‘Basket’ seating by Joe Colombo
The mid-century master of plastic’s forgotten foray into rattan, newly re-released by Gubi, shows how his futuristic style transcends materials
Even fans of the maverick Italian designer Joe Colombo’s furniture may not instantly recognise this collection as his handiwork. Captivated by the aesthetic of the atomic era, Colombo is most famous for his revolutionary pieces in plastic: designs that zinged with sci-fi styling and bright colour, such as the ‘Elda’ armchair and ‘Boby’ trolley. This outdoor collection – originally created in the 1960s for rattan specialist Pierantonio Bonacina – is something of an undiscovered gem.
During Colombo’s tragically short career (the designer died suddenly and unexpectedly on his 41st birthday in 1971), he made a big and lasting impression. After studying painting and sculpture at the Brera Academy of Fine Art in his hometown of Milan, he segued into architecture with a stint studying at the Politecnico di Milano. It was after 1961, when he opened his own studio, that he began his real mission, though: designing the environment of the future. His aim was to create pieces suitable for a new, more adaptable way of living.
It is the spirit of innovation and invention that defines his work. These qualities are clear in the ‘Basket’ collection, says Ignazia Favata, Colombo’s former assistant and now director of Joe Colombo Studio. ‘Despite being rattan, an unusual material for him, they show the same futuristic aesthetic and hyper-focus on function as everything he designed,’ she says. It is, Favata adds, pointing to a growing desire to connect with natural materials and spend more time outdoors, ‘definitely the right time to let this design back into our lives’. It may be 55 years old, but the range (which includes a two-seater and threeseater sofa as well as a lounge chair) is still very much of the moment.
Some adjustments to the original designs have been made: the oncefibreglass structural shell has been replaced with more-sustainable steel and the proportions tweaked to suit modern ideas of comfort. The changes, believes Favata, are ones Colombo would have approved of. ‘If he were still alive and working today, he would be eagerly pushing at the boundaries of sustainable materials,’ she says. ‘His focus was on what humans would need to live in the future, not necessarily what they wanted in the present. If he could see these pieces being embraced in modern homes, it would be a validation of everything he believed as a designer.’ From £2,299 for a lounge chair, gubi.com