Furnishing the home, Molteni-style

Over 80 years of experience, a long pathway studded with challenges and constantly geared to the pursuit of a “magnificent obsession: quality”.

Over the years, Molteni has pursued its objectives by focusing on the requirements of a market in continuous evolution, offering products that embrace all the spaces in the modern residential environment, from the living room to the sleeping area, and the kitchen in between. The new website www.moltenigroup.com was launched in 2016, featuring all the brands in the group (Molteni&C, Dada, UniFor and CITTERIO), a true symbol of the variety and plenitude of products in the range.

Constant innovation, combined with a savoir-faire which has remained authentic and predominant even following the introduction of serial production, are the cornerstones of the Molteni Group’s company mission and from year to year they characterise both the standard range on offer, and also the many new projects and partnerships.

In 2016, Molteni&C reinforced a partnership that was already very special, that is, its connection with Belgian architect Vincent Van Duysen, who designed the 1200-square metre Molteni&C pavilion for the 55th edition of the Salone del Mobile of Milan.

Well-known in the industry and certainly not for his minimalist approach to design, Van Duysen created a clever mix of Nordic rigour and the Mediterranean warmth intrinsic to fine Italian production which sets Molteni&C one step ahead of the pack.

The predominant concept expressed in the Molteni&C Collection is the fluidity with which the environments and spaces of the home intersect one another and blend together in perfect harmony. The living and dining rooms and the sleeping area dialogue through the use of sophisticated materials such as glass, oxidised wood and raw metal, and sport a colour palette in which natural shades, from sand to warm greys, are livened up by touches of green (the colour of the year).

But what makes the Collection even more unique are the contributions by many of the biggest names in Italian and international design: Vincent Van Duysen, Jasper Morrison, Ron Gilad, Rodolfo Dordoni, Patricia Urquiola, Tobia Scarpa, Dante Bonuccelli, Nicola Gallizia, Foster+Partners, Michele de Lucchi and Gio Ponti.

There are three new products for the living area designed by Vincent Van Duysen and inspired by the Flemish art of his homeland: the Paul sofa, the Quinten sideboard and the small table Jan. Paul, named after Pieter Paul Rubens, is a seating system with large chairs designed to sing the praises of comfort, but also and especially to pay tribute to elegance and style, visible in all aspects of the pieces, right down to the smallest details, such as the double seams. The small table Jan, by household name Jan van Eyck, is a lightweight, simple table with proportions determined by the texture of the top, which can be made of wood (eucalyptus or oak), stone or glass. Last but not least, the Quinten sideboards, named after the third most important Flemish painter, Quinten Massijs, which, with their perfect proportions and fine, careful production methods, are the must-have finishing touches to any living area. The distinctive and versatile Glove-Up seating line by Patricia Urquiola completes the range of chairs for the living area, in the form of chair or armchair, and with three new elements: sofa armchair and bench, from the Chelsea collection designed by Rodolfo Dordoni.

The parade of big names also continues in the occasional furniture in the living area. Nicola Gallizia is the designer of the 505 modular system, renewed by introducing a new type of reinforced top, and the minimal, sleek collection of oval tables, benches and poufs, Domino Next. The new modular bookcase Reticolo designed by Ron Gilard has an industrial feel and features a structure that easily accommodates a range of shapes. Finally the small tables Diamond (Patricia Urquiola), Vicino Table (Foster+Partners) and Panna Cotta (Ron Gilard), by now classics of the Molteni&C range, are proposed in new materials and finishes, bearing witness to the research and continuous experimentation carried out by the brand.

Today, furniture design is constantly veering off in new directions compared to those loyally followed a few decades ago and today a workstation designed for laptops and tablets is becoming an increasingly common requirement. A company like Molteni&C, which is always up-to-date with the latest trends, knows this and so proposes Ink, the desk designed by Jasper Morrison. An object in which form is second in importance to functionality, creating a place in which ideas can be developed. Secretello, designed by Michele De Lucchi, also follows this same line of thought: a desk made unique by the transparencies which give a voice to the objects it “conceals”.

Finally, the 80th anniversary of the company and the inauguration of the Molteni Museum have signalled the launch of a project anticipated by the re-release of the Gio Ponti collection in 2012: looking to the future, while safeguarding the legacy of the past. This is the idea at the basis of the Molteni Heritage Collection, a collection that revisits certain key pieces of the past, highlighting their avant-garde, contemporary flair. There are four proposals in the Heritage Collection. The first is a restyling of the prototype of the first modern piece of furniture created by Molteni&C, the storage unit designed by Werner Blaser in 1955, now available in a limited edition of 100 pieces. The design of the second item dates to a few years later, precisely to 1959, and it is the bookcase by Japanese designer Yasuhiko Itoh, also a limited edition. The third revisited design is by Tobia Scarpa and dates back to 1986. It is the Miss chair, a product that preserves the memory of fine craftsmanship. And finally, the Gio Ponti collection is enhanced by the hanging bookcase D.355.1, a design very close to the heart of the Milanese architect, who indeed created this version for his own home.

http://www.molteni.it/en/