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Vico Magistretti Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets

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
Libreria Nuvola Rossa di Vico Magistretti per cassina anni 80
By Cassina, Vico Magistretti
Located in Milano, MI
Vico Magistretti progetta Nuvola Rossa nel 1977, una libreria pieghevole dalle linee essenziali e moderne, utilizzabile a parete o come elemento divisorio accostando liberamente più ...
Category

Late 20th Century Italian Vico Magistretti Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets

Materials

Wood

Vico Magistretti Bookcase Nuvola Rossa for Cassina, Italy, new
By Vico Magistretti, Cassina
Located in Berlin, DE
Prices vary dependent on the chosen material. Please get in touch. Available in: LACQUERED RED BEECHWOOD LACQUERED WHITE BEECHWOOD LACQUERED BLACK BEECHWOOD NATURAL BEECHWOOD AMERICAN WALNUT Magistretti designed this folding bookcase with its clean, modern lines that can be used on a wall or as a room divider, freely combining more than one unit, depending on the space available...
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21st Century and Contemporary Italian Mid-Century Modern Vico Magistretti Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets

Materials

Wood

'Caori' Coffee Table by Vico Magistreti for Gavina with Concealed Storage
By Vico Magistretti, Gavina
Located in London, GB
Iconic 'Caori' coffee table with storage. Italy c1962 Matt white lacquer and stainless steel Ingenious coffee table with concealed storage Contains two pull out drawers. Two...
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1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vico Magistretti Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets

Materials

Stainless Steel

Gianfranco Frattini Walnut 813 “Ovunque” Wardrobe for Bernini, 1981
By Bernini, Vico Magistretti
Located in Vicenza, IT
813 wardrobe, from the “Ovunque” series, designed by Gianfranco Frattini, and produced by the Italian manufacturer Bernini in 1981. Made of walnut. Excellent vintage condition. Gi...
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1980s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vico Magistretti Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets

Materials

Walnut

White Wood and Black Skai Samarcanda Chest of Drawers by Magistretti for Poggi
By Poggi, Vico Magistretti
Located in Varese, Lombardia
Wooden structure painted in white polyurethane color. Black skai cover on the top (light defects at some corner). Large chest of drawers: cm 34,5h x 107w x 53,5d Small chest of dra...
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1970s Italian Space Age Vintage Vico Magistretti Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets

Materials

Faux Leather, Wood

Vico Magistretti Black CS49 Samarcanda Black Chest of Drawers by Poggi 1970s
By Vico Magistretti, Poggi
Located in Montecatini Terme, IT
Chest of drawers model CS49 with four frontal drawers and four doors revealing inner shelves with structure in black lacquered wood and top upholstered with black skai or faux leather. Designed by Vico Magistretti and produced by Poggi in 1970s Ludovico Magistretti was born in Milan on 6 October 1920. He went to Parini High School and in autumn 1939 enrolled in the Faculty of Architecture at the Royal Polytechnic in Milan. After 8 September 1943, to avoid being deported to Germany, he left Italy during his military service and moved to Switzerland, where he took some academic courses at the Champ Universitaire Italien in Lausanne, taught at the local university. During his stay in the Swiss city he met Ernesto Nathan Rogers, the founder of the BBPR firm who had taken refuge in Switzerland after racist laws were passed in Italy. This was a key encounter in Magistretti’s intellectual and professional development, since the architect from Trieste turned out to be his maestro. He returned to Milan in 1945, where he graduated in Architecture at the Polytechnic on 2 August. He then immediately began his career working with the architect Paolo Chessa at the firm owned and run by his father, who died prematurely that same year. Here, in his father’s small firm, he spent his entire career in partnership with Franco Montella. During reconstruction operations in Milan from 1949-59, Magistretti designed and constructed about 14 projects for INA-Casa in conjunction with other architects. He was involved with Mario Tedeschi in the joint project for the QT8 neighbourhood, designing houses for veterans from the African campaign and also Santa Maria Nascente Church. In 1946 he participated in the R.I.M.A. exhibition (Italian Assembly for Furniture Exhibitions), held at the Palazzo dell’Arte, designing some small almost self-made pieces of furniture and then, in 1947 and 1948, he took part together with Castiglioni, Zanuso, Gardella, Albini and others in the exhibitions organized by Fede Cheti, a furniture fabric maker, held at her own workshop. The young architect was involved in plenty of activities and came up with lots of new ideas and proposals in the 1950s. Over the following years he also designed a number of other important projects, including the Towers in piazzale Aquileia (1961-64), Bassetti House in Azzate (1960-62), Cassina House in Carimate (1964-65), and the house in via Conservatorio in Milan (1963-66). In 1956 he was one of the founding members of the ADI, Industrial Design Association, and during the same year he was a member of the panel of judges for the Golden Compass Award for the first time. His work as an architect was almost totally focused on the issue of housing and living from the 1960s onwards, as he developed his own extremely expressive idiom, which, even though it was heavily criticised at times, made a real impression on the architectural scene in Lombardy during that period, making him one of its leading figures. This is the context in which he took part in the CIAM Congress (International Modern Architecture Congress) held in Otterlo in the Netherlands in 1959, during which the Italians presented Velasca Tower designed by the BBPR, the Olivetti canteen designed by Ignazio Gardella, Arosio house designed by Vico Magistretti (1956-59), and the houses in Matera designed by Giancarlo De Carli...
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1970s Italian Post-Modern Vintage Vico Magistretti Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets

Materials

Faux Leather, Wood

Pair of Wooden and Marble Storage Unit by V. Magistretti for Poggi, Italy, 1970s
By Vico Magistretti, Poggi
Located in Varese, Lombardia
This set is composed by one chest of drawers and one cabinet. They were designed by Vico Magistretti and produced by Poggi, circa 1970. They can be used as a separate units or as a u...
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1970s Italian Modern Vintage Vico Magistretti Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets

Materials

Marble, Metal

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Vico Magistretti case pieces and storage cabinets for sale on 1stDibs.

Vico Magistretti case pieces and storage cabinets 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 case pieces and storage cabinets, although brown editions of this piece are particularly popular. We have 5 vintage editions of these items in-stock, while there is 1 modern edition to choose from as well. Many of the original case pieces and storage cabinets by Vico Magistretti were created in the mid-century modern style in italy during the 20th century. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider case pieces and storage cabinets by Luigi Massoni, Romeo Rega, and Leonardo Fiori. Prices for Vico Magistretti case pieces and storage cabinets can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $2,433 and can go as high as $6,675, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $4,408.
Questions About Vico Magistretti Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
  • 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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