Discovering spectacular ideas from history
Designers gaze backward to find furniture for revival
For the past several years, design companies have exploited an awakened interest in modernism’s storied past, combing the vast archives of 20thcentury furnishings to find forgotten gems that they believe deserve a new audience.
This revival movement had been gaining steam for some time. It took off in a significant way in 1964 when Cassina, an Italian furniture manufacturer, began reproducing designs by Le Corbusier Pierre Jeanneret and Charlotte Perriand in its I Maestri collection. Fifty-seven years later, the company is still unearthing treasures.
“Our mission is to discover great ideas from the past,” said Luca Fuso, Cassina’s chief executive, adding, “It’s a chance to bring to life a brilliant project even if we don’t make money on it.’’ He cited the company’s recent reissue of a radio designed by Franco Albini in 1940, though Cassina lacked the expertise and market for electronics.
Manufacturers aren’t alone in diving into the past. The families of deceased designers have also been looking backward, hoping to find something among old records to interest potential collaborators. At other times, the popularity of an item on social media creates the impetus for revival, reconstituting masterpieces out of thin ether.
Florian table by Vico Magistretti
The Italian Vico Magistretti designed Florian, a lightweight table, in 1989. Reintroduced by its original manufacturer, Acerbis,
as part of the company’s Remasters collection, the piece is made of ash with a brass mechanism and folds up into a graphic composition that hangs on the wall. “To enhance the brand and heritage of the 151-year-old company, it seemed only right to start with the classics’ creative legacy,” said Marco Cassina, marketing director of Acerbis’ parent company, MDF Italia; $1,515. ddcnyc.com
Cathedral table by Pierre Paulin
Thanks to the efforts of his family, the work of Pierre Paulin, the prolific Frenchman whose designs helped revolutionize furniture production, has been widely reissued by many companies. Paulin considered the Cathedral table from 1981 his masterpiece, but it was never manufactured, existing only as a prototype. Now, the aluminum-and-glass design is finally being made available in a limited edition of 72. The table with a single pedestal is $75,600; with a double pedestal, $102,960. ralphpucci.com
Oktett glassware
The staff at New York’s Museum of Modern Art’s design store frequently pores over old catalogs to find products worthy of revival.
This year they sought something cheerful to inspire shoppers in the worst days of the pandemic and landed on Oktett wineglasses produced by Bodum, a Danish housewares company. The glasses, which were designed in-house in 1983, have colorful bases made of recycled plastic rather than the original polypropylene. A set of two is $22. store. moma.org
D.847.1 writing desk by Gio Ponti
Molteni has been reissuing the work of Gio Ponti, a towering figure of midcentury design, since 2012. This year the Italian company revived a desk that Ponti conceived in 1947, working with an aircraft manufacturer to convert some of the company’s World War II-era efforts into “peace” production. The D.847.1 desk, whose curved sides evoke an airplane’s wings, is solid ash, with brass fittings; $7,324. molteni.it
Parigi chair by Aldo Rossi
Aldo Rossi, the Pritzker Prize-winning Italian architect, also excelled at product design, and he created an impressive body of work for UniFor, an office furniture company. This year, in a celebratory burst, the manufacturer reissued four of his designs including the Parigi chair, created in 1989 with the intent of bridging the gap between office and home. The chair’s black-painted aluminum frame encloses a jaunty red polyester foam seat and back; its profile is a gentle nod to aerodynamic designs of the 1930s; $8,540.50. unifor.it/en
Plico chair by Fabricius and Kastholm
About 10-15% of Carl Hansen & Son’s products are reissues. “We want to preserve the golden age of Danish design — from 1930 to 1980,” said Knud Erik Hansen, the chief executive of the 113-yearold company based in Denmark. The latest, the Plico chair came not from its archives but from the family of Jorgen Kastholm, who designed the 1964 folding chair with Preben Fabricius. The oak frame, which is dressed in canvas and linen, has an adjustable backrest. Available with a low back for $2,420 or a high one for $2,730. carl hansen.com