In a 1927 Meda, the brothers Cesare and Umberto, sons of Amedeo, decide to devote themselves to woodworking for the production of handcrafted tables.
This is how the story of the company “Amedeo Cassina”, today worldwide known as Cassina, was born.
The origins of Cassina
Back in the 1950s, Cassina was already focused on the realization of contract projects, starting with the nautical sector and furnishing the Andrea Doria ocean liner. The reference figure for this and other innovations is Gio Ponti, with whom the brand embarks on a path of aesthetic renewal, the role that today we would call Artistic Direction.
The collaboration with many leading names in architecture and design, the hunger for research and technological innovation, together with the dedication to the artisan tradition, allow Cassina – in an Italy of the 50s – to express itself according to the rules of industrial design, a new language resulting from the transition from artisanal production to quality series production.
The result? In 1954 the first Compasso D’Oro Award was announced and Cassina won it with the 683 Chair: a thin sheet of ash plywood, curved and shaped for its function by Carlo De Carli.
In 1966, Cassina joined Busnelli – father of what is now the B&B Italia group – for the foundation of the new company C&B, Cassina and Busnelli, which exploits new polyurethane processing technologies for industrial production in large quantities.
Iconic designs
The history of Cassina is a sequence of successes, which, in 1965, pushed the brand to acquire the rights to reissue some historical pieces from the 1920s, the work of Le Corbusier, Piere Jeanneret and Charlotte Perriand.
In 1975 the Cassina I Maestri collection was officially born: it is the result of a research process aimed at reconstructing the furniture masterpieces of the twentieth century and collecting them in a permanent collection capable of telling the history of design.
True design has no time and no age, and so the icons of yesterday wear the same brand that creates those of tomorrow.
LC4
A chaise longue designed by an elegant game of balances: a shape that follows the natural sinuosity of the body, a cradle with a tilting steel structure, a pedestal that ensures its stability thanks to the friction with the rubberized profiles that cover the crosspieces.
The designers can only be them: Le Corbusier, Piere Jeanneret and Charlotte Perriand.
Zig Zag chair
In 1934 Gerrit Thomas Rietveld connected four solid wood elements together in a seemingly unstable cantilever configuration.
In 2022 the Zig Zag chair is still one of the most refined and desired masterpieces in the history of design.
Bonus tip: it is stunning and functional also when used as a nightstand.
Nuvola Rossa
Vico Magistretti has created a folding bookcase by eliminating the sides and replacing them with supporting diagonals.
It can be used next to the wall or as a divider within the center of the room, alone or in a series of several repeated elements, and combines the complexity of a timeless design with the simplicity of the lines that shape it.
Utrecht
No longer a single product, but an entire collection: from the original armchair, to the sofa up to the children’s version and certified contract solutions.
Originally conceived for the Metz & Co department store in Amsterdam, it consists of two juxtaposed orthogonal elements that have made it an icon of the neoplastic movement.
Lebeau (wood)
22 solid wood slats are curved by numerically controlled machinery to create this collection modeled on the original design by Patrick Jouin.
Available in the indoor and outdoor dining table versions plus a collection of tables and coffee tables, it is a design of great value and able to adapt with flexibility to any environment.
Leggera
Present and future
With a product portfolio that brings together all the big names in design, 4 Compassi d’Oro, a historic showroom in the heart of design on Via Durini in Milan, and the artistic direction of Patricia Urquiola since 2016, Cassina’s ambitions are constantly growing.
In 2020 Cassina LAB was born with the aim to rethink, together with the POLI.design of the Politecnico di Milano, the fundamentals of design in an ecological and sustainable key, both for people and for the environment. The outdoor collection was also launched in the same year.
At the beginning of 2022 the greatest recognition arrived: the company became part of the “Special Register of Historical Brands of National Interest“, established to enhance Italian companies of excellence with at least 50 years in business.
We just have to sit and watch what the brand has in store for the future, preferably on a Cassina armchair or sofa … which you can come and discover in our showrooms!
