While working under the polymath Gio Ponti — arguably the most important figure in 20th-century Italian modernism — furniture designer Franco Albini nurtured a love for modern forms combined with traditional craft techniques.
Albini is widely known for working with organic materials such as rattan and cane for his chairs and other seating, but he also played a pivotal role in the Italian rationalist movement of the early 20th century, which saw architects and furniture makers applying a strict emphasis on geometry in their work. Rationalists drew on Ancient Roman architecture but rejected ornament, much in the way that Le Corbusier and celebrated Bauhaus figures such as Ludwig Mies van der Rohe had in their modernist furniture.
Albini received his degree in architecture from the Polytechnic University of Milan in 1929, and, in 1931, he founded his practice in Milan, where he tackled workers’ housing and other reconstruction projects. A gifted urban planner, he also developed the Palazzo Bianco, Palazzo Rosso and Tesoro di San Lorenzo museums in Genoa. While Albini is revered for his Margherita chair — a Triennale Milano award winner created for Bonacina in 1951 — he also collaborated with manufacturers Poggi and Cassina in the 1940s on seating, tables and more that embodied his artistic vision. Of that mid-century work, the one piece that perhaps best captures this vision is the iconic Luisa chair.
With its cherry red upholstery and sinuous wooden legs that seem to float aboveground, the Luisa is a genuine masterpiece. It is also a testament to Albini’s perfectionism, as it endured several prototypes — including one made by Knoll in the late 1940s — and took approximately 15 years to design. Poggi launched the final version of the armchair in 1955, earning Albini the prestigious Compasso d’Oro from Italy’s Association for Industrial Design. It is produced today by Cassina. Albini named the chair for someone who likely saw the process firsthand: his personal secretary of two decades, Luisa Colombini.
Find vintage Franco Albini furniture on 1stDibs.
H 28.75 in W 94.49 in D 37.41 in
Antonio Citterio Esosoft Outdoor Sofa, Rattan & Stainless Steel, Italy
By Antonio Citterio
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Antonio Citterio Esosoft Outdoor Sofa For Cassina A two- or three-seater sofa designed by Antonio Citterio and inspired by textural contrast. The exoskeleton of the base supports a...
Rattan
H 28.75 in W 69.3 in D 37.41 in
Antonio Citterio Esosoft Outdoor Sofa, Rattan & Stainless Steel, Italy
By Antonio Citterio
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Antonio Citterio Esosoft Outdoor Sofa For Cassina A two- or three-seater sofa designed by Antonio Citterio and inspired by textural contrast. The exoskeleton of the base supports a...
Rattan
H 28.75 in W 69.3 in D 37.41 in
Antonio Citterio Esosoft Outdoor Sofa, Rattan & Stainless Steel, Italy
By Antonio Citterio
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Antonio Citterio Esosoft Outdoor Sofa For Cassina A two- or three-seater sofa designed by Antonio Citterio and inspired by textural contrast. The exoskeleton of the base supports a...
Rattan
H 28.75 in W 64.18 in D 37.41 in
Antonio Citterio Esosoft Outdoor Sofa, Rattan & Stainless Steel, Italy
By Antonio Citterio
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Antonio Citterio Esosoft Outdoor Sofa For Cassina A two- or three-seater sofa designed by Antonio Citterio and inspired by textural contrast. The exoskeleton of the base supports a...
Rattan
H 28.35 in W 27.41 in D 44.22 in
Caribe Natural 2 Seater Bank by Sebastian Herkner
Located in Geneve, CH
Caribe natural 2 seater bank by Sebastian Herkner Materials: Wicker from Bejuco roots. Galvanized and powder-coated tubular steel frame. Technique: Weaved by local craftspeople in ...
Steel
H 31 in W 72.5 in D 31 in
McGuire Organic Modern Pencil Reed Rattan Sofa Settee
By McGuire
Located in Rio Vista, CA
Exceptional and rare McGuire modern organic rattan sofa. Crafted in the California coastal organic modern style by McGuire artisans from bundled pe...
Leather, Fabric, Rattan, Oak
H 28.75 in W 94.49 in D 37.41 in
Antonio Citterio Esosoft Outdoor Sofa, Rattan & Stainless Steel, Italy
By Antonio Citterio
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Antonio Citterio Esosoft Outdoor Sofa For Cassina A two- or three-seater sofa designed by Antonio Citterio and inspired by textural contrast. The exoskeleton of the base supports a...
Rattan
H 27.56 in W 54.73 in D 31.11 in
New York Soleil Sofa with Hemp Rope Frame & White Legs by Sergio Bicego
By Sergio Bicego
Located in Brooklyn, NY
The New York outdoor collection expands with a line of exclusive woven seating made entirely by hand. New York Sofa Soleil is the product of careful r...
Rope
H 30 in W 98 in D 28 in
Midcentury Organic Modern Bent Rattan Sofa Demilune Ends
Located in Rio Vista, CA
Divine midcentury organic modern bamboo rattan sofa or settee with demilune or crescent shaped ends. The bentwood rattan frame features a channel back conforming seat cushion with ne...
Fabric, Bamboo, Cane, Rattan
H 28.35 in W 98.43 in D 30.71 in
The Lazy Sofa . Brazilian solid wood with linen upholstery
By Amilcar Oliveira
Located in São Paulo, SP
The Lazy Sofa is an exercise in slow time. A piece that rejects contemporary urgency and proposes, through form, a return to the essential gesture of rest. ...
Linen, Wood
