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Vico Magistretti Center Tables

Italian, 1920-2006

As one of the founding fathers of modern Italian design, prolific architect and industrial designer Ludovico Magistretti (known by his nickname Vico) was guided by his philosophy, “There is no excuse for bad design.” His architectural projects are widely revered, and an ingenious meld of form and function can be found in his stylish and deceptively simple table lamps, sofas, armchairs and other mid-century furnishings.

Born in Milan, Magistretti followed in the footsteps of his father and grandfather (both architects) to study architecture at the Polytechnic University of Milan. At the outbreak of World War II, he fled to Switzerland, and it was there he met his role model and mentor, renowned humanist architect Ernesto Nathan Rogers. Magistretti was inspired by Rogers’s vision to revive postwar Italy, and they collaborated on several reconstruction projects. Among Magistretti’s first architectural designs is a “poetic” round church, which he created for the QT8, an experimental Milanese neighborhood.

When Magistretti returned to Milan in 1945, he worked at his father’s architectural firm. It wasn’t until the early 1950s that he expanded his talents into design while working with furniture artisans.

In the 1960s, Magistretti began his 30-year working relationship with famed entrepreneur Cesare Cassina of the Cassina furniture manufacturing company. In their design approach, the two men shared a vision of the relationship between modernity and tradition and enjoyed a close bond (Magistretti designed Cassina’s luxurious villa in 1965). However, their friendship was not without contention.

Legend has it that upon seeing the prototype for Magistretti’s Maralunga sofa, Cassina hated it so much that he punched it, breaking the back of the sofa, which crumpled into itself.

“Right, great, it looks perfect to me like that,” an unfazed Magistretti allegedly responded, and the Maralunga’s slumped, adjustable-height backrest was born. Incidentally, the Maralunga sofa won Italy’s Compasso d’Oro award as did his Eclisse lamp for Artemide and his Atollo lamp for Oluce.

Magistretti died in 2006, but his designs live on in galleries, museums and private residences and offices around the world.

Find a range of vintage Vico Magistretti furniture and lighting on 1stDibs.

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Creator: Vico Magistretti
Sindbad Table Vico Magistretti Cassina Italian Modern Design
By Vico Magistretti, Cassina
Located in Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
Sindbad coffee table Designed by Vico Magistretti for Cassina. Half oval shaped table designed for center table. Used as low console table put in front of the wall. Probably it can be used as TV side...
Category

1980s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vico Magistretti Center Tables

Materials

Wood

Vico Magistretti Arcadia White Rectangular Coffee Table by Artemide 1970s
By Artemide, Vico Magistretti
Located in Montecatini Terme, IT
Arcadia 100 low coffee table with a rectangular shape (the squareshaped model 80 also exists) designed in 1969 by the famous Italian designer Vico Magistretti and produced by Artemide starting from 1970. The coffee table is made of reinforced resin. More exactly the material used is called GRP (Glass fibre Reinforced Plastic), a very resistant thermosetting plastic material consisting of a thick meshwork of glass fibres impregnated with polyester resin. The item is characterized by its S-shaped legs typical of the Magistretti's design poetics (shapes used in many other furnishings from the Selene chair to the Chimera lamp...
Category

1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vico Magistretti Center Tables

Materials

Plastic

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Vico Magistretti center tables for sale on 1stDibs.

Vico Magistretti center tables are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of wood and are designed with extraordinary care. There are many options to choose from in our collection of Vico Magistretti center tables, although brown editions of this piece are particularly popular. Many of the original center tables by Vico Magistretti were created in the mid-century modern style in italy during the 1980s. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider center tables by Romeo Rega, Afra & Tobia Scarpa, and Saporiti Italia. Prices for Vico Magistretti center tables can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $2,500 and can go as high as $2,500, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $2,500.
Questions About Vico Magistretti Center Tables
  • 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022
    The Carimate chair for Cassina is one of the most celebrated pieces of Vico Magistretti but this designer is also well known for the Eclipse Table Lamp, Selene Stacking Chair, Chimera Lamp and more. He is seen as one of Italy’s most influential industrial designers, furniture designers and architects. Shop a collection of Magistretti furniture from some of the world’s top sellers on 1stDibs.

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