by Misia

‘SW’ sofa, from £2,597, by OeO, for Stellar Works. ‘Rift’ mirror, from €4,440, by Giancarlo Bosio and Centro Ricerche, for Giorgetti. ‘Grey Sari Silk’ rugs, part of the Sari Silk collection, price on request, by Luke Irwin. ‘Jens’ chair, from £1,173, by Antonio Citterio, for B&B Italia. ‘Georg’ stool, £239, by Chris Liljenberg Halstrøm, for Skagerak. Bureau, £3,080, by Patricio de Arkaia, for Arkaia. ‘Gaia’ pendant, €798, by Emiliana Martinelli, for Martinelli Luce. ‘Noah’ bed, from €3,785, by Philippe Allaeys, for E15. ‘Kosi Bank’ bench, €1,336, by Moritz von Schmeling, for Zeitraum. ‘Night Owl’ table lamp, £122, by Nicholai Wiig Hansen, for Republic of Fritz Hansen

‘Axy’ table, from €2,545, by Claudio Bellini, for MDF Italia. ‘Dash Dot’ desk set, $425, by Quentin de Coster, for Othr. ‘AP’ stool, £290, by Shin Azumi, for Lapalma. ‘Teorema’ stackable unit, £883, by Ron Gilad, for Molteni & C. ‘Splendido 1000’ rug, price on request, by Matteo Thun, for Object Carpet. ‘Float’ stool, €550, by Nendo, for Moroso. ‘Cutter’ bench, £639, by Niels Hvass, for Skagerak. ‘Tokyo’ chaise longue, from €4,750, by Charlotte Perriand, for Cassina. ‘Cupolone’ pendant, £389, by Elio Martinelli, for Martinelli Luce

Illustrator: Tishk Barzanji. Interiors: Amy Heffernan. As originally featured in the January 2018 issue of Wallpaper* (W*226)

Wearing two professional hats as a designer and scenographer, Constance Guisset had, to some degree, an advantage in preparing her solo show at Le Musée des Arts Décoratifs; knowing the subject as well as anyone, she could present her objects and her creative process with extra touches of whimsy and introspection.

A decade into her prolific career, Guisset has resisted a retrospective staging, instead organising her carte blanche invitation as two corresponding parts. For the first, titled ‘Museum Life’, she interspersed a selection of her streamlined, liveable designs throughout the museum’s permanent collection of medieval artifacts. As one example, the oversized ‘Trois Conversations’ statement seating with its dégradé red to yellow canopy is surrounded by circa-1500s polychrome sculpture. As another, her ‘Sol’ armchair for Molteni & C, her tableware conceived for Monoprix earlier this year, and her cape-like lamps for Moustache recast a carved wood Renaissance table with 21st century flair.

‘When you put your things in a collection, you introduce a counterpoint and I’m playing with that,’ she explains during a walkthrough with us. Playing indeed, seeing as how, in several scenarios, she has given voices to the inanimate objects. In the room that ‘Plume’, her new modular bed for Cyrillus, shares with an oak-framed canopy bed, a recorded conversation imagines them as Millennial nephew chatting with a wizened uncle. ‘The typology is almost the same,’ she explains of the beds. ‘I find it really interesting to be integrated through the dialogue – and then there’s the pleasure of looking, too.’

As visitors enter into the second part, ‘The Life of Design’, they pass through a darkened room colonised with white ‘Vertigo’ hanging lamps, arguably her most recognisable creation. Here, the bulbs have been removed, and spotlights emphasise their airy spokes and undulating shape. They’ve been suspended lower than usual and twirl without effort so that they appear theatrical – animated in a different sense. On the walls are algebraic formulae produced by Laurent Derobert, an ‘existential mathematician’, that apparently represent abstract states of movement and order (fittingly, one of them is labeled Inconstance).

It’s worth pointing out that Guisset chose ‘Actio!’ as the name of the show, which as a Latin noun, is the origin of action. By this token, each room reflects a thematic verb accompanied by a free-verse poem, establishing a more conceptual, interpretative approach than usual. ‘Take Flight’ includes her travel kit for Louis Vuitton’s Objets Nomades series (2012) and her propeller-style jewellery in collaboration with Arteum and Galerie MiniMasterpiece; whereas ‘Seduce’ features ‘Apollo’, a beautiful lamp prototype that conjures up a lunar surface in plaster, in addition to edited furniture designs that showcase her way with curvy forms.

Those who often associate Guisset’s style with a liberal use of vibrant hues – in 2012, she received the Wallpaper* Design Award for ‘Best Use of Colour’ – might be surprised to discover the extent to which this is downplayed. She insists she wasn’t about refuting that reputation so much as signalling how it is situation specific. As proof, her premise for ‘Live’ involves two identically furnished spaces, whereby one is in colour and the other is greyscale. Both radiate different personalities yet they are equally inviting. For Guisset, this underscores the fluid, adaptive nature of her work. ‘I think we are always both... I have no taboos with colour, so people think I’m crazy about yellow and pink together, but it’s not definitive for me. I’m really open,’ she says, noting that her Paris apartment leans more neutral. ‘I don’t think you’re the same person the whole day; or the same person here as elsewhere; or all either feminine or masculine. I’m just saying that and colour changes the perception of the objects.’

Still, it’s possible to glimpse the designer in her most personal state within ‘Breathe’, a room that encompasses an inspiration wall revealing seedlings of ideas, or as she puts it, ‘interactions, ramifications, osmosis, connections’. This is also where she has placed ‘Leviosa’, a lamp that took a decade to complete on account of a levitating electric magnet ‘satellite’ that functions as a switch.

With an ever-present soundtrack generating a deep hum of chords punctuated by squeaky strings, the immersive ambiance conjured by Guisset lives up to her desire for something simultaneously cinematic and pedagogic. ‘I thought of it as a film where you could travel inside,’ she said, following up later with the thought: ‘I think it’s very important to transmit. It’s not just a way to look at yourself.’

But if delving into her universe is best experienced first-hand, those unable to see the show can still appreciate her sensitivity from afar. As we stood in 'Set Loose', within sight of ‘Cumulus’, her cloud-shaped essential oil diffuser and ‘Francis’, a familiar circular mirror with its watercolour accents, Guisset arrived at her point of differentiation. ‘I think we need empathetic objects and most of mine are,’ she said. ‘I consider that objects should be nice to people; and we need objects that are nice to us because the world is tough.’

INFORMATION

‘Actio!’ is on view until 11 March 2018. For more information, visit the Musée des Arts Décoratifs website

ADDRESS

Musée des Arts Décoratifs
107 Rue de Rivoli
75001 Paris

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All eyes to Giussano, a town in northern Italy's Lombardy region, where the feted furniture company Molteni&C is holding an exhibition celebrating ten years of photography from its in-house magazine, M&C.

'10 Years 10 Artists 10 Works' – curated by Cristiana Colli at the Molteni compound's Quadreria Contemporanea picture gallery, with a display concept by Ron Gilad dubbed the 'Floating Cube' – is as proscriptive as its title suggests. M&C was inaugurated in 2006, conceived as a platform for exploring 'creative freedom and inspiration made of places, showcases, hands at work, objects of communication and crafts', explains the company. Originally a newsletter, M&C became a full blown periodical in 2013, covering architecture, design and contemporary culture with an overarching – but not exclusive – focus on Molteni design.

This show specifically focuses on the pull-out photographic inserts supplied with each edition of the publication – a collection of images, the company suggests, that is 'shared, accessible, diffused'; comprising 'a community of artists, glances, thoughts, intentions that make themselves available for contemplation'. What that means in practice is a plethora of abstracted and artistically conceived images a world away from your regular, studio-shot and staid design photography. Take the tree-bound red chair in Paola De Pietri's 2007 work – a faintly menacing assemblage reflective of 'an infinite and primordial' nature. Or Antonio Biasiucci's intimate, chiaroscuro-heavy shots of hands from 2008 – refined compositions that are as tactile as they are painterly.

More bizarre is the 2011 work by Alessandra Spranzi, a chair precariously perched on a collection of teacups, on top of a table, repurposing Molteni's wares in newly abstracted contexts (and slightly recalling the work of artists like Sarah Lucas and Daniel Spoerri; though admittedly in form rather than philosophy). Elsewhere, we're presented with more conventional shots – but for the skeletal cube placed in the fore of each image – of the ornate Bagatti Valsecchi house museum in Milan, by Davide Pizzigoni (2013); and Mario Carrieri's heavily stylised images of Gio Ponti's totemic 'D.552.2' coffee table, with plenty more asides.

The setting of Gilad's Glass Cube brings an extra frisson to the show. It's a space within a space, a gallery within a gallery: 'a white cube at the heart of a glass one, floating above running water,' explains the designer. 'A room without entrance or exit, an unexpected space for hanging art,' affording a further lay of intrigue to a show already filled with it. More than enough reason for a sojourn to Giussano.

INFORMATION

'10 Years 10 Artists 10 Works' is on view until 31 May 2018. For more information, visit the Molteni&C website

ADDRESS

Molteni Compound
Via Rossini 50
Giussano
20833

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Italian furniture company Molteni&C Dada has just recently opened two new showrooms in Tehran and Vancouver.

The Tehran showroom in the centre of the embassy district has been completely renovated to present the collections over a surface area of approximately 1,000 sq m, including an inner garden and a space reserved for art exhibitions. Former house of the Belgian Embassy, the first floor hosts a full range of day and night-time collections by Molteni&C Dada.

For the perfect living room situation, Dante Bonuccelli’s '505 Pass-Word' bookshelves and multimedia can be successfully combined with sofas and armchairs from Studio Hannes Wettstein’s Reversi XL series and with Rodolfo Dordoni’s 'Chelsea' chair; whilst 'Where' and 'Filigree' tables, teamed with 'Who' chairs, all by Dordoni, create a warm atmosphere for the dining room area.

The flagship store also features Molteni&C’s iconic Gio Ponti Collection, and the second floor hosts Dada designs. Dada’s range of kitchens is vast, and offers the perfect contemporary solution for anyone looking for a change. 'Hi-Line 6' by Ferruccio Laviani, 'INDADA' by Nicola Gallizia, and 'Vela' and 'Trim' by Dante Bonuccelli are amongst the models offered at the flagship store.

With these two openings, Molteni&C Dada take its 'Italian way of living' approach to two different ends of the world, expanding its influence on the international design market.

INFORMATION
For more information, visit Molteni&C Dada’s website

ADDRESS

82 Fereshteh
Tehran
Iran

1706 West 1st Avenue
BC V6J 0E4
Vancouver

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Bosco Verticale, Milan’s ‘multi-storey intensive living façade’ – winner of the 2015 Best Tall Building award and designed by Stefano Boeri Architetti – is being furnished by Molteni&C and Dada.

The high-rise residence building, on the edge of the Isola district, is famously known for the presence of 2000 plants, including tall trees and bushes, distributed over its many floors.

The Italian company is furnishing 27 apartments in one of the buildings, one of which, on the 22nd floor, was conceived by interior designer and architect Matteo Nunziati.

The architecture in Nunziati’s sophisticated space has been designed in order for the windows to be exalted, showcasing breath-taking views of Milan.

Woody tones, ecru textiles, pale grey-whites and the transparency of glass decorate the day-time area, featuring furnishings such as 'Who' chairs by Rodolfo Dordoni, Jean Nouvel’s 'Graduate' bookcase and the 'Grado°' glass cabinets designed by Ron Gilad.

The kitchen is a customised version of the Dada 'Tivalì', designed by Dante Bonuccelli. This newly bespoke version enables the kitchen to be turned into a white monolith, functionally separating from the rest of the space.

For the night-time area, Nunziati chose 'Gliss Master' wardrobes by Vincent Van Duysen and the 'Night & Day' bed by Patricia Urquiola, along with small 'Domino' tables designed by Nicola Gallizia.

A pearl in Milan’s executive centre, the apartment is the perfect mix of work and play, both comfortable and spacious, where residents can spend their leisure time exclusively and eclectically. 

INFORMATION

For more information, visit the Molteni&C website

Photography: Max Zambelli

Long a bastion for pure, unfettered Italian-made design, Molteni & C. has dipped subtly and seamlessly into the world of decorative fabrics, a brand new category for the 80 year old company. Helping them move from their traditional minimal roots into something more decorative is the 31-year-old Milan-based fashion designer Marta Ferri.

'We needed a touch of womanliness in Brianza [the company's home province],' says Giulia Molteni, granddaughter of founder Angelo Molteni and the brand’s current head of marketing and communication. 'Not to mention new, fresh and young energy from someone outside the regular names everybody uses in design.'

An elegant and very stylish fixture in the city, who runs her own couture making atelier in the 5 Vie district, Ferri is indeed outside of traditional design circles.     

'Unless you count the nine homes I’ve moved into over the years and decorated myself,' the designer laughs, 'I don’t have a formal design background.'

But she does know her way around textiles, specifically vintage fabrics and rich upholsteries that she digs out of hidden warehouses or derelict archives and whips up into impact-making occasion dressing gowns for her well-heeled clientele.

The main task at Molteni was business as usual for Ferri who did a 'mega research' at a Como-based fabric archive and then recreated fresh designs. Her 'Materia' collection features three new patterns, each inspired by nature, including straw, tree root and leaf patterns printed on a range of velvets, cheniles, leather and linens. The textiles, which cover several of Molteni’s new pieces, designed by Patricia Urquiola, Rodolfo Dordoni and Vincent Van Duysen, will debut at Molteni’s booth at Salone del Mobile, which Ferri has styled, as well as in the city’s Ferragamo boutique.

Ferri has also designed 'Sky-Line', a print featuring New York city skyscrapers that debuts on a series of furniture that Molteni will sell online at Luisaviaroma from 12 April.

INFORMATION

For more information, visit Luisaviaroma's website

Molteni & C’s 80-year history has been studded with several star moments: from the 1960s when Angelo Molteni became a founding father of Milan’s Salone del Mobile furniture fair, to the 1970s when Afra and Tobia Scarpa began creating their dazzling wood chairs and shelves, to this century that has been earmarked with liveable, cutting-edge design by Jean Nouvel, Ron Arad, as well as re-editions of famed Giò Ponti designs. These moments and more are now on view in the new Molteni Museum at the Italian brand’s countryside headquarters in Guissano, an hour outside of Milan. 

Designed by Jasper Morrisson, the new museum occupies the top floor of the company’s four-storey showroom. Morrison devised a series of sleek white wall islands to divide the space and show off the top 48 most famous designs produced by Molteni & C, and its sister companies Dada, Unifor and Citterio. The archive – occupying a former farmhouse on the property – contains a small portion of the 50,000 objects, prototypes, furniture joints, sketches, photos and magazines that make up the company’s rich historical legacy.

'My father [CEO Carlo Molteni] just found one of our credenzas from the 1940s in a random shop in Milan,' said Francesca Molteni, who directed the Giò Ponti documentary called Loving Ponti, also part of the museum’s offering. 'So I guess the collection will keep growing.'

Guissano has now become a design campus of sorts for Molteni. In addition to the museum and archives, there is also Molteni’s Ron Gilad-designed Glass Cube pavilion, QallaM multimedia space designed by Patricia Urquiola, as well as huge showroom spaces and production facilities, all surrounded by lush grash and wooden deck walkways.

INFORMATION

For more informtion, visit the Molteni Museum website

ADDRESS

Molteni & C Headquarters
Via Rossini, 50
Giussano
Italy

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Since Richard Meier’s rejuvenation of the historic Surf Club in Miami’s Surfside district was announced last year, the ambitious project has been hurtling towards completion with more features and amenities being added to it as the months have passed.

Helmed by Fort Partners, the development will include a 77-room hotel operated by the Four Seasons, a pair of 12-storey residential towers that will house 150 units (12 of which are penthouses), a private membership club, two restaurants, four swimming pools, a luxurious spa and fitness center, 40 beach cabanas and a park and oceanside gardens. The project is expected to complete by Spring 2016.

Today, we’re focusing on the Four Seasons Hotel Residences, which feature interiors designed by the French architect Joseph Dirand. Dirand has carefully composed 30 one and two bedroom units that distill the vibrancy of Miami, all in good taste, of course. To complement the panoramic ocean views, Dirand has used light woods and cream-coloured travertines in the apartments generously. Custom-designed lighting harks back to the elegance and decadence of the art deco and 70s era, while textured wall paneling subtly conveys the feeling of a rustic beach bungalow escape.

While South Beach is known for its glitz and glamour, Surfside has been historically cherished as a discrete haven where the powerful could let their hair down. Dirand has selected modern, classical furniture from Molteni & C, Knoll, Mater and Carl Hansen & Søn to fill each of the hotel residences, and tableware by Bernadaud, glasses and appliances by Bodum and Sambonet flatware to keep its kitchens well stocked. In the bathrooms, Michael Verheyden’s marble accessories are the perfect finishing touch.

The beautifully designed residences fall under the Four Seasons’ hotel residences programme, which owners can participate in to rent out their abodes, whenever they see fit.

INFORMATION
Website

ADDRESS

The Surf Club
9011 Collins Avenue
Miami

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Design enthusiasts in Boston will have a shorter distance to go now that Molteni&C has opened its first flagship store in the heart of the city’s SoWa district, a neighborhood filled with art galleries, restaurants, shops and open markets. A sub-district in Boston’s South End, SoWa’s is steeped in history of being home to manufacturers of pianos, canned goods and shoes. Previous tenants of its bricked, beamed factory buildings include the Central Power Station for the West End Street Railway Company – a precursor to the Massachusetts Bay Transport Authority – which opened in 1891 and was the largest power station at the time, just a few doors away.

Molteni&C brings all its latest collections to Boston. The front of the showroom features items from the brand’s living, dining, storage, and sofa collections, while deeper within its sleeping collections and closet systems are highlighted.

Amongst some of the bestsellers are Bonuccelli’s Pass-Word, a modular storage and home entertainment system that comes in matt or glossy lacquered colours, as well as classic wood essences such as elm, oak and eucalyptus, and is made to accommodate all the latest technology needs.

The showroom will also carry a selection of Rodolfo Dordoni’s pieces, like the Filigree table and the Chelsea series of chairs, and Nicola Gallizia’s 505, which comes in seven widths, three depths and nine heights, and can store everything from coffee table books to televisions. For the traditionalists, the brand’s iconic midcentury designs, like Gio Ponti’s D.152.1 armchair, will also be available for grabs.

ADDRESS

Molteni&C Boston
450 Harrison Avenue
Boston

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One of our favourite enterprising design women in Milan is Francesca Molteni, scion of the Molteni furniture empire and founder of the creative lab Muse Factory of Projects. In addition to her new film on Gio Ponti, which debuts next week at Milan’s Anteo Spazio Cinema, Molteni has just curated 'Il Grande Gioco dell’Industria' ('The Great Industry Game'), an ambitious exhibit dedicated to a cross section of Italy’s most important industries.

From common objects, to small design pieces, to mind-blowing inventions, the exhibit includes 51 items culled from the immense archives of Museimpresa, the Italian Archives and Company Museums Association. The exhibit, which debuted this weel at Spazio Folli, originated with an article that Molteni wrote recently for Il Sole 24 Ore highlighting the most innovative and intriguing objects produced in Italy by Italian companies.

'The goal is to look at new kinds of masterpieces, not just works of art, but works of industry,' Molteni says. '[Those] with an inner beauty and narrative power.'

The exhibit includes such well known pieces as the Campari bottle design by Fortunato Depero, the 'Louis Ghost Chair' designed by Philippe Starck for Kartell and even Barilla’s distinctive blue pasta box. Some of the more obscure pieces include the 'pressa catozzo' – a revolutionary film editing machine designed by award winning Italian film editor Leo Catozzo – and the 'lopamidolo', an important molecule developed by the Bracco pharmaceutical company.

'It’s impossible to talk about all of the objects,' Molteni warns. 'You should really visit the exhibition!'

INFORMATION

’Il Grande Gioco dell’Industria’ is on view until 31 October

ADDRESS

Museimpresa
Spazio Folli50.0
via Folli 50
Milano

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Behind every great design company is an equally – if not greater – business mind. As part of our Power 200 list of the globe's pre-eminent design talent – a doubling of our Power 100 list, devised as part of our celebratory 200th issue of Wallpaper* – we've collated a list of the brightest big bosses in the business; the men and women who match vision with strategic smarts, and manufacturing and design innovation with a confidence that quality will, eventually, win out.

On one side, we have those eponymous heads of totemic and established companies at the top of their games: such titans as Carlo Molteni and Alberto Alessi, Michael Maharam, Rolf and Mette Hay, Roberto and Renato Minotti, and Nadja Swarovski, the latter of whom has transformed a twee brand into a dazzling design patron.

On the other, the power CEOs revitalising and pushing existing brands to the peak of their powers: Claudio Luti at Kartell, Kvadrat's Anders Byriel, Georg Jensen's David Chu, Restoration Hardware moderniser Gary Friedman, Marianne Goebl at the Vitra-owned Artek, ClassiCon's Oliver Holy and Vitra's own co-CEO Nora Feldbaum.

In between – though no less significant – are other tactical mega-minds such as Vipp’s CEO and chief designer Kasper Egelund and Morten Bo Jensen (respectively), Flos' lighting maven Piero Gandini, SCP founder Sheridan Coakley, Emeco-embellisher Gregg Buchbinder, B&B Italia CEO Giorgio Busnelli and the sharply intuitive Patrizia Moroso.

It's hard to underestimate the significance of our chosen 20 – the individuals with our contemporary design identity in their hands, and the facilitators pushing the world's brightest design talents to stratospheric new heights.

See the Power 200 in full here 

Sheridan Coakley: Founder of SCP, which turned 30 this year. Pictured: Top left, Matthew Hilton, the late James Irvine, Michael Marriott, Sheridan Coakley, Terence Woodgate, Jasper Morrison and Konstantin Grcic, shot at the company’s Milan debut in 1996, more than a decade after SCP was founded. Beneath, the same group today, with designer Marialaura Rossiello Irvine standing in for her late husband, James, and Grcic, who couldn’t make the shoot but sent us a life-sized paper cut-out instead. As featured in W*194.

INFORMATION
See the Power 200 in full

Paying tribute not only to the company’s design achievements, but also to Italy’s industrial history as a whole, Molteni & C’s birthday celebration was one of our Salone del Mobile highlights earlier this year. The exhibition presented 44 designs dating as far back as the 1950s, on display inside the Galleria d’Arte Moderna, an 18th-century palace restored in the 1950s by Ignazio Gardella.

On the occasion of this year's London Design Festival, the octogenarian furniture company brought some of their archive pieces to the city, continuing the year-long celebration of their manufacturing heritage.

Founded in 1934, the company rapidly moved to the forefront of manufacturing and modern design, but its full story has rarely been told – ‘as it often happens when a company is much more focused on its future and its products’, explains Francesca Molteni, granddaughter of founders Angelo and Giuseppina Molteni.

With the brand’s anniversary coming up, the Moltenis decided to take a proper look back, enlisting two archivists to collect information and testimonies from the past eight decades, as well as prototypes from the family’s homes and other private collections. Francesca herself also interviewed an extended family of former employees, craftsmen and designers to piece together the brand’s timeline. In fact, this isn’t the first time Molteni & C has explored the past (its 2011 collection of Gio Ponti reissues acted as a stimulus for this project), but it is the first time it has been done in such an encyclopaedic manner.

The show’s narrative followed the company’s evolution from simple mobilificio (furniture factory) to manufacturer of modern design pieces, such as its collaborations with the likes of Aldo Rossi, Richard Sapper and Angelo Mangiarotti, among others. The sister companies that now fall under the Molteni & C umbrella – Dada, Unifor and Citterio – will also have a presence. A digital element (both at the show and as a website that will stay online for a year) will provide further details, images and information on the company’s past. Perhaps the most intriguing works to be displayed are prototypes that were designed for the Selettiva del Mobile di Cantù, an initiative debuted in 1955 that speaks of a golden era of Italian manufacturing.

For the annual contest, young international designers were invited to the industrial region of Brianza (Molteni & C’s home turf, just north of Milan) to work with local manufacturers on prototypes that were presented to a jury including, over the years, design heavyweights such as Alvar Aalto, Finn Juhl and Carlo De Carli. Molteni & C’s involvement in the contest demonstrates its commitment to working with emerging designers of the time, who brought modernity and aesthetic innovation to the region’s industry.

Two prototypes from the competition that were shown in Milan were a 1955 chest of drawers by Swiss architect Werner Blaser and an impressive curved wooden bookshelf by Yasuhiko Itoh, a Japanese designer, submitted in 1959. The latter is Francesca’s favourite, a family heirloom of sorts that featured in her father’s childhood bedroom and later in her own private house. The piece’s reissue is now in development. ‘It’s the kind of project that Molteni & C was not ready to produce in the 1950s, but that we are able to manufacture now, and it is still a very modern piece,’ says Francesca.

The exhibition itself was designed by Jasper Morrison, a ‘neutral voice’ who dissected and edited the Molteni & C history. ‘We chose an international designer, who would be able to look at our history with less nostalgia,’ says Francesca. ‘And given the location, we also needed someone with a design sensibility, who could conceive a set-up that synthesises the products and their role today.’ Morrison selected a detail of Gio Ponti’s ‘D.357.1’ bookshelf to act as a common thread linking the display stands. ‘It seemed to work as a quiet but visually pleasing background,’ he explains. His design made the most of the Galleria d’Arte Moderna’s narrow halls, and ensured the pieces could stand out while engaging with the ornate, neoclassical environment.

The retrospective show and its current London iteration demonstrate how quality and modernity have long been in conversation at Molteni & C. Looking back – at innovations such as the developments in technology and materials brought in by Francesca’s grandparents, and important encounters with the brand’s many designers – is helping her and her family to understand Molteni & C’s direction for the years ahead. From this rich past, the Moltenis have identified the formula for a successful future: ‘Exercise precision and don’t forget where we come from.’ Here’s to the next 80 years.

ADDRESS

Molteni & C Dada Flagship Store
199 Shaftesbury Avenue
London, WC2 8JR

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The days of dull and dreary showrooms are over thanks to a new collaboration by Italian furniture company Molteni & C and Tel Aviv-based artist/designer Ron Gilad. Set in the lush backyard of Molteni's Brianza headquarters, Glass Cube takes the conventions of design salons and quite literally turns them on their head. 
 
The new space is buoyant with humour and creative wit. Stepping into the glass-walled space, Gilad has plastered Arik Levy's 'Hug' couch to the ceiling along with a comely set of panty-hosed legs sporting a shiny pair of Ferragamos. 
 
Ironic twists are everywhere you look. Damien Hirst's spot paintings, for example, have been appropriated with fabric and colour swatches from Molteni's upholstery department, while Gilad's own 'Grado 60°' consoles march right out from the glass atrium and into the central water feature. A long wooden runway, meanwhile, is a showcase of Molteni's greatest hits, including Giò Ponti's 'D.555.1' table and 'D 655' cabinet, and Rodolfo Dordoni's 'Chelsea' armchair among others, all of which have been sawed in half. 
 
Most cheeky, however, is the framed shelving housing over 250 hinges and joints of Molteni furniture - a nod to Hirst's famous 'The Abyss' installation laid with cigarette butts. 'I'm a heavy smoker, so that's a piece that's always been close to my heart,' says Gilad with a sly wink.
 
The humour is a relief from traditional, straight-laced showrooms. The decapitated pieces, for instance, do a brilliant job of showcasing how finely crafted Molteni's furniture actually is. 'These are things you never see,' Gilad says, gesturing to the foam, wood, and steel layers. 'You don't want to lose the hard-work part.'
 
A more detailed exploration of that hard work is included in a new film directed and produced by Francesca Molteni, daughter of Molteni & C president Carlo Molteni. The snappy film, with music composed by Fabrizio Campanelli and performed by the Budapest Symphony orchestra, makes magic of an otherwise extremely tedious topic. 
 
Francesca Molteni has also collaborated with Gilad on the final room in the new space: a small theatre where an installation of all-white Molteni furniture is transformed into a chameleonic array of colours and patterns using 3D-mapped projections. The performance was as engaging as any real theatre show, proving that furniture showrooms truly do have the potential to sizzle. Let's hope the rest of the industry catches on to this finely executed trend.

ADDRESS

Molteni Headquarters
Via Rossini 50
20833 Guissano (MB)
Italy

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