Italian Design Caori Coffee Table by Vico Magistretti, 1970s
About the Item
- Creator:Vico Magistretti (Designer),Gavina (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 15.75 in (40 cm)Width: 50.4 in (128 cm)Depth: 37.8 in (96 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1970
- Condition:Refinished. Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Renens, CH
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU5599227295062
Vico Magistretti
As one of the founding fathers of modern Italian design, prolific architect and industrial designer Ludovico Magistretti (known by his nickname Vico) was guided by his philosophy, “There is no excuse for bad design.” His architectural projects are widely revered, and an ingenious meld of form and function can be found in his stylish and deceptively simple table lamps, sofas, armchairs and other mid-century furnishings.
Born in Milan, Magistretti followed in the footsteps of his father and grandfather (both architects) to study architecture at the Polytechnic University of Milan. At the outbreak of World War II, he fled to Switzerland, and it was there he met his role model and mentor, renowned humanist architect Ernesto Nathan Rogers. Magistretti was inspired by Rogers’s vision to revive postwar Italy, and they collaborated on several reconstruction projects. Among Magistretti’s first architectural designs is a “poetic” round church, which he created for the QT8, an experimental Milanese neighborhood.
When Magistretti returned to Milan in 1945, he worked at his father’s architectural firm. It wasn’t until the early 1950s that he expanded his talents into design while working with furniture artisans.
In the 1960s, Magistretti began his 30-year working relationship with famed entrepreneur Cesare Cassina of the Cassina furniture manufacturing company. In their design approach, the two men shared a vision of the relationship between modernity and tradition and enjoyed a close bond (Magistretti designed Cassina’s luxurious villa in 1965). However, their friendship was not without contention.
Legend has it that upon seeing the prototype for Magistretti’s Maralunga sofa, Cassina hated it so much that he punched it, breaking the back of the sofa, which crumpled into itself.
“Right, great, it looks perfect to me like that,” an unfazed Magistretti allegedly responded, and the Maralunga’s slumped, adjustable-height backrest was born. Incidentally, the Maralunga sofa won Italy’s Compasso d’Oro award as did his Eclisse lamp for Artemide and his Atollo lamp for Oluce.
Magistretti died in 2006, but his designs live on in galleries, museums and private residences and offices around the world.
Find a range of vintage Vico Magistretti furniture and lighting on 1stDibs.
You May Also Like
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Aluminum
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Metal, Stainless Steel
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Stainless Steel
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Wood
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Walnut, Beech
Vintage 1960s Italian Space Age Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Wood
Vintage 1970s Italian Serving Tables
Wood
Vintage 1970s Italian Space Age Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Plastic
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Wood
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Wood
More From This Seller
View AllVintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Metal
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Metal
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Carrara Marble
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs
Fiberglass
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Marble, Travertine
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Glass, Wood
