(1927 - present)
It is no exaggeration to say that Cassina revolutionised the world of furniture design. Starting life as a humble furniture workshop, Cassina became a pioneer of industrialised designer furniture, introducing materials and production techniques that gave artists the freedom to express themselves in previously unheard of ways. Their legacy is imprinted on
mid-century modern,
postmodern and
contemporary styles around the world, and they continue to influence design and production techniques to this very day.
Cassina was founded in Italy in 1927 by brothers Cesare and Umberto Cassina. Their original proposal was to make quality handcrafted furniture, focussing primarily on carpentry and the production of upholstered armchairs and sofas. The business progressed steadily for several years, but it was in the post-war era that things began to change.
As Italy began to rebuild following the devastation of the war, Umberto and Cesare became increasingly involved in larger contracts – hotel fittings, office furnishings, even cruise ship interiors. At the same time, they began to work with outside designers for the first time. The combination of these two developments led them to start manufacturing furniture that had been designed outside the firm, and at scale.
The transition from artisanal workshop to industrial producer had begun, and with it came an increasing focus on research and innovation. Technological advancements were combined with traditional craftsmanship to ensure that quality was at the heart of everything they did. And the company’s open mindset meant that designers were invited to get personally involved in the whole production process.
This interaction between artist and innovator led to a whole new world of possibilities. Designers found that new techniques being pioneered by Cassina enabled them to bring to life designs that would have been hitherto impossible to create. A perfect example can be found in Gio Ponti’s Superleggera chair (1957). The chair was graced with a thin, minimalistic design and weighed just over 1.5kg, and yet was solid and robust enough for everyday use thanks to the manufacturing techniques employed by Cassina. The design is regarded as one of Ponti’s finest and is still much sought after today.
Taking things a step further was Mario Bellini’s Model 932. This armchair was completely devoid of a traditional rigid framework. Instead, the chair’s pillows and upholstery formed the main structure of the chair, creating the ultimate in soft furnishing.
As time went on, Cassina bean working more ever more innovative materials and techniques from plastics and injection moulding to fibre glass and polyester resin. This led to futuristic designs like Gaetano Pece’s Golgotha chairs and the Terra chair designed by Alessandro Mendini and made of a mixture of plexiglass and earth.
Over the course of nearly a century, Cassina has worked with some of the biggest names in design: Gio Ponti, Le Corbusier, Charlotte Perriand, Frank Lloyd Wright, Philippe Starck – the list reads like a Who’s Who of 20th century design. But whereas in many sectors, the introduction of industrial production techniques has led to a diminishing of the influence of art, Cassina has used innovation to enhance creativity, inspire new aesthetic approaches, and give artists access to a brave new world of design.