Vico Magistretti Maralunga Italian Midcentury Armchair from the Seventies
View Similar Items
Vico Magistretti Maralunga Italian Midcentury Armchair from the Seventies
About the Item
- Creator:Cassina (Maker),Vico Magistretti (Designer)
- Design:
- Dimensions:Height: 39.38 in (100 cm)Width: 39.38 in (100 cm)Depth: 37.41 in (95 cm)Seat Height: 16.93 in (43 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1974
- Condition:
- Seller Location:bari, IT
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU4076330622832
Maralunga Sofa
While origin stories behind the world’s timeless designs vary widely, the story of the Maralunga sofa is one of the best in design lore: As legend has it, when Cassina founder Cesare Cassina first saw the prototype for the piece in the mid-1970s by Italian furniture designer Vico Magistretti (1920–2006), he was so disgusted by it that he punched it, breaking the back of the sofa, which crumbled over itself . . . into the shape the piece would eventually take. (“Right, great, it looks perfect to me like that,” Magistretti allegedly responded.)
Whether it was his accidental adjustment or further consideration of the design, Cassina clearly came around: His company debuted Magistretti’s design in 1973. The Maralunga is characterized by what looks like a slumped backrest but is really an adjustable-height headrest, moved by way of a bicycle chain that runs underneath its plush foam cushions.
The effect is a sofa that serves two functions: It’s both a backdrop for social conversation and a setting for solo relaxation. “My intention with Maralunga was to design an object that represented a whole range of interior architecture with a familiar feel,” Magistretti said of the design. “Two positions, two possible uses, two different ways to create your own personal space inside a room.”
While the Maralunga’s boxy shape is pure ’70s, the sofa holds its own in a range of interiors and remains popular today. Cassina now produces it in a variety of upholstery options and, in 2014, enlisted a slew of designers to reinterpret it in celebration of its 40th anniversary.
Vico Magistretti
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.
- Italian Mid-Century Pair of Armchairs from the SixtiesLocated in bari, ITSet of two elegant Italian armchairs from the 60s, metal and wood structure completely restored and upholstered in grey velvet.Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsMetal
- Antonino Gorgone Italian Midcentury ArmchairsBy Antonino GorgoneLocated in bari, ITSet of three armchairs wooden frame with velvet upholstery Neapolitan production designer Antonio Gorgone from the fifties.Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsVelvet, Walnut
- Italian Midcentury Armchairs Missoni FabricLocated in bari, ITPair of Italian armchair in curved wood with original Missoni fabric from the 1970s.Category
Vintage 1970s Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsFabric, Wood
$2,406 / set - Afra and Tobia Scarpa for Molteni attributed armchairs seventiesBy Afra & Tobia Scarpa, Molteni & CLocated in bari, ITSet of two armchairs structure in light wood with upholstery, vintage velvet cushions, Molteni 70s production attr. Afra and Tobia Scarpa.Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsVelvet, Wood
- Ico Parisi Italian Midcentury Armchairs for MimBy Ico Parisi, MIM RomaLocated in bari, ITSet of four armchairs in white fiberglass Kubilia series of Ico Parisi for M.I.M. Rome, Italy. Ico Parisi was born in Palermo in 1916. He gained a diploma in construction and served his apprenticeship in Giuseppe Terragni's studio. In 1937 he carried out, for the magazine Quadrante, a photographic study of the Casa del Fascio that marked the entire research that Parisi conducted in "meditating on the legacies and contradictions of the enormous baggage of ideas and forms constituted by the experience of the masters". His activity, marked by continuous experimentation, is an incessant quest in the fields of architecture, art and design. Between 1948 and 1950 he devoted himself to the study of furniture elements. In the field of design, crucial encounters with Munari and Fontana (1951) and Melotti profoundly marked his experience. In 1948 he founded the studio La ruota with his wife Luisa Aiani, a designer and designer, which ceased its activity in 1995. In 1954 he was awarded the Gold Medal at the X Milan Triennale with the work Padiglione Soggiorno, with Silvio Longhi and Luigi Antonietti. In 1957 he presented at the exhibition Colori e forme della casa d'oggi the work Casa per vacanze, which was the result of a collaboration with Manlio Rho...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsVelvet, Fiberglass
$2,187 Sale Price / set20% Off - Romeo Rega Picture Frames Italian Midcentury Form the SeventiesBy Romeo RegaLocated in bari, ITVery elegant rectangular photo holder in the 70s Romeo Rega style. N.B. space for photography 12 × 17.Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Picture Frames
MaterialsBrass, Steel
- Maralunga armchair by Vico Magistretti for Cassina ItalyBy Vico MagistrettiLocated in Toronto, ONIn 1973, Vico Magistretti designed the Maralunga armchair for the Italian company Cassina. Magistretti was known for his designs that featured simple, essential shapes and the use of...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Armchairs
MaterialsFabric
- Vico Magistretti Carimate Midcentury Italian Black Armchair Cassina 1960sBy Cassina, Vico MagistrettiLocated in Reggio Emilia, ITItalian armchair model '930 Carimate' designed by Vico Magistretti and produced by Cassina with painted wood frame and fabric cushions, Cassina adhesive l...Category
Vintage 1960s Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsFabric, Wood
- 1970s 2-Seater Maralunga Sofa by Vico Magistretti for CassinaBy Cassina, Vico MagistrettiLocated in Grand Cayman, KYIconic Mid-Century Modern Italian "Maralunga" two-seater sofa / armchairs by Vico Magistretti for Cassina. This sofa features the original knitted wool upholstery in ivory. Head /...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsWool
- 1960s "896" Vico Magistretti Cassina Italian Design ArmchairBy Cassina, Vico MagistrettiLocated in Brescia, ITIce white leatherette and wood legs Rare model Excellent condiction.Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsWood
- Set of Two Maralunga Black Leather Armchairs by Vico MagistrettiBy Vico MagistrettiLocated in Roma, ITSet of two vintage Maralunga armchairs in black leather finish. These iconic series were awarded the Compasso d'Oro in 1973 and are still part of the MOMA's permanent collection tod...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsLeather
- Vico Magistretti 905 Armchair by CassinaBy Cassina, Vico MagistrettiLocated in Barcelona, BarcelonaArmchair model 905 designed by Vico Magistretti in 1964. Manufactured by Cassina in Italy. A modern chair with a cultural heritage, expression of the creative genius of Vico Magistretti who designed it in 1964. 905 is an elegant chair made of solid wood and cowhide, where design translates to practical simplicity. Produced by Cassina until 2000, this chair has now been relaunched, the finishes and details having been updated from the original archive model. The sophisticated elegance of the frame, which features cylindrical legs and curved arm-rests, has been rejuvenated thanks to Cassina’s extensive experience in handling leather, not to mention the company’s high quality carpentry skills. The complex nature of this piece is expressed in a design that looks simple but fully reflects the genius quality of the original concept, a veritable masterpiece of the crafts tradition proper to Meda, in the Brianza area north of Milan, the trademark registered by Cassina and a guarantee of utmost quality. The frame, in finest quality wood, bespeaks the perfect combination of the artisanal tradition and premier CNC technology, while the overall design stands out for the self-supporting seat crafted from one single piece of saddle leather, curved and slotted into the frame. The decorative stitching has been discontinued, while the rear of the chair still features the leather belt that lends support to the back and enhances its comfort quotient. The 905 chair features a solid wood structure with cylindrical legs and curved armrests, joined to a self-supporting cowhide seat, the quintessential expression of the time-tested experience of the Cassina joinery and saddlery. A masterpiece of complexity, this cowhide chair symbolizes the company’s talent at perfectly blending traditional artisan craftsmanship and the cutting-edge technology of latest-generation 5-axis CNC machines. Important information regarding images of products: Please note that some of the images show other colors and variations of the model, these images are only to present interior design proposals. The item that is selling is on the first image. Important information regarding color(s) of products: Actual colors may vary. This is due to the fact that every computer monitor, laptop, tablet and phone screen has a different capability to display colors and that everyone sees these colors differently. We try to edit our photos to show all of our products as life-like as possible, but please understand the actual color may vary slightly from your monitor About the designer: In 1920 Magistretti was born in Milan, the city in which he graduated in architecture in 1945, and where his professional career has spun its story ever since, chiefly in the fields of architecture, town planning and industrial design. The first recognition of his work came in 1948, when he won the Gran Premio at the 8th Triennale. After that came almost forty years of activity with other prizes and awards in recognition of Magistretti’s work in various sectors in different countries. Giving lessons and lectures in various faculties of architecture and schools of design in Italy and abroad, from Milan to New York, from Paris to London, a city to which he is particularly devoted, he has been an “Honorary Fellow” of the Royal College of Art since 1983. Furniture, lamps and other objects that he designed may be found all over the world and the most important design museums have given exhibitions in his honour and kept examples of his work in their permanent collections. Magistretti’s research has been continuous - into design, the culture of the project and innovative experimentation with materials and space solutions, not to mention shapes and functions far from the rigours of fashion that they have passed through during the years. He started designing for Cassina in 1960, and from that date on his signature is to be found on very many products. We recall in particular the Maralunga sofa of 1973 and the Nuvola Rossa...Category
2010s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsWood
$3,828 / item
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
The 21 Most Popular Mid-Century Modern Chairs
You know the designs, now get the stories about how they came to be.
Billy Cotton Layers His Interiors with Lived-In Comfort
The Brooklyn-based designer is adept at styles ranging from austere to over-the-top, espousing an architectural, detail-oriented approach also evident in his line of furniture and lighting.